Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Week 1 NFL Picks & Predictions 9/10/2017

Sunday, September 10, 2017

FirstEnergy Stadium

Get todays NFL Odds & Lines on this game

The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to FirstEnergy Stadium to take on the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, September 10, 2017. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh as 8.5 point favorites. The over/under has been set at 47. The Steelers had an ATS record of 11-8-0 last season while their over/under record was 7-12-0. The Browns had an over/under record of 8-8-0 and they were 4-12-0 against the spread.

Valuable Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Steelers were 7-12-0 against the over/under last season

The Pittsburgh Steelers were 11-8-0 against the spread last year

Important Cleveland Browns Betting Trends

The Cleveland Browns were 8-8-0 against the over/under last season

The Cleveland Browns were 4-12-0 against the spread last year

Key Pittsburgh Steelers Injuries

07/30/17 WR Martavis Bryant Suspension out indefinitely

Key Cleveland Browns Injuries

08/28/17 OL Cameron Erving Calf "?" Sunday vs. Pittsburgh
08/28/17 OL Joel Bitonio Knee "?" Sunday vs. Pittsburgh
08/27/17 QB DeShone Kizer None has been named the starter Sunday vs. Pittsburgh
08/23/17 LB Tank Carder ACL IR
08/18/17 DL Danny Shelton Knee "?" Sunday vs. Pittsburgh

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Pittsburgh Steelers were 11th in the NFL in points scored with 399 last season. They ran 1,026 plays last year for 5,962 yards, which ranked them 7th in the league in total offense. The Steelers averaged 5.8 yards per play, which was 8th in the National Football League. As a team they accumulated a total of 336 1st downs last year, placing them 12th overall as an offensive unit. On the ground Pittsburgh ran for 1,760 yards as a team, which ranked 14th in the NFL. They ran 409 times last year, averaging 4.3 yards per carry as a rushing unit. The Steelers were penalized on offense 112 times for 1,068 yards last season, which had them 10th in the league in penalties. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3,819 yards last season. He completed 328 passes on 509 attempts for a completion percentage of 64.4%. His QBR last year was 66.3 while is quarterback rating was 95.4. He averaged 7.5 yards per pass attempt and 11.6 yards per completion.

Defensive Statistics

Pittsburgh was 10th in the league in points allowed on defense with 327 last year. They surrendered a total of 5,482 yards on D, which was 12th in the NFL. The Steelers were ranked 14th in yards per play allowed with 5.5. Their pass defense gave up 6.2 net yards per pass attempt, placing them 12th in the league as a unit. Opposing offenses completed 381 passes on 590 attempts against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense last season, placing them 26th and 23rd in the National Football League. The Pittsburgh pass defense also gave up a total of 3,882 yards through the air, which was 16th overall in total pass defense. Their rushing defense allowed 369 attempts for 1,600 yards last year, putting them in 13th place in the league against the run. The Steelers committed 109 penalties for 920 yards on the defensive side of the ball last season. That ranked them 14th in the NFL. They gave up a score on 34.5% of possessions on defense, which was 12th in the league.

Special Teams Stats

Pittsburgh was ranked 29th in the league in punt returns last season with 22. They accumulated 185 punt return yards and averaged 8.4 yards per return, which was 16th in the NFL. Their longest punt return last year was 33 yards. They returned 28 kicks for 603 yards on special teams, ranking 21st in kick return yardage. The Steelers averaged 21.5 yards per kick return and had a long of 44 yards last year. They were 14th in the league in all-purpose yards with 6,925. The Pittsburgh Steelers attempted 28 field goals last season and made 24, which was 22nd in the National Football League. Their kickers had a field goal percentage of 85.7%. Pittsburgh Steelers kickers made 100% of their extra points, going 37 for 37 last year. Their punters totaled 3,100 yards on 69 punts, averaging 22 yards per punt. That placed them 21st in the NFL in punting average.

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Cleveland Browns ran for 1,712 yards as a unit last year, which ranked 19th in the league. They ran 350 times, averaging 4.9 yards per rush as a unit. The Browns were penalized on offense 95 times for 736 yards last season, which had them 27th in the NFL in penalties. They were 31st in the National Football League in points scored with 264. They ran 983 plays last year for 4,976 yards, which ranked them 30th in the NFL in total offense. The Browns averaged 5.1 yards per play, which was 25th in the league. As a team they accumulated a total of 296 1st downs last season, ranking them 26th overall as an offensive unit. DeShone Kizer is expected to start the season at Quarterback for Cleveland. The rookie from Notre Dame has impressed coaches this offseason with his accuracy and work ethic.

Defensive Statistics

The Browns rush defense gave up 498 attempts for 2,283 yards last season, putting them in 31st place in the NFL against the run. They had 104 penalties for 930 yards on defense last year. That placed them 18th in the league. They allowed a score on 40.8% of possessions on defense, which was 27th in the NFL. Cleveland was 30th in the NFL in points surrendered on defense with 452. They gave up a total of 6,279 yards on D, which was 31st in the league. The Browns were 26th in yards per play allowed with 5.9. Their pass defense allowed 7 net yards per pass attempt, ranking them 29th in the National Football League. Opponent offenses completed 347 throws on 543 attempts against the Cleveland defense last season, ranking them 13th and 7th in the league. The Cleveland Browns pass defense also surrendered a total of 3,996 yards in the air, which was 21st overall in total pass defense.

Special Teams Stats

The Cleveland Browns tried 27 field goals last season and made 21, which was 25th in the league. Their kickers had a FG percentage of 77.8%. Cleveland kickers made 92% of their extra points, going 23 for 25 last season. Their punters accumulated 3,762 yards on 83 punts, averaging 30 yards per punt. That ranked them 17th in the NFL in punting average. Cleveland was 15th in the NFL in punt returns with 30 last year. They totaled 200 punt return yards and averaged 6.7 yards per return, which was 26th in the league. Their longest punt return last season was 18 yards. They returned 34 kicks for 634 yards on special teams, placing them 18th in kick return yardage. The Browns averaged 18.6 yards per kick return and had a long of 36 yards last season. They were 29th in the National Football League in all-purpose yards with 6,239.

Who will win tonight's Steelers/Browns NFL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Steelers -8.5

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