Browns vs Steelers – Best Team and Player Prop Bets for MNF Week 17

• The Cleveland Browns (7-8) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1) in an AFC North showdown on Monday Night Football
• Week 16 Record: 1-5, -2.13 units; 2021 record: 20-53, -12.65 units
• See the list of Browns vs Steelers props for MNF ahead of kickoff from Heinz Field

The final installment of Monday Night Football for the 2021 season features a classic AFC North matchup with everything on the line.

Both the Browns and the Steelers came into Week 17 on the outside of the AFC playoff picture. Cleveland was eliminated Sunday afternoon, while Pittsburgh still has a chance.

There’s added drama on Monday due to the possibility that this could be Ben Roethlisberger’s final game at Heinz Field. Kickoff is set for 8:15 pm EST on ESPN.

Browns vs Steelers Props

Odds as of January 2nd at DraftKings

*Indicates Pass + Rush Yards

Cleveland enters as road favorites, and are 2-0 against the spread after an 0-4 run ATS. The Browns vs Steelers odds see the total sitting at 41.5, and the under has hit in four of Cleveland’s last five games, while it’s an even split at 5-5 in Pittsburgh’s last 10. The Steelers have covered in three of their last six.

Big Ben’s Swan Song

A lot has been made about Big Ben’s NFL future, and whether or not there is one.

Roethlisberger made a storied career out of taking abuse whether it was from inside or outside of the pocket. But an elbow injury that cut short his 2019 season, and the reduced mobility that comes from 18 seasons in the league has started to show the last two years.

While the hints at his future have sometimes pointed to him wrapping his career up somewhere other than Pittsburgh, this week Roethlisberger’s comments made things seem more final. It’s likely he’ll play his final snaps in Black and Yellow.

We’re excited to see how Ben Roethlisberger’s last home game will be Monday Night to say the least 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/FMDAyBXEgt

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 31, 2021

So the question becomes whether or not Roethlisberger can dig deep for one last dynamic outing or not. Big Ben has thrown multiple TDs in five of 14 games in 2021. While he’s limited the interceptions by taking fewer deep shots, the turnovers have shown up this season.

And they’ve been there against the Browns too.

In Week 8, Roethlisberger was clean, tossing one TD and no picks to go along with 266 yards. But in their lone playoff meeting last year, Roethlisberger tossed four picks to go along with his four TDs.

After missing both meetings in 2019, Roethlisberger threw four picks in two games in 2018.

While he could wrap it up with a big Monday night performance, we’re banking on an INT from Big Ben.

• The Pick: Big Ben OVER 0.5 interceptions (-105); 1 unit

Peoples-Jones Stepping Up for Browns

It’s been a bit of a wild ride for Donovan Peoples-Jones this season.

Over the first four weeks of the season, the sophomore receiver saw four targets. To his credit, he caught all four, but with Odell Beckham Jr still on the roster, Cleveland was trying to get OBJ going.

Then in Week 5 he caught five of six targets for 70 yards. He had a two touchdowns and 101 yards the week after and 86 and a score in Week 7. And in the middle of that hot streak, he missed two weeks. Including the first matchup with Pittsburgh.

Donovan Peoples-Jones : 2 catches for 86 yards & a TD on 3 targets pic.twitter.com/l8fPSgbUVx

— Lee Harvey (@AyeThatsLee) November 7, 2021

He came back with two catches for 86 yards in Week 9, but then it was another dip: three catches for 26 yards in two games. Then it was another red-hot two week stretch (15 targets, nine catches, 138 yards) before a dud against Green Bay last week.

Even if Week 16 is a down week for DPJ, the 33.5 total seems low. He has the ability to haul in a big gain to make that number attainable, and the Steelers typically surrender that number to secondary receivers.

Mecole Hardman, Chester Rogers, Justin Jefferson, Sammy Watkins and Ja’Marr Chase all finished second in receiving yards among wideouts in their respective games. All of them finished with 30+ yards. That makes it a very realistic Monday night goal.

• The Pick: Donovan Peoples-Jones OVER 33.5 receiving yards (-115); 1 unit

Browns vs Steelers Scoring Props

Odds as of January 2nd at DraftKings

Cleveland has scored the first TD five times in seven games since the start of November. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh hasn’t scored the first TD since their tie with the Lions in Week 10. They’re 2-4 in that stretch.

The last time these two played, it took a while for a TD to come. D’Ernest Johnson took it in partway through the third quarter. It’s tough to see Pittsburgh starting fast for the first time in over a month on Monday, Big Ben sendoff or not. While Jarvis Landry is tempting to open things up sitting there at +1000, Nick Chubb is the hot hand with TDs in back-to-back games.

Nick Chubb refusing to go down pic.twitter.com/qIJHb9hETn

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 25, 2021

Entering Week 17, the Steelers have surrendered the fifth-most touchdowns to wide receivers. While Jarvis Landry is Baker Mayfield’s preferred target, Donovan Peoples-Jones had caught nine balls for 138 yards in two games before a quiet outing against the Packers.

While he hasn’t caught a TD since Week 9, he presents good value here.

As for the Steelers, it’s impossible to ignore Diontae Johnson at +165. He’s caught  seven scores in six games this season, and is a target monster. In fact there’s only four games he finished in single digits, and one of those was last week when he had nine looks in a blowout.

• The Pick: Nick Chubb to score FIRST TD (+550); 0.5 units
• The Pick: Nick Chubb (-115), Donovan Peoples-Jones (+250), Diontae Johnson (+165) to score ANYTIME; 0.5 units each