Can the Steelers still make the playoffs?
On the last day of the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cleveland Browns for a deciding game. The host must win and hope for help from the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. Mike Tomlin’s team can thus no longer reach the NFL playoffs on their own.
For the visitors, meanwhile, there is nothing left to play for and therefore the bookmakers’ betting odds between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns point to a home win. The odds for a win for the home team are 1.70.
Pittsburgh have three wins from seven games at home, so they are not particularly strong at home. However, their form is impressive, with the Steelers winning five of their last six games.
Cleveland, with three wins from eight away games, is at least not a scary opponent. But the Browns have also been in good form recently, picking up four wins from their last six games. That’s why the odds between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns are relatively close.
The key player in this game could be Najee Harris. The Steelers’ running back has become a built-in touchdown guarantee for Pittsburgh in recent weeks. Without the superstar, their chances of making the NFL playoffs would likely be history. For this reason, we recommend betting on a Najee Harris touchdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. He’s run into the end zone three times in the last four games and that’s with only seven team touchdowns in that span.
Pittsburgh Steelers – stats & recent form
The Steelers are currently in ninth place in the American Football Conference. With a win on the last game day, Pittsburgh could still make up ground and that despite a very weak start to the season. After the departure of superstar quarterback Roethlisberger, this would be a great success that was not necessarily expected. Kenny Pickett proved to be a good replacement recently despite his lack of experience.
Najee Harris with a stellar performance
The Steelers’ running back scored the decisive touchdown with 56 seconds left in last weekend’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. With four touchdowns in the past six games, he was instrumental in his team’s comeback. In the last game he wants to win first and foremost, but he also wants to break the mark of 1,000 rushing yards. If he maintains his average of 59.6 rushing yards per game, he will succeed. He is still a little short of the top players at his position, but at 24 years old he still has a long way to go.
Does the defence hold up against Cleveland?
Because the Steelers’ offense is one of the weakest in the NFL, the defense will be especially challenged on the final day of play against the Browns. Pittsburgh averages just 17.5 points per game and Mike Tomlin’s team has a lot of room to improve, especially in the passing game. Defensively, the team is solid, allowing only 20.8 points on average. This is primarily due to the good defence against the running game and especially against the Browns this can become a decisive factor. As is well known, the strongest weapon of the visitors is rushing.
Key players of the Pittsburgh Steelers:
QB: Kenny Pickett – RB: Najee Harris – WR: George Pickens – LB: T.J. Watt – K: Chris Boswell
Cleveland Browns – Statistics & current form
Cleveland is in twelfth place in the AFC and last place in the AFC North. Their chances of making the NFL playoffs are gone despite good results in recent weeks. Kevin Stefanski’s team won seven games this season and lost nine. Compared to the previous season, the Browns could not improve. With a win in Pittsburgh, the team could at least match the record of the 21/22 season. Recently the quarterback was changed and with Deshaun Watson the development seems to be positive.
Nick Chubb – one of the best running backs in the NFL
The Browns’ strength on offense is clearly in the running game, and that’s largely due to the excellence of running back Nick Chubb. He ranks second in the league with 1,448 rushing yards and is the team’s top scorer with twelve touchdowns. Together with wide receiver Amari Cooper, he has already given his team a few victories. But Cleveland is too dependent on the two players in total and therefore the scoring average is only 21.7 points despite the two superstars.
The defence of opposites
Cleveland is very solid on defense, conceding an average of 22.1 points. The defense is especially good against the passing game, allowing only 196.7 yards. This puts the Browns in seventh place in the league. Against the run game, however, Kevin Stefanski’s team has problems and finds itself in 25th place. Opposing teams average 134.4 rushing yards, so Cleveland should be especially wary of Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Key players for the Cleveland Browns:
QB: Deshaun Watson – RB: Nick Chubb – WR: Amari Cooper – TE: David Njoku – K: Cade York
Pittsburgh Steelers – Cleveland Browns Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The direct comparison goes very clearly to the host from Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 74 duels and only lost 39 times. However, the Browns were able to win the last meeting. At the end of December, Cleveland won quite clearly in their own stadium with 29:17. Due to the starting position shortly before the end of the regular season, our prediction between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns still goes in the direction of the home team.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Cleveland Browns Tip
Looking at the odds before the clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, the bookmakers seem to be assuming a home win. After plenty of analysis, we have come to the same conclusion and are sure that Pittsburgh will do their homework.
Whether the Steelers will make the NFL playoffs will then be decided on the other seats. With the Patriots the underdogs against Buffalo and Miami still without Tua Tagovailoa, the odds aren’t that bad for Pittsburgh.
Since the Browns have also been very strong on the road in recent weeks, we’ve decided on another main pick. We are playing the betting on over 1.5 field goals by the home team between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
The host must win this game at all costs and yet the problems on the offensive side do not suddenly disappear. Pittsburgh made 32 field goals in 16 games, an average of two per game. In the last game they even made three against the Baltimore Ravens.
