A Rivalry Matchup Hits Thursday Night 🏈

Last week was not kind to the AFC North. With the Browns and Steelers both looking to get back on track tonight, get ready for some smash-mouth football 🔨 (3 min read)

Tonight's parlay is Steelers +4.5 and Nick Chubb Anytime Touchdown. Make sure to tune into our Amazon Prime pregame show on Twitter at 6PM EST 🐥

Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

AFC North Showdown

It's been an eye-opening first couple weeks of the NFL season to say the least, with surprises and disappointments emerging all across the league 📈📉

  • Perhaps the most shocking start of all can be found the AFC North, where last year's Super Bowl runner-ups, the Cincinnati Bengals, have yet to capture a victory after dropping games against the Trubisky-led Steelers and the Cooper Rush Cowboys

  • Oddsmakers have taken notice of the early struggles, with Joe Burrow and company's Super Bowl odds plummeting down to +2900, 13th-best in the league

This past week, the Bengals' other three division-mates were considerate enough to join their Cincinnati brethren in infamy. The Steelers mustered just 14 points against the Patriots, the Ravens blew a three-touchdown lead against the Dolphins, but it was the Browns who had the most disappointing loss of the bunch ⬇️

Both Cleveland and Pittsburgh will have a shot at redemption tonight, when FirstEnergy Stadium plays host to more rivalry action in the North. Here's how the lines are shaping up for their first meeting of the season 👇

  • Spread: Browns -4.5

  • Moneyline: Browns -200 (bet $200, win $100), Steelers +168 (bet $100, win $168)

  • Over/Under: 38.5

With no shortage of bad blood between the divisional rivals, expect tonight's matchup to be a fiery one, but if you're looking for an offensive slugfest, you probably came to the wrong place 🤷🏻‍♂️

  • Only the rain-drenched battle between the Bears and 49ers in Week One has had a lower O/U total than tonight's mark of 38.5

  • With both teams owning superstar-laden defenses to go along with questionable passing attacks, there's good reason why this matchup is trending towards a low-scoring affair

Speaking of trends, the head-to-head series between the two squads has been one-sided for some time now, with the Steelers boasting a 11-3-1 record since 2015 😬

Trivia Question: Which cornerback earned Pro Bowl honors for both the Browns and the Steelers within the last decade?

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

Prop Central

Expectations for offensive fireworks tonight may be a bit tempered, but that doesn't mean you should count out these players from exceeding their projections 👇

📍 Jacoby Brissett (QB, CLE)

The Line: O/U 181.5 Passing Yards (-113)

Brissett has controversial shoes to fill for the first 11 games of Cleveland's season, and so far, he's made a solid case that he's the right man for the job 🤝

  • Brissett has the Cleveland offense humming to the tune of 28 points and 380 yards per game, both top-10 marks in the league

  • After watching Mac Jones toss for 252 yards against the Steelers' D last week, it's reasonable to expect the Browns' signal-caller to approach the 200-yard mark in game that should follow a similar script

📍 Nick Chubb (RB, CLE)

The Line: Anytime Touchdown (-110)

Not sold on the Browns' aerial attack? Fair enough, and rest assured, the real bread and butter in Cleveland remains the ground game 💨

  • A dynamic one-two punch at running back is led by the ever-consistent Nick Chubb, one of the more criminally under-appreciated players in the NFL. The former Georgia Bulldog has had at least 1,000 total yards, eight TDS and a 5-YPC average in all four seasons of his career

  • Currently the league's second-leading rusher, Chubb is fresh off a three-touchdown performance against the Jets. While Pittsburgh may be able to bottle him up better than most, it's only a matter of time before he breaks free ⬇️

📍 Najee Harris (RB, PIT)

The Line: O/U 71.5 Rushing+Receiving Yards (-114)

Whereas Chubb's season has gotten off to a blazing start, in Pittsburgh the Najee Harris hype train has lost some serious steam after a pair of inefficient performances 😬

  • Last year's first-round pick has 72 rush yards through the first two games on just 2.9 YPC, with fingers being pointed towards the play calling, the o-line, and a foot injury as well

  • One reason for optimism? Five catches for 40 yards last week, after being held to just three yards through the air in the opener. The dual-threat back caught 74 passes last season, and they'd be wise to get him heavily-involved there once again

📍 Diontae Johnson (WR, PIT)

The Line: O/U 5.5 Receptions (+108)

Johnson became a household name last season with his first Pro Bowl nod, but as is often the case, there were question marks regarding his role translating with a new man under center 👀

  • So far, so good; while the Steelers' top wideout has yet to have a huge performance, he's been heavily featured in the Pittsburgh offense, with double-digit targets in both games

  • The yardage should come eventually, but either way, I'm confident Trubisky will look to get the ball into Johnson's hands at least six times tonight 🔒

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

Expect the unexpected with NFL divisional games, and that especially holds true for the dog fights we regularly get out of the AFC North. With that being said, tonight I'm going with Pittsburgh to keep it close, while Chubb finds the end zone once again. Check out the parlay I'm going with 👇

  • Steelers +4.5 vs. Browns: -118

  • Nick Chubb Anytime Touchdown: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $253 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: Joe Haden, who just announced his retirement from the NFL this week, made the Pro Bowl with the Browns in 2013 and 2014, and once again with the Steelers in 2019

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