Another battle with somewhat high stakes will take place in the AFC North when the Cleveland Browns go on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In their initial matchup, the Browns won on their home field, but DeShaun Watson was still serving his suspension and was unavailable for that matchup.
The Steelers are clinging to a potential final spot in the AFC playoffs, but they will need to win this game and hope that both the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots lose their games as well.
Still, that does give this game meaning and makes it important for the overall picture as the finals standings are rounded out in this Week 18 matchup.
Cleveland will try to keep building on their foundation with Watson, after playing their best game of the season last week.
The Steelers find themselves favored at home over the Browns in this one by a generic -2.5.
Building a better balance for the future
The Browns had one of the most interesting seasons this year of all of the teams in the league, as they awaited the return of Watson, who certainly did not look like anyone remembered.
His rust was clear from the first snap he took, and it was more than a couple of weeks until he was able to fully maximize himself in the offense.
Against the Commanders last week, the Browns were a slight underdog in the game. Watson came out and played the best game of his young season and was able to torch the defense on two long Amari Cooper strikes.
Watson and Cooper will be looking to build on that connection they have established and look forward to a bright future next season.
Fighting to stay alive and to keep the streak intact
A trip to the playoffs is on the line for the Steelers and a win is necessary to remain alive. Otherwise, the team could use ulterior motivation to win this game and keep Mike Tomlin’s winning record streak intact.
Tomlin has the longest streak in NFL history and could add another season to his total with a win this weekend.
The Steelers have some great young talent on both sides of the ball, and Kenny Pickett looks like he will be in the league for a long time.
If they pull off a win here, they will be crossing their fingers for the Patriots and Dolphins losses.
Browns @ Steelers Betting Prediction
These two teams have no love lost between them, and the rivalry will be fierce for the final game of the regular season.
The Browns are on the hunt for the series sweep, while the Steelers need to win in order to stay alive in the playoff picture.
In such a closely contested game with two similar teams, going with the home favorite always seems to be the safest option.
Take the Steelers with the slight nod over the Brown at -2.5 to win this game and keep Tomlin’s coaching streak alive.
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