NFL Week 1: Steelers at Browns Expert Betting Analysis & Pick

Division games always make for an exciting opening week match-up in NFL Week 1 of the news season, assuming of course that you expect said game to be competitive. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a dominant force in the NFL for as long as anyone can remember, winning championships and ruling the AFC North in the process. Their dominance in the division has come at the expense of the Cleveland Browns, although Cleveland have not been very competitive against anyone. The 2017 NFL season will open this weekend with the Steelers once again in as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The Browns are coming off a terrible year, even by their standards, and while they had a good draft and made some decent preseason moves, they are probably still a couple of years away from being able to make any kind of noise in the division. The Steelers come into this game as a 9-point road favorite, which is not that surprising when you consider how far apart they are from the Browns in terms of talent. One of the stories to watch in this game will be the appearance of CB Joe Haden in a Steelers uniform, a matter of days after being cut by the Browns. On the other side, WR Sammie Coates may see some time with the Browns after being traded by Pittsburgh.

NFL Week 1: Steelers at Browns Expert Betting Analysis & Pick

When: Sunday, September 10 at 1 PM EST Where: First Energy Stadium, Cleveland TV: CBS Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5) (Pittsburgh) / WKNR (850 AM) (Cleveland) Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Week 1 Odds: Pittsburgh Steelers -9 (-105) Weather Forecast

• Clear: 19°C/66°F
• Humidity: 48%
• Precipitation: 0%
• Cloud Cover: 6%
• Wind: 11 mph ENE
• Stadium Type: Open

Why Bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers?

The Steelers are almost certainly going to be a dominant force on offense this season, as they have a wealth of talent at the WR position, as well as a Hall of Fame QB in Ben Roethlisberger. Throw in the running talent of LeVeon Bell and you get an idea of just how dangerous this group is. The downside for this team is that they have a young offense that is still learning on the job. The addition of Joe Haden from the Browns may add some much-needed veteran help, and if the D can get the job done, this team may be tough to stop. The Steelers have been a thorn in the side of the Browns during the Big Ben era, and have won 8 of their last 1o meetings against Cleveland. During those 10 games, the Steelers went 6-3-1 ATS. While the Steelers winning SU against the Browns would appear to be a no-brainer, going OVER the 47-point total may not be. 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two have gone UNDER the point total.

Team Statistics

• Offensive total yards 372.68
• Current Offensive rush yards 113.89
• Offensive passing yards 258.79
• Average Score For 24.42
• Defensive total yards 339.21
• Current Defensive rush yards 93.16
• Defensive passing yards 246.05
• Average Score Against 20.58

Football Week 1 Odds Overview & Predictions for Each Game

Why Bet on the Cleveland Browns?

The Cleveland Browns are coming off their worst season ever, going 1-15 in 2016. The problems that this team have faced over the years are too many to document here, but it’s fair to say that their inability to land a franchise QB has been a major issue. The Browns will once again be going with a rookie in the QB role this season after cutting Brock Osweiler and announcing that it will be DeShone Kizer who will be under center in Week 1. While Kizer may end up being a good NFL QB in the coming years, he is likely going to be in over his head against a blitz-happy Steelers D. While the Browns have not had any real success against the Steelers SU, they have also had difficulty covering, going 1-3-1 in the last 5 meetings with Pittsburgh.

Team Statistics

• Offensive total yards 311.00
• Current Offensive rush yards 107.00
• Offensive passing yards 204.00
• Average Score For 16.50
• Defensive total yards 392.44
• Current Defensive rush yards 142.75
• Defensive passing yards 249.69
• Average Score Against 28.25

Series History

• Total Meetings: 130
• First Meeting: Octoober 7th, 1950. Forbes Field. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Last Meeting: January 1st, 2017. Heinz Field. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• All-Time Series: Pittsburgh 72-58-0
• Largest Margin of Victory: Cleveland 51-0 (1989)
• Longest Win Streak: Pittsburgh 12 (2003-2009)
• Current Win Streak: Pittsburgh 4 (2015-2017)

NFL Week 1 Betting Trends

• Pittsburgh is 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10 games
• Pittsburgh is 9-1 SU in the last 10 games
• The totalwentUNDER in 16 of Pittsburgh’s last 23 games
• Cleveland is 1-8-1 ATS in the last 10 games
• Cleveland is 1-18 SU in the last 19 games
• The total went UNDER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 8 games

Expert NFL Week 1 Pick and Final Score Prediction

This is a game that could very easily get out of hand early, especially if Kizer struggles in his NFL debut. I think that the Steelers are going to win this one in rather comfortable fashion, but I do think that this one will fall UNDER the 47-point total. Let’s go with the Steelers to win and cover. NFL Week 1 Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers 30 Cleveland Browns 10