Monday, May 21st, 2012
Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers head into a New Year’s Day NFL pro football game with AFC north divisional foes the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon.
They kick off this week seventeen NFL game from Cleveland at 1PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by CBS.
The betting odds reveal the road club Pittsburgh Steelers favored by –7 1/2 points with an over under coming in at 36 points.
The NFL wagering public has come in with their money on the side of the home underdog as the Pittsburgh Steelers are now favored by -6 ½ points.
The early over under money has seen early movement shaded towards the under as the game is now lined at 35 points.
Pittsburgh Steelers money line bettors will lay –300 odds with the home underdog Cleveland Browns bringing back +250 odds to win outright with no need for taking the points.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns meet on Sunday in AFC north divisional action for the second time on the 2011 regular season.
These two NFL teams first met three weeks ago on an Thursday night affair with the Steelers earning the 14-3 home win against the Browns as a -14 point betting favorite.
The over under came in at under the total of 40 points.
The Steelers had success through the air in victory as Ben Roethlisberger completed 16 of 21 passes for 280 yards with a touchdown and pick.
On the ground Rashard Mendenhall had 76 rushing yards on 18 runs from scrimmage.
It was a sloppy game for Pittsburgh as the team had three turnovers and committed nine penalties.
Browns quarterback Colt McCoy struggled with two interceptions in defeat.
The Steelers travel to Cleveland with a record of 11-4 on the year. The team is 4-3 away from home.
The club averages 20 points and 373 offensive yards per game with 116 yards rushing for 4.4 yards a carry.
On defense the Steelers allow 14 points and 273 yards per game. Teams rush for 91 yards against them for 3.7 yards per rush against average.
Pittsburgh is currently tied with Baltimore atop the AFC north division. Baltimore owns the tiebreaker so the Steelers must win and have the Ravens lose or tie to Cincinnati in order to win the division and earn a first round bye.
If the Steelers are a wildcard they travel to the AFC west champion next week in the AFC wildcard playoffs.
The team bounced back from a bad Monday night football loss to the San Francisco 49ers with the 27-0 home win against the St Louis Rams last week as a -12 point betting favorite.
The over under came in at under the total of 34 ½ points.
The Steelers put up 377 offensive yards with 169 yards rushing on 28 carries.
The team allowed no sacks and scored three red zone touchdowns in their four drives inside the twenty.
The club had one turnover and took none away from St Louis.
Quarterback Charlie Batch completed 15 of 22 passes for 208 yards with an interception.
Starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed the game with a left ankle sprain. He is expected to start on Sunday.
Rashard Mendenhall ran for 116 yards on 18 rushes and a touchdown. Out of the backfield Mendenhall had a 35 yards pass reception.
Isaac Redman on 8 runs from scrimmage ran for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Mike Wallace caught four passes for 82 yards.
Antonio Brown grabbed three balls for 34 yards.
Hines Ward had four receptions for 32 yards.
The Pittsburgh’s defense allowed St Louis 232 yards of offense with 164 coming from their run game on 36 rushes.
The Steelers had three sacks and allowed no Rams touchdown in their lone trip inside the red zone.
The Cleveland Browns are a hapless team as they host Pittsburgh with a record of 4-11 on the year. The team is 3-4 at home.
Cleveland averages 13 points and 292 yards per game with 97 yards rushing for 3.7 yards a carry.
On defense the club surrenders 19 points and 330 yards per game. Opponents rush for 146 yards against them for 4.4 yards per rush against average.
The Browns have lost five straight games.
They are coming off the 20-14 road defeat to the Baltimore Ravens last week as a +12 ½ point underdog.
The total came in at under the closing total of 38 ½ points.
The Browns fell behind 20-0 but credit them for coming within one possession with over 8 minutes left.
Cleveland put up 256 offensive yards with 117 yards rushing on 25 carries.
The club allowed two sacks and scored one touchdown in two tries inside the red zone.
The Cleveland Browns turned it over once and took one away from Baltimore.
Quarterback Seneca Wallace completed 19 of 33 passes for 147 yards with a touchdown and pick.
Starting quarterback Colt McCoy is out for this game following a concussion injury against the Steelers two weeks back.
Running back Peyton Hillis ran for 112 yards on 24 carries.
Greg Little led Cleveland with four receptions for 40 yards.
Evan Moore had five catches for 35 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Joshua Cribbs grabbed two passes for 28 yards.
Cleveland allowed Baltimore 284 offensive yards with 162 yards rushing on 37 runs from scrimmage.
The team had one sack and allowed Baltimore one touchdown in their lone red zone drive.
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NFL Trend: Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-0 to the under in their past five games.
Tags: betting, cbs tv, Cleveland browns, january 1st 2011, new years day, nfl, Odds, pick, Pittsburgh steelers, preview, pro football, sunday
