Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction, 1/8/2023 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 18

Game: Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Date: Sunday, January 8, 2023

Location: Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Steelers (-2.5)

Total/Over-Under: 39

Acrisure Stadium is the site where the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8) will take on the Cleveland Browns (7-9) on Sunday. Pittsburgh is 2.5-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total has been set at 39.

The Cleveland Browns head into this matchup 7-9 for this season. The last time they took the field, the Browns played against the Commanders and walked away with a win by a score of 24-10. Nick Chubb was the rushing leader for the Browns with 14 carries for 104 yds (7.4 yards per attempt). Amari Cooper averaged 35.0 yds per catch by recording 105 yards on 3 catches. Deshaun Watson connected on 9/18 with 169 yards passing and 3 TDs. He had a quarterback rating of 122.5 and ended the game with no interceptions. When it came to stopping the run, the Browns conceded 136 yds on 37 attempts, which is 3.7 yards per run allowed. Cleveland relinquished 16 pass completions on 28 tries for a total of 124 yards, and a completion percentage of 57.1%. At the end of the game, they ran 53 plays for 301 yards. The Cleveland Browns ran the football 30 different times and totaled 146 yards, which is an average of 4.9 yards per tote.

The Browns have tallied 5,627 total yards for the year. Cleveland has compiled 171 1st downs as a team, and they have committed 93 infractions for 800 yds. When it comes to scoring touchdowns, Cleveland has amassed 17 touchdowns through the air and 19 touchdowns via the ground. They have surrendered the ball 19 different times (10 picks and 9 fumbles). As a team they are averaging 147.3 yards on the ground which is 6th in the NFL. Regarding scoring, the Cleveland Browns are averaging 21.7 points per outing.

In terms of yards via the pass, the Browns have given up 3,147 yards which ranks them 7th in the league. They have allowed 196.7 yards per contest via the pass as well as giving up a completion percentage of 61.6%. For the year, they are granting 331.1 yards/game which puts them 12th in the National Football League. They have relinquished 19 touchdowns via the pass and 20 touchdowns on the ground. They are giving up an average of 4.8 yards per rush and 134.4 rushing yards per game this season. For the season, they have allowed 2,151 running yards through 16 outings. The Browns are sitting in 19th in the NFL regarding team defense, allowing 22.1 points per contest.

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The Steelers head into this matchup 8-8 for this year. In their last contest, the Steelers went home victorious with a score of 16-13 when they faced the Ravens. Kenny Pickett (1 TD) ended the contest with 168 yds on 15/27 through the air while his quarterback rating was 86.7. He didn't throw any interceptions and his avg yards per attempt was 6.2 yds. Najee Harris ran the ball 22 times for 111 yards, finishing the contest with 5.0 yards per attempt for Pittsburgh. Pat Freiermuth was a featured target for the Steelers, snagging 3 balls for 36 yards (12.0 yards per catch). Pittsburgh ran the football for 4.8 yards per tote, totaling 198 yards on 41 carries. The Steelers finished with 351 yds while they ran 70 plays (5.0 yds per play). The Steelers secondary gave up a completion rate of 66.7%, surrendering 120 yards on 14 out of 21 passing. Pittsburgh gave up 28 attempts on the ground for 120 yards (4.3 yards per carry).

Regarding how much they score, the Steelers currently rank 29th out of all teams in the league with an average of 17.5 PPG. Over the course of the season so far, the Steelers have earned 3,222 passing yards in addition to holding an average of 201.4 passing yards per game, which has them ranked 24th in the NFL. They average 120.6 yards per game via the rush and have toted the ball for 1,929 yards in total. The Pittsburgh Steelers are averaging 321.9 yards per outing which is good for 23rd in the NFL. The Pittsburgh offense has compiled 691 penalty yards on 90 violations, which ranks them 17th in the NFL in terms of helping out the opposition. They have thrown 14 interceptions while surrendering 4 fumbles and they have been able to obtain 179 1st downs.

They have allowed the opposition 27 touchdowns from the passing game and 225.4 yards per outing, which puts them in 21st out of all teams. Pittsburgh has allowed a total of 1,704 yards rushing (106.5 yards per contest) and 7 touchdowns via the rush this year. They have tallied 21 turnovers (3 fumbles and 18 picks) so far this year. The Steelers defense taken the field for 966 plays, which is good for 6th in the league. In total, they have surrendered 332 total points. The Steelers are conceding 20.8 points per game, which has them ranked 11th in the NFL.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Steelers -2.5

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