Steelers vs. Browns Preview: Best NFL MNF Week 2 Betting Site Odds, Promos
The Cleveland Browns (1-0) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 18. Browns odds show Cleveland is a spread favorite and on the moneyline, with Steelers odds at as the best price for Pittsburgh to win across sports betting sites. The point total is set at . In this article, we break down everything you need to know before placing a bet on Steelers vs. Browns odds.
Steelers vs. Browns Betting Odds
NFL Week 2 odds are explained below. Know what you’re betting before you bet it. You may click any of the odds in this post to navigate to the sportsbook to place a bet.
Steelers vs. Browns Props
Until the market receives clarity on what the Steelers pass catching situation looks like, the prop menu will remain a bit limited. However, in a game that figures to be rather light on offense, I do find myself with a bit of optimism on the over for one prop.
Deshaun Watson Over 24.5 Rushing Yards
In poor conditions in Week 1, Watson engaged his legs a bit by rushing for 45 yards. While the conditions for this game look fine, since the Browns could find themselves similarly offense-challenged, perhaps we’ll see Watson turn the clock back a bit and scamper for some first downs. Particularly with the pressure he’ll find himself under, that may be necessary in order to move the sticks and keep the offense from locking up.
Keep in mind that Watson not only cleared this by a large margin (on only five rushes) in Week 1, but he actually averaged 29.2 YPG last season despite a largely lackluster performance.
Monday Night Football Player Props
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Steelers vs. Browns weather
Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh is forecast to see 53-degree weather on Monday night. Winds should be fairly calm at 5 to 10 mph, with a 9% chance of rain.
The weather looks unlikely to play a factor in determining Monday Night Football odds.
Steelers vs. Browns Injury Report
NFL teams finalize their injury reports two days before a game and denote whether a player is questionable, doubtful or out. Practice participation is also logged throughout the week. Here is the Browns injury report and Steelers injury report for this week.
Starters On The Injury Report
Browns starting RT Jack Conklin won’t play as he’s out for the season after tearing his ACL. That will force fourth-round rookie Dawand Jones into action, which could be ominous if he faces off with ace pass rusher TJ Watt at all.
S Juan Thornhill also looks like an underdog to suit up after injuring his calf and missing Thursday’s practice.
The Steelers have a couple of concerning injuries at pass catcher, with both WR Diontae Johnson and TE Pat Freiermuth going down in Week 1. Freiermuth has a chance to play still, but Johnson will almost certainly miss multiple weeks. If Freiermuth sits, the Steelers will be left with a skeleton crew here.
Additionally, standout interior defender Cam Heyward landed on IR with a long-term injury, although he has a chance to return before the end of the season.
Browns Offense vs. Steelers Defense
Deshaun Watson played a passable game in Week 1 but has largely failed to quiet concerns over his atrocious 2022 showing.
If he continues to scuffle, that puts tremendous pressure on an excellent Browns running game, but one that will receive the lion’s share of defensive attention from opposing teams. Pittsburgh may be vulnerable on the interior with Heyward out, as its linebackers aren’t especially strong stopping the run.
The scheme will play a big factor here with Conklin out. The Browns must minimize any one-on-one time that TJ Watt gets with rookie Dawand Jones in pass sets. The massive rookie (6-foot-8, 375) is known as more of a mauler in the run game, unsurprisingly. He would likely struggle mightily against Watt or even Alex Highsmith without help.
Steelers Offense vs. Browns Defense
Kenny Pickett struggled mightily in Week 1 against a strong 49ers defense, putting a damper on expectations after a sparkling preseason and solid finish to 2022. Unfortunately for him and the rest of this unit, the Browns’ pass rush will bring little respite. Remember, they just limited an elite QB to an incredible 82 yards to kick off their campaign.
Operating without Diontae Johnson and potentially Pat Freiermuth would leave this offense extremely short-handed. That’s the Steelers’ best route runner and a key security blanket for Pickett. As Rams fans can likely attest, relying on Allen Robinson as a top-two target is a recipe for disaster.
Unlike the Browns, the Steelers do not have a rushing attack to fall back on here. Najee Harris remains a massive disappointment after another 33-total-yard effort to open the season.
Overall, it’s difficult to see a path to the Steelers consistently moving the ball here.
Reasons To Bet The Over/Under
With these two potentially offensively-challenged squads each facing off with a premier defense on the other side (unless Week 1 is a true indicator of what to expect from Pittsburgh), one would immediately expect little scoring here. The market concurs with a rock-bottom total, especially considering the time of year. These sorts of numbers are generally reserved for December dates on the East Coast.
At the same time, the heavy slant of injuries tilts toward even more difficulty scoring than normal circumstances. Remember, the Steelers may find themselves without two critical offensive weapons, while the Browns lost a star tackle heading on the road to face a top-level pass rush.
Seemingly the only thing that could push this game into the 40s would be turnovers by overwhelmed QBs deep in their own territory. Given the situations both face, that’s hardly out of the question.
Final Thoughts
The Steelers truly look to be in an incredibly difficult spot offensively here. Potentially being down to George Pickens and Allen Robinson II as pass catchers bodes extremely ill. Neither of those guys really gets open much, and Kenny Pickett simply did not look to possess the touch and accuracy needed to beat tight 49ers coverage. Considering the Browns roster an even more talented secondary, this could get ugly.
Still, it’s difficult to trust the current version of Deshaun Watson on the road against a defense most expected to play at a top-10 level in 2023. Sacks and turnovers could sink this in a hurry. I expect the Browns coaching staff is well aware of this and will enter with a run-heavy game plan.
Combine these factors and I’m interested in betting the under, as I’m not sure I can bring myself to lay points with this Browns offense on the road. I do favor them because they have the superior coaching staff (in a schematic sense) and at least one potentially reliable source of offense in their ground game.
Best of luck betting on Steelers vs. Browns odds.
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