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Two bitter rivals will clash when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Cleveland Browns in an AFC North matchup on Thursday Night Football. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses after rallying to win their openers. The Steelers dropped a 17-14 decision to the New England Patriots last week, while the Browns blew a 13-point lead in the final two minutes to lose 31-30 to the New York Jets. Pittsburgh has dominated the series with Cleveland of late, going 11-3-1 versus the Browns since 2015.

Kickoff from FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. Cleveland is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest Browns vs. Steelers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 38. Before you make any Steelers vs. Browns bets or TNF predictions, make sure you check out what SportsLine NFL expert Emory Hunt has to say.

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. He is a former running back at Louisiana-Lafayette and knows the game from a player's perspective. Hunt's dedication to analysis of all levels of college and professional football helped him start the USFL season 24-18, including a 12-6 record over the last five weeks. 

In addition, Hunt has gone 11-3 on his last 14 NFL picks involving the Browns, returning $780. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Hunt has zoned in on Steelers vs. Browns and just locked in his picks and TNF predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Hunt's picks. Here are the NFL odds and betting lines for Steelers vs. Browns:

  • Browns vs. Steelers spread: Cleveland -4.5 
  • Browns vs. Steelers over/under: 38 points 
  • Browns vs. Steelers money line: Pittsburgh +175, Cleveland -210 
  • PIT: Steelers are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games against AFC North opponents 
  • CLE: Browns are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 Thursday games 
  • Browns vs. Steelers picks: See picks here

Why the Browns can cover

Cleveland leads the NFL in rushing after two weeks (200.5 average) and has a strong one-two punch in running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Chubb is tops on the team in rushing, carrying 39 times for 228 yards (5.8 average) and three touchdowns. He has three explosive plays of over 20 yards or more and has converted 11 first downs. Chubb is also a threat in the passing game with 28 yards on four receptions (7.0 average).

Hunt has 104 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.3 average) and one touchdown. Hunt had 74 yards from scrimmage, including 58 rushing, in Week 2 against the Jets. He will be looking for his third game in a row with 70 or more scrimmage yards. He has 522 yards from scrimmage (130.5 per game) and five touchdowns in four career Thursday games.

Why the Steelers can cover 

Pittsburgh receiver Diontae Johnson is off to a solid start to the season with a team-high 13 receptions. He has 112 yards receiving with one explosive play of 25 yards while converting seven first downs. Johnson led the Steelers with six catches for 57 yards in Week 2. He will be looking for his 15th game in row with five or more catches and fourth game in a row with 50 or more receiving yards. Johnson had a receiving TD in the last meeting with Cleveland and has 95-plus receiving yards in two of his past three games against the Browns.

Another weapon on offense is wide receiver Chase Claypool. He has eight receptions for 44 yards (5.5 average) as well as six carries for 36 yards rushing for the season. Claypool had four catches last week against New England. He had eight receptions for 93 yards in his only career Thursday Night Football game on Dec. 9, 2021 at Minnesota.

How to make Browns vs. Steelers picks

For Thursday Night Football, Hunt is leaning under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can find out what it is, and see the rest of Hunt's Thursday Night Football picks and analysis, at SportsLine.

Who wins Steelers vs. Browns on Thursday Night Football? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Steelers vs. Browns spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who is 11-3 on picks involving Cleveland, and find out.