WagerTalk NFL handicapper Tony Mejia offers his Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Week 17 betting preview for Monday, January 3. At the time of posting, the Browns have dropped to a 1-point road favorite in Pittsburgh, with the total sitting at 41.5 points.<\/p>\n
Stay on top of the latest NFL<\/a> updates direct from Las Vegas!<\/em><\/p>\n The end of the Ben Roethlisberger era is upon us.<\/p>\n The 39-year-old quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champ will make his final regular-season home start at Heinz Field against a team he\u2019s dominated throughout his career. The Lima, Ohio native has made a living of dominating his home state\u2019s teams and has terrorized Cleveland most of all, entering this Monday night\u2019s matchup 25-3-1 against a team that he\u2019s seen twice a season for most of his tenure in the league.<\/p>\n The Steelers got revenge from last season\u2019s elimination in the AFC Wild Card round that saw them upset by the Browns thanks to a 15-10 Week 8 triumph on Halloween. Roethlisberger hit Pat Freiermuth for a fourth-quarter and the defense held on in a game where rookie RB Najee Harris showed out with 91 yards on 26 carries.<\/p>\n Although Pittsburgh added a great piece in Harris, injuries along the offensive line have been a huge issue for a Steelers offense that also caught a bad break with Juju Smith-Schuster being lost for the season and Chase Claypool struggling to stay healthy. Roethlisberger will look to go out a winner by trusting Claypool and Diontae Johnson, which may be necessary since the Steelers have really struggled on the defensive side of the ball over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh is on a 2-4 freefall since finishing its game against Detroit with a tie on Nov. 14. In those losses, the Steelers defense surrendered 41 in a shootout loss at the Chargers, 41 in a blowout loss at the Bengals and gave up 36 points at Minnesota and Kansas City.<\/p>\n The Steelers did manage to clamp down in December wins over the Ravens and Titans at Heinz Field and are hoping home cooking can aid the cause as they look to capture what\u2019s essentially an elimination game against the Browns, who come in 7-8. A win would move the Steelers to 8-7-1 with a matchup at Baltimore slated for Jan. 9 that may be a winner-take-all affair.<\/p>\n Baker Mayfield contributed to a bunch of mistakes last time out, throwing four costly interceptions in a 24-22 loss at Green Bay. Despite a rocky month that has included him missing time with injuries and joining head coach Kevin Stefanski and backup Case Keenum on the COVID list after testing positive for the virus leading up to a 16-14 loss to Las Vegas at home, Mayfield nonetheless enters 2022 with a vote of confidence from his head coach.<\/p>\n Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt believes a shoulder harness has hindered Mayfield, but there\u2019s no talk of replacing him with Keenum as of yet. We\u2019ll see if that changes if the miscues continue but there\u2019s no doubt that both offenses are going to be tasked with finishing the season on a high note if they\u2019re going to play beyond Week 18.<\/p>\n The Steelers are the lowest-scoring team in the AFC North while the Browns have managed just 13 more points over their 15 games thus far.<\/p>\n Even though the preferred mode of getting things done has shifted for the Steelers due to offensive line issues keeping Harris from getting going, Roethlisberger is going to go down swinging in what\u2019s expected to be his final regular-season appearance representing the Black and Gold. He through for just 159 yards in last Sunday\u2019s blowout loss in Kansas City and threw for only 148 in the victory over the Titans, though he did do his best work late in both of those games.<\/p>\n With a pair of rivals that no each other so well looking to avoid elimination, the expectation here is that we\u2019ll see both teams pull out all the stops. Roethlisberger wants to go out on top. Cleveland wants to get back up off the mat after COVID really threw their season into upheaval after a 24-22 win over Baltimore appeared to have them set up for a big finish.<\/p>\n Oddsmakers have the Browns favored by one point at most shops, so they\u2019re not putting much stock into the sentimentality angle. The total has been set at 41.5 points, and I think we\u2019ll see both offenses make inroads.<\/p>\n Although weather in the Pittsburgh area has been snowy and cold, the forecast for this Monday night clash features light winds and temperatures in the low 20\u2019s with no snow or rain expected. That should aid a higher-scoring game than expected. Ride the over.<\/p>\n Interested in placing a bet on this Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns contest? DraftKings is offering a $1,000 Deposit Bonus<\/a> for first-time bettors in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Wyoming and Arizona.<\/em><\/p>\n #RaiderNation<\/a> opens as a 3-point home ‘dog at @SuperBookSports<\/a> with a playoff spot on the line next week. https:\/\/t.co\/dUQVDbJ6HE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) January 3, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n
\n NFL Week 17<\/th>\n Betting Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Point Spread:<\/td>\n Cleveland Browns -1 at Pittsburgh Steelers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Total:<\/td>\n 41.5 Points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Game Time:<\/td>\n 8:15pm ET \/ 5:15pm PT on Monday, January 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Stadium:<\/td>\n Heinz Field in Pittsburgh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n TV:<\/td>\n ESPN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Analysis<\/h2>\n
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