Cleveland Browns favored over Pittsburgh Steelers for third time in 20 years

By Cory Buck | Oct 8, 2014

Oct 5, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin (11) catches the winning touchdown pass against Tennessee Titans safety Bernard Pollard (31) during the second half at LP Field. The Browns beat the Titans 29-28. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cleveland Browns had a long historic rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers that included plenty of back-and-forth. Then Art Modell happened and the Browns took a break from the NFL. When they returned, the rivalry was lost and it became a one-sided affair with the Steelers winning all but five encounters since 1999.

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Don’t tell that to this Browns team though, and especially don’t tell it to Vegas oddsmakers, who have dubbed the Browns the early favorite in the teams’ Week 6 tilt for just the third time in 20 years of divisional matchups between the two franchises, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The betting line comes on the heels of another thrilling Cleveland comeback in Tennessee. The Browns trailed 28-3 in the second quarter before storming back for a 29-28 victory. The Browns also nearly had a comeback victory in Week 1 when they visited these same Pittsburgh Steelers. Now Cleveland is hoping to finish the job in their second meeting by returning to a no-huddle approach that flustered the Steelers defense in Week 1.

“They had a great deal of success doing that in the second half of the game against us in the opener,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday per the Gazette. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t go to it in some form or fashion, probably early, at least to check our overall readiness in this football game.”

The Steelers will need to be ready when the visit the hungry Browns, who sit at 2-2 — good for last place in the deep AFC North. That all could change though if the oddsmakers are right about Cleveland.

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