Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Bold predictions for Week 6 vs. Browns
By Samuel Teets
2. Teams rush for under 130 yards combined
James Conner and the Steelers had some success with their running through the first four weeks. However, Pittsburgh returned to its normal ways against Philadelphia’s strong defensive front, struggling to move the ball on the ground. Philadelphia limited the Steelers to 136 rushing yards. Eliminate a 58-yard scamper by Ray-Ray McCloud, and Pittsburgh only gained 78 rushing yards.
Likewise, the Eagles only ran for 94 yards against the Steelers and their dominant defensive front. Miles Sanders led the way with 80 yards, but 74 of them came on a single play. If we remove that one run, Sanders gained six yards on his other ten carries, and Philly’s total drops to 20 yards. Even taking the explosive run into account, the Steelers rank second in run defense, only allowing 64 yards per game.
The Browns won’t have Nick Chubb on Sunday, but Kareem Hunt is a former rushing champion. He’s more than enough to give the Steelers some trouble. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Pittsburgh’s defense bends but doesn’t break. Maybe Hunt rushes for 60 to 70 yards, but he isn’t going to dominate.
On the other hand, Cleveland’s run defense isn’t bad either. The Browns rank fourth in rushing yards allowed this season, surrendering 87 per game. That defense already faced Ezekiel Elliott, Mark Ingram, and Joe Mixon, which doesn’t give me much hope that James Conner can get over 50 or 60 yards.
1. Steelers win in final two minutes
Despite Pittsburgh’s one-sided record against Cleveland over the past decade, this Browns team is on another level than in recent years. Maybe it’s all luck, and the Steelers steamroll their old foes, but this game has the makings of a competitive matchup. As long as the Browns don’t get too far behind in the first half, they should be within one score of Pittsburgh late in the fourth quarter.
Next. 2020 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 6. dark
There’s a chance the Browns actually hold the lead on Pittsburgh entering the game’s final minutes. Cleveland possesses the more explosive offense right now, and Odell Beckham might find a few cracks in that struggling Steelers secondary. However, I trust very few quarterbacks more than Roethlisberger to win a game in the final minutes. I predict Big Ben leads a comeback, and the Steelers advance to 5-0.