Leave it to the Cleveland Browns to cure any team’s woes, as the Pittsburgh Steelers snapped their four-game losing streak on Sunday by beating the Browns, 24-9. With the win, the 5-5 Steelers are now tied for the AFC North lead with the Baltimore Ravens.
Ben Roethlisberger (23-of-36 for 167 passing yards) did not have an explosive day through the air as many had expected, but Pittsburgh’s other standout player on offense, running back Le’Veon Bell, did more than enough to dismantle Cleveland’s horrid defense. Bell accumulated 201 all-purpose yards in the win with a season-high 146 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Apart from getting a monster game from Bell, the Steelers benefited from a superb afternoon on defense. The team’s stop unit, which is already moving forward without the services of stud defensive end Cameron Heyward for the rest of the regular season (chest), racked up eight sacks against the Browns after tallying a league-low 13 sacks through 10 games. In addition, the D also recovered a Cleveland fumble that was returned for a short defensive touchdown.
Pittsburgh’s defense better show up on Thanksgiving night versus the Colts, especially given Big Ben’s troubles in the passing game on the road. Then again, the Steelers have won four of their last five against Indy (3-2 ATS), and they are coming off a crucial victory with the race for the division crown in well in mind.
Similar to the Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts got back to the .500 mark after winning a tough battle against AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, 24-17. It was the first time that Indianapolis won back-to-back games this season, and it was mostly thanks to an explosive start for the team wherein it scored three touchdowns in its first three possessions of Sunday’s game.
Andrew Luck had a decent day throwing the ball, finishing with 262 yards, two TDs and an interception on 15-of-28 passing. And again, much like Pittsburgh this week, the Colts got a solid outing from their veteran running back Frank Gore. The 33-year-old workhorse amassed 121 offensive yards, with most of Gore’s damage having been dealt through the air (four catches for 71 receiving yards).
Indy’s defense did a solid job against the Titans too, having sacked Marcus Mariota five times in the contest. However, Mariota still had a better afternoon than Luck by throwing for 290 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over.
The team’s D will face a stiffer offensive challenge in Pittsburgh this Thursday and it needs to toughen up with its coverage indeed. The Colts are third-worst in the NFL at over 400 yards allowed per contest and with just eight takeaways all season, as well as fourth-worst in the league with an average of 28.4 points allowed per game. They’re no lock to win at Lucas Oil Stadium either, as they have a 4-2 record at home this season (4-2 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction
The Steelers (-2.5) eke out a thrilling road victory, 29-26.
