NFL Picks 11/19 – Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

NFL Picks 11/19 – Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) visit the Cleveland Browns in an AFC North battle at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Cleveland is a 1.5-point favorite and the total is 32.5. Sunday’s game is the second meeting between the long-time rivals this season, Pittsburgh prevailed 26-22 in Week Two on Monday Night Football. Cleveland lost much more than just a game that night as All-Pro running back Nick Chubb suffered a gruesome season-ending knee injury in the second quarter. Pittsburgh is coming off a 23-19 win at home against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, while Cleveland overcame a 14-point, fourth quarter deficit to win at Baltimore 33-31.

GAME STORYLINES

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in year two of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. The future Hall-of-Famer retired following the 2021 season after 18 seasons as Pittsburgh’s franchise quarterback. A few months after Roethlisberger retired, Pittsburgh selected University of Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round (No. 20 overall) of the NFL draft. There was a lot of expectations and hype surrounding Pickett since he played his college ball in the same city as the Steelers. Pickett was a first-team All-American at the University of Pittsburgh and set the school record for passing yards (4,319) and passing touchdowns (42) in a season. Pickett also led Pitt to 11 wins which was their most wins since 1976. 

The 25-year-old Pickett has had an up-and-down NFL career up to this point. Injuries and inconsistent play have defined his career as he’s thrown for 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions through 22 NFL games. Despite the average numbers, Pickett has shown a penchant for leading fourth quarter comeback wins as they’ve trailed in the fourth quarter in 4 of their 6 wins. All 6 of Pittsburgh’s win have been decided by 7 points or fewer. Wide receiver George Pickens (33 catches for 566 yards and 3 touchdowns in 9 games) along with running backs Najee Harris (464 rushing yards, 115 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns) and Jaylen Warren (364 yards, 218 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns) are key players for a Pittsburgh offense that has been underwhelming for much of the season. 

Pittsburgh’s defense has been outstanding this season, they are continuing the tremendous legacy of past elite Steeler defenses such as the1970’s “Steel Curtain” and the mid 1990’s through the 2010’s defenses that featured the likes of Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Rod Woodson, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. Leading the charge for the 2023 Steelers defense is superstar linebacker T.J. Watt. The 29-year-old All-Pro has 30 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 1 defensive touchdown through 9 games. Watt is the clear frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year and may have an outside shot at winning the NFL’s MVP as he’s having one of the best seasons for a defensive player in NFL history. 

All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (54 tackles) linebacker Alex Highsmith (32 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles), defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (27 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) and rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. are also standouts on Pittsburgh’s defense. The defense has carried the Steelers in all 6 wins and rank among the best units in the NFL.

What About The Browns?

In March 2022, the Cleveland Browns traded for Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson and then inked him to a 5-year, $230 million dollar fully guaranteed contract. The move shocked the sports world because Watson missed the entire 2021 season due to a standoff with the Houston Texans and then was given an 11-game suspension by the NFL in 2022 for sexual harassment allegations. Watson made 3 straight Pro Bowls from 2018 to 2020 in his last seasons with the Texans, he led the NFL in passing yards with 4,823 in 2020. Watson made his Browns debut on November 28, 2022, it was his first game in 700 days.

Unfortunately for the Browns, Deshaun Watson’s time in Cleveland has not gone well after two seasons. Last season, Cleveland was just 4-7 when Watson returned from suspension, they went 3-3 with Watson as the starter and ended up with a 7-10 record. Watson finished with a 79.1 passer rating which was the lowest of his career. Watson showed glimpses of his Pro Bowl form this season as he passed for 7 touchdowns to 4 interceptions in 6 games and Cleveland went 5-1 when he started. A shoulder and ankle injury caused him to miss 2 games in October, he then suffered a displaced fracture in his right throwing shoulder in last week’s win at Baltimore and is out for the season. Cleveland will now turn to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start at quarterback, P.J. Walker will back him up, both players have combined for 1 touchdown and 8 interceptions across 8 appearances this season.

Second-year running back Jerome Ford (532 rushing yards, 141 receiving yards, 4 total touchdowns), Pro Bowl wideout Amari Cooper (41 catches for 715 yards, 2 touchdowns) and tight end David Njoku (38 catches for 377 yards, 2 touchdowns) have all played well this season. Ford has done an admirable job replacing All-Pro running back Nick Chubb after he went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. The 4-time Pro-Bowler Cooper caught a career-high 9 touchdowns last season in his first year with the Browns. 

Cleveland’s defense has been elite this year, they rank first in yards allowed and rank among the top 10 in takeaways and points allowed. All-Pro superstar Myles Garrett anchors the defense, the former number one overall pick has 28 tackles, 11 sacks and 4 forced fumbles across 9 games.  He may be the second-best defensive player in the NFL behind Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt. Cornerback Denzel Ward (26 tackles ,2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble), safety Grant Delpit (59 tackles, 1 interception, 0.5 sack) and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (45 tackles, 1.5 sacks) are having great years for the Browns defense. 

THE PICK

The Steelers dominant defense going against a rookie 5th round pick?? Take the Point(s)….Pittsburgh 16, Cleveland 10

NFL Picks 11/19