Browns vs Steelers Free Pick, NFL Free Picks, NFL Predictions 12/8/24

Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh (PIT -6.5, 43.5)

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Browns vs Steelers Free Pick, NFL Free Picks, NFL Predictions 12/8/24

Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh

For the second time in three weeks, the Cleveland Browns will do battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, having produced an upset victory over the NFC North leaders in the snow in week 12. That loss to Cleveland is the only one suffered by Russell Wilson as a starter this year, and he will be eager to write that wrong this time around. At 3-9, the Browns are well out of any playoff race, but they will always be motivated to play upset against a division rival, and the Steelers desperately need to continue winning, with the Baltimore Ravens only one game behind.

The last meeting between these two teams came in tricky conditions in the snow, but a dramatic rushing touchdown from Winston, and two more from Nick Chubb just about managed to get the job done. Despite losing the game, Wilson played admirably, completing 21 of his 28 pass attempts for 270 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. This time, he will have to do it on the road, but he will be buoyed by the fact he is coming off a 414-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland have not been their usual daunting self on defense this year, ranking in the low 20s for both rushing and passing yards conceded per game. The 25.7 points that they are giving up per game ranks 26th in the NFL, telling a very different story to what we are used to from them. These NFC North fixtures do often spring up strange results, but it is hard to see a division title-hunting Pittsburgh team make the same mistake twice, and they should be able to move the ball on Sunday.

Arthur Smith has proven to be an effective offensive coordinator, and his running back duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are a handful. They complement each other very well, and are producing 133.1 rushing yards per game, which is ninth the best in the NFL. When you add in Russell Wilson’s famous deep passing ability, this is a legitimate offense and one that can challenge anyone.

For Cleveland, you never know what you’re going to get from Jameis Winston. He has crossed the 300-yard mark in three of his five starts so far this year, but his chaotic play style has produced seven interceptions. He has at least balanced that out with 11 touchdowns, and there is no doubt that this is more entertaining football than we were getting from Deshaun Watson, but the volatility in his play makes it hard to back the Browns in any given week. That is particularly the case this week, going up against a Pittsburgh defense that ranked sixth in the NFL for both points and yards conceded per game.

What’s most concerning for Cleveland fans is that Pittsburgh are currently tied for the fourth most interceptions on the year, with 13. Jameis threw just the one interception in their last matchup two weeks ago, but you can be sure that the Steelers secondary will be hunting for more than that this week. The pressure is on for Pittsburgh to stay ahead of Baltimore in the division, and it is hard to see Mike Tomlin’s boys being swept by the Browns to prevent that from happening.

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Browns +7