Most people would agree that Pittsburgh-Cleveland is a great rivalry in the NFL,
but a rivalry usually means something competitive. And Steelers-Browns has been
anything but a rivalry for the past several years. Can the Browns pull the upset
Thursday night at Heinz Field in the Week 14 NFL opener? Pittsburgh opened as a
13.5-point favorite on Bodog’s NFL football odds and live betting will be
available.
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Both of these teams were 2-1
after three weeks of this season but have gone in predictably opposite
directions since. Cleveland (4-8) fell 24-10 Sunday at home vs. Baltimore for
its second loss in a row and fifth in six games. As usual, the Browns offense
was lousy, as Cleveland rushed for all of 59 yards and QB Colt McCoy
continued to regress, going 17-for-35 for 192 yards, one TD and one
pick. McCoy has thrown for at least 200 yards in just one of the past five
games. McCoy sprained his right knee in the first quarter against the Ravens but
did return and should start Thursday.
Browns running back Peyton
Hillis strained his hip against the Ravens. Hillis, a massive
disappointment this year who has missed five games due to injury, is day-to-day.
Cleveland’s offense ranks near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every category.
In the past seven games, the Browns have scored more than 14 points just once.
And the rush defense isn’t much better, allowing six straight backs to reach 100
yards on the ground. That could mean plenty of Rashard Mendenhall
for Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Pittsburgh (9-3), meanwhile, is
among the NFL leaders in every defensive category. The Steelers shut down the
Bengals on Sunday in a 35-7 win, holding Cincinnati to 232 total yards. Both
star safety Troy Polamalu (concussion) and linebacker
LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) played through injuries, although
Woodley lasted only a quarter after tweaking that hamstring. Still, both should
play in this one, although Woodley will be relegated to a platoon
role.
Pittsburgh routed Cleveland in both meetings last year and has won
14 of the past 15 meetings – the Browns have only won once in 11 all-time games
at Heinz Field. Cleveland’s only win overall since 2003 came on Dec. 10, 2010,
in Cleveland, 13-6, in a game that had wind-chill temperatures of
10-below.
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