Cleveland Browns: 5 Bold predictions vs. Steelers, Week 11
4. OBJ goes for 100+ yards, two scores
To be sure, we still have not seen Odell Beckham Jr. look like a superstar in a Cleveland Browns uniform. While that may be true, we did see some promising signs last week against the Bills. Not only did he get 12 overall targets, finishing with five catches for 57 yards, but he was targeted in the red zone and clearly remains a meaningful part of this offensive attack.
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As good as the likes of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden have been lately, Haden is banged up coming into this game and the secondary’s overall talent level is still questionable. In primetime against a divisional opponent as the Browns cling to any hope of a successful season, this feels like a huge opportunity for an OBJ breakout game. He’ll break loose against the shaky corner coverage and top 100 yards for only the third time this season.
And not only will Beckham score for the first time since Week 2 but he’ll do it twice.
3. Browns turn Rudolph over at least twice
Against the Rams last week, Mason Rudolph played quite well overall and, despite plenty of critics, has seemingly settled into his role as the starting quarterback for the Steelers. One area where he’s been solid has been in terms of turnovers. In addition to not fumbling yet this season, Rudolph has only four interceptions and has not had a multi-interception game this season.
Having said that, the Steelers have not faced an elite group of defenses this season. And while Cleveland has had their ups and downs on that side of the ball and will be playing without Olivier Vernon, Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi should be able to generate some pressure and cause Rudolph to make some quick decisions. The result will be the Browns capitalizing on potential bad choices from the quarterback, causing the Pittsburgh signal-callers first two-pick outing.