Opening Steelers vs Browns Odds & Betting Lines for Week 3 Thursday Night Football
- The Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Cleveland Browns to kick off Week 3 of the NFL season
- Both teams suffered close losses in Week 2
- We look at the opening odds and predict line movement heading up to Thursday night
Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns left wins on the board in Week 2.
Yet, the team that wins this Thursday Night matchup in Week 3 will sit atop the AFC North.
Those are the stakes at FirstEnergy Stadium, where kickoff is set for 8:20pm ET, in a game that can be seen live on PRIME VIDEO.
Steelers vs Browns Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +150 | +3.5 (-110) | Ov 40.5 (-110) |
| Cleveland Browns | -175 | -3.5 (-110) | Un 40.5 (-110) |
Odds as of September 18th from FanDuel.
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The hometown Browns opened as 3.5-point favorites, in a game that features a total of 40.5 points.
Browns Blow Lead to Jets
It’s not often that a 13-point lead can be blown with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Yet that’s what happened in Cleveland’s home opener. A Nick Chubb TD run — his third of the game — moved the lead to 30-17 Browns, and no one really thought the missed PAT would be an issue.
Nick Chubb decided to run this in for a TD rather than slide down.
The Jets came back to win 31-30.
(via @Browns)pic.twitter.com/5LYhhE9yZz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 18, 2022
Unfortunately, Joe Flacco connected on a bomb with Corey Davis, to bring the lead to six. The Jets then recovered an onside kick, setting up a Flacco’s fourth TD toss of the game, the second to rookie Garrett Wilson, taking the lead with 22 seconds to play.
A Jacoby Brissett interception ended it, as the Browns snatched defeat from the hands of victory.
GARRETT WILSON TD. WHAT A COMEBACK 😱
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/hK3RG3Va0W
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2022
The Browns’ defense also allowed Flacco to look like a competent QB, something that we literally haven’t seen in five years. He threw for 307 yards and those four scores. It’s the first time his team has won a game in his last 11 appearances.
Steelers Can’t Generate Offense
While we know Brissett is just keeping the starting QB seat warm for Deshaun Watson, there’s still no timeline for Kenny Pickett taking over the Steelers’ starting duties from Mitch Trubisky.
There are open guys downfield. Mitch Trubisky just isn't seeing them. And here come the Kenny chants. #Steelers
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) September 18, 2022
Pittsburgh’s Week 2 loss in their home opener had fans calling for the Pitt rookie, after another sputtering offensive effort cost them the game.
Trubisky averaged just 5.1 yards per attempt, going 21-for-33 for 168 yards with a TD and an interception. The backbreaker for the Steelers came after they scored a TD to start the fourth quarter, and went three-and-out in their next two subsequent possessions.
A long New England drive essentially killed the clock, preserving the 17-14 win.
Mitch Trubisky with his first INT of the season.
Goes to Jalen Mills.pic.twitter.com/0Qc0BNa8zs
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 18, 2022
The Steelers’ hope to run the ball and let the defense spin has sputtered, with the struggles of Najee Harris, who has yet to get off this season. After a foot injury limited him to 23 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, he had 49 yards on 15 carries against new England.
Even with TJ Watt out with a pectoral injury, Pittsburgh’s defense still held up their end of the bargain, with two sacks, five tackles for loss, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Steelers vs Browns Line Prediction
Talk about two teams in transition. The Steelers won both meetings in the series a year ago, but what are we able to take away from those games?
The starting quarterbacks were Ben Roethlisberger and Baker Mayfield, while Brissett and Trubisky are the current placeholders for the franchise QB’s who will eventually take over.
You’d expect each team’s running game to play a prominent role: Najee Harris ran 28 times for 188 yards in a 26-14 Week 17 win. Harris also rushed 26 times for 91 yards and a score in a 15-10 win in Week 8.
What a run by Najee Harris to cash anytime TD (-140) 💰
Steelers (+5.5) hanging tough with the Browns#PITvsCLE #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/d2Q7r8XxVc
— SportsBettingDime (@SBD) October 31, 2021
Chubb was limited in those games, running for 61 yards in Week 8 and 58 yards in Week 17.
This line takes into account Trubisky’s struggles with the Steelers’ offense, but Pittsburgh plays the North tough. Since 2012, they’ve never had a losing record in the division, the worst mark being 3-3 on three different occasions.
As the history of the rivalry gets discussed more in the leadup to kickoff, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the line move anywhere from -3 to -2.5.
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Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
