Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – Week 8 Free Betting Pick

The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers will go toe-to-toe on the grass at Heinz Field. The opening kickoff for this matchup is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET and CBS has the TV rights.

Betting Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is a noticeable road underdog in this AFC game and is currently being given 8 points. The Browns are also receiving +260 moneyline odds while the Steelers are -330. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 51 points. Based on how it’s shaping up, there should be multiple good live betting possibilities in this game.

With the line opening at -8 and the O/U set initially at 50.5, oddsmakers have shifted this game’s outlook a bit.

The Browns have lost 1.8 units so far in 2018 and are 5-2 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 3-4.

The Steelers are down 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-3 ATS and own an O/U record of 4-2.

The Browns are 2-4-1 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against AFC North opponents. The Steelers are 3-2-1 SU overall and 1-1 SU against divisional foes.

Pittsburgh enters this matchup on a two-game losing streak while Cleveland has won its last two in a row. The Browns fell to Tampa Bay 26-23 in a Week 7 game where the defense allowed the Buccaneers to pass for 365 yards while rushing for 114 yards and three scores. Mike Evans had a productive day for the Buccaneers in that one with 107 yards on seven catches. On the offensive side of the ball, Baker Mayfield completed 23 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Chubb (80 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack in the loss. Jarvis Landry (10 receptions, 97 yards, one TD) and David Njoku (four catches, 52 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties.

The Pittsburgh Steelers just earned a 28-21 win over Cincinnati. The defense did its duty in the victory, limiting the Bengals to just 229 passing yards and 62 rushing yards. A.J. Green was a bright spot in the loss, recording 85 yards on seven catches for Cincinnati. For Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger completed 32-of-46 passes for 369 yards and one touchdown. James Conner (111 rushing yards on 19 attempts, two TDs) led the ground game in the win while Vance McDonald (seven receptions, 68 yards) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (seven catches, 111 yards) led the pass-catching corps.

Cleveland has run the ball on 42.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Pittsburgh has a rush percentage of 33.4 percent. The Browns have run for 135.0 yards per game (including 144.5 per game against North opponents) and have nine touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Steelers are putting up 88.7 rushing yards per game (96.7 in conference) and have eight total rush TDs.

It appears that the Steelers should have an edge along both the offensive and defensive fronts, as their offensive line has given up just nine sacks while the D-line has registered 22 sacks. The Browns offensive line has allowed 31 sacks and their defense has created only 19 sacks.

The Browns offense has tallied 250.4 yards/contest through the air overall (269.5 per game against conference opposition) and has eight passing scores so far. The Steelers have recorded a superb 338.8 pass yards per contest (326 in the AFC) and have 12 total pass TDs.

Cleveland has let opponents rush for an average of 134.7 yards and pass for 294.6 yards per game. The Pittsburgh defense has given up 305.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 97.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Browns are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.21 to opposing QBs, while the Steelers have given up a 6.74 ANY/A.

Offensively, Mayfield is up to 1,053 passing yards this year, and has connected on 61 percent of his 141 attempts with five scores through the air and three interceptions. Mayfield has a 6.02 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 4.11 over the past two outings.

For the home team, Ben Roethlisberger has connected on 151-of-232 passes for 1,783 yards, nine TDs and five INTs. Roethlisberger’s ANY/A sits at 6.97 for the year and 8.72 across his last two games.

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Pick

SU Winner: Browns, ATS Winner: Browns, O/U: Over

Team Betting Notes,

The Over/Under for Cleveland’s last game was set at 52. The under cashed in the team’s 26-23 defeat to Tampa Bay.

As a team, Cleveland has rushed for 4.6 yards per attempt over its last three outings and 5.0 over its last two.

Pittsburgh has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.9 over its last two.

The Pittsburgh offense has lost four fumbles this season while Cleveland has let three get away.

In its last three matches, Cleveland is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.

Cleveland has lost four of its last five games SU, with a three-point victory over Baltimore on October 7th accounting for the only win over that span.

The O/U for Pittsburgh’s last outing was set at 49.5. The under cashed in the team’s 28-21 victory over Cincinnati.

Over its last three contests, Pittsburgh is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.

The Browns offense has created three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Steelers have accounted for five such plays.

Both teams have allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Cleveland defense has given up seven pass plays of 30+ yards while Pittsburgh has given up 10 such plays.

The Cleveland offense has created nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Pittsburgh has created five such runs.

The Browns defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Steelers have given up four such runs.

The Pittsburgh D has sacked opposing quarterbacks 22 times this year. Cleveland has produced 19 sacks.