Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns: Banged Up Steelers Travel to Take on Browns

Injuries at quarterback and wide receiver led Pittsburgh to start veteran Charlie Batch this week, and to bring back Plaxico Burress this week.

Despite injuries up and down their line up, the Steelers nearly squeaked out a win last week but fell 13-10 to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Quarterback Byron Leftwich started and went 18-for-39 for 139 yards and one interception, along with a 31-yard run for a score.

That would be Pittsburgh’s only touchdown, as both teams struggled on offense. The Steelers main drawback was three turnovers, which gave the Ravens the opportunity to kill the clock.

The Browns offense showed life last week, and they were one of three teams to play an extra period last week as they fell 23-20 to the Dallas Cowboys.

Cleveland built a 13-0 lead by halftime, but allowed Dallas to climb back in the game with a 17-point fourth quarter.

Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden went 20-for-35 for 210 yards and two touchdowns, but couldn’t lead Cleveland to a score in overtime. While running back Trent Richardson had another solid outing with 95 yards on 28 carries.

Cleveland’s troubles on offense may have stemmed from their penalties. The Browns were called for 12 penalties for a loss of 129 yards, including an defensive pass interference call that allowed Dallas to tie and send the game to overtime.

The Browns will take the field Sunday without cornerback Dimitri Patterson, who has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

The game begins at 1 p.m. EDT and will be shown by CBS, or watch a live stream online by purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket Max.

Betting Odds: Pittsburgh is favored by 1.5 points

Over/Under: 34.5 points

Prediction:  The Browns are still in rebuilding mode, while Pittsburgh is trying to steady the ship until Ben Roethlisberger returns. The Steelers should win in a very close game decided by a defensive touchdown.

Predicted Score: Pittsburgh 24, Cleveland 17