Oddsmakers say Browns trending up, Steelers trending down

The Browns have a great shot at a Wild Card and even a shot at the AFC North

When was the last time the Cleveland Browns were favored by nine and a half points on the road over any team? It’s truly amazing that there are still fans who are whining that the Browns have compiled most of their wins against weak opponents. That’s true, but it’s also true that this is a very good team, or at least the smartest people in the country believe it to be true.

Of course, the Jets just upset the Los Angeles Rams (formerly the St. Louis Rams, formerly the Los Angeles Rams 1.0, formerly the Cleveland Rams), who were -14.5 point favorites, so we cannot assume that the Browns will automatically win. But if the Jets do pull off their second straight upset, they will have beaten a very good team.

Conversely, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the dominant team earlier this season, with a suffocating defense and Ben Roethlisberger making a great comeback from serious elbow surgery. Injuries to linebackers Devin Bush, Robert Spillane, and edge rusher Bud Dupree may be catching up to them. Of course, injuries are not an excuse. The Browns have been playing all year without Grant Delpit and Greedy Williams.

But most seriously for the Steelers is that Ben Roethlisberger has not responded well to being asked to throw the ball 50 times a game week after week. Veteran handicapper R.J. Bell of Fox Sports Straight Outta Vegas came right out and said this week, “Something is wrong with Ben Roethlisberger. Right now the Steelers have a bottom-five offense in the NFL.” Ouch.

The offense is based on Big Ben being able to unload seven-yard passes in under two seconds. Statistically, the offensive line looks like it is not allowing many sacks, but it is because Ben gets rid of the ball quickly. Or if he cannot, he uses the pump fake to buy time, but his offensive line is not protecting him or providing adequate run blocking to sustain a running game.

This is not the same Steelers team that whupped up on the Browns and the rest of the NFL earlier this season. That team really was even up or better than Kansas City. Today’s team? They opened as three-point favorites versus the Colts, according to Vegasinsider.com. But after getting beaten up by the rough, tough Cincinnati Bengals, as of Christmas Eve, the Colts are favored by -1.5 points. That 4.5 point swing is very unusual.

The Browns suddenly have a shot to win the division. According to fanduel.com, the Steelers are still -340 favorites to win the AFC North, but the Browns are now +270 underdogs. The Steelers just need to beat Indianapolis or Cleveland — or get help from the Jets to clinch. But it’s very possible that the fading Steelers might fail to rally and actually blow it.

There are still Browns fans out there who are whining that the Browns will never make the playoffs, will never beat the playoffs, or if they do they have zero chance to win a playoff game.  Pull yourself together, there’s no whining in football! All the indicators say that the Browns have a very good team and have a legitimate shot.