DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2018 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 21 Steelers 21 GAME Predictions. Score!

take this for what you will:

I had a dream last night about the Browns/Steelers game (how sad is that haha).

- We were up 20-17 with under 3 minutes left.
- Pittsburgh has the ball near mid field.
- A long pass attempt is intercepted by us and returned all the way back to Pittsburgh's 15 yard line.
- We run two plays, get it under the 2 minute warning.
- Third down ... most likely setting up a field goal.
- We run it again ... and fumble. They recover.
- Steelers ball at their own 15 with 1:30 left and we are up 20-17
- Then I woke up ...

In dreams you always wake up before you die

take this for what you will:

I had a dream last night about the Browns/Steelers game (how sad is that haha).

- We were up 20-17 with under 3 minutes left.
- Pittsburgh has the ball near mid field.
- A long pass attempt is intercepted by us and returned all the way back to Pittsburgh's 15 yard line.
- We run two plays, get it under the 2 minute warning.
- Third down ... most likely setting up a field goal.
- We run it again ... and fumble. They recover.
- Steelers ball at their own 15 with 1:30 left and we are up 20-17
- Then I woke up ...

Steelers 28 Browns 10

Steelers are going to run some blitzkrieg on the Browns shaky line (they will attack the rookie, and probably test rusty Zietler, I'm sure they know the ins and outside of Hubbard as well)

We still lack playmakers...Josh Gordon is going to be a non factor and rusty, Calloway will be overwhelmed...Jarvis is going to attract coverage blankets.

Our special teams will blow...

Ben is going to test Gregg William's Defense with Justin Hunter deep...be forewarned.

Would u be interested in running the Aussie Isle of Optimism? ...

I'm telling you, when we kick there ASS Sunday, we're gonna need a Bigger Boat.

And probably a BIGGER ISLAND!!!!!!

I never do this but what the h.

Browns 20 Steelers 13.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland
Team Totals: Steelers 24, Browns 20

The Browns enter 2018 with all the makings of a prolific rushing attack quarterbacked by dual-threat Tyrod Taylor behind an elite interior offensive line which sprung Carlos Hyde for 17/108/6.4/1 rushing this preseason despite missing dominant RG Kevin Zeitler until the exhibition finale. Hyde soundly beat out Nick Chubb and won’t struggle for 16-plus carries so long as his team stays competitive. Cleveland lost its last three meetings with Pittsburgh by only 4, 3, and 4 points, and this game’s spread has moved significantly in the Browns’ direction since opening at Pittsburgh favored by 6.5. At home, Hue Jackson’s club should stay close enough for Hyde to pay RB2 dividends. The Browns project as a run-first team; Taylor’s Bills ranked 31st, 32nd, and 31st in rushing attempts. Last year’s Steelers allowed just 4.06 yards per carry with ILB Ryan Shazier (neck), but were gashed for 5.11 YPC without him. … Tyrod’s scrambling ability gives him upside against a molasses-slow Steelers defense that never recovered from Shazier’s loss and did nothing to replace him. Quarterbacks facing Pittsburgh without Shazier averaged 8.01 yards per attempt versus 7.35 with Shazier on the field. Taylor’s multiple avenues to score fantasy points buoy his floor, and Tyrod’s vertical-passing prowess gives him upside. PFF’s Scott Barrett noted that Taylor has the NFL’s highest yards-per-attempt average against zone coverage (9.3) over the past two seasons. Last year’s Steelers ran zone at an 80% clip. Tyrod is an underrated streamer and exciting DFS play.

Jarvis Landry formed an on-field bond with Taylor in August and sets up as his Week 1 go-to guy. Even as silly buzz circulated Landry would play outside more, he ran 75% of his preseason routes in the slot, where Pittsburgh’s zone will allow Landry to get matched up with linebackers and safeties. Landry is a volume-based WR2. … Cleveland’s highest-ceiling wideout is of course Josh Gordon, who won’t draw the nominal “start” but should play starter-caliber snaps. In his first game back from suspension last year, Gordon logged 76% of Cleveland’s Week 13 offensive downs and drew 11 targets, which he parlayed into 4/85/0 receiving against Chargers shutdown CB Casey Hayward with deer-in-headlights rookie DeShone Kizer at quarterback. Gordon’s risk is obvious, but he offers one of the highest wideout upsides on the Week 1 slate. The Steelers return every starter from a cornerback unit that last year allowed the NFL’s fourth-most TDs to wide receivers (16). … A year after embarrassing themselves by playing future star David Njoku on just 46% of offensive snaps, the Browns committed to Njoku as a near-90% member of their first-team unit in camp. Njoku capitalized for 6/71/2 receiving on only seven preseason targets. Njoku’s floor is low on what should be a run-first team, but his big-play ability is undeniable as a fringe TE1.

More reason for Carlos Hyde optimism is Pittsburgh’s persistent struggles away from Heinz Field. Mike Tomlin’s club has averaged over seven fewer points per game on the road than at home over the past three years. Ben Roethlisberger’s last four yardage/touchdown/interception totals in road games at Cleveland are an uneven 263/2/1 > 167/0 > 349/3/2 > 228/1/1. Roethlisberger did average 7.80 yards per attempt in road games versus 7.39 at home last year, throwing at least some cold water on his environment-based narrative. Big Ben has also averaged 331.5 passing yards per game with Le’Veon Bell out of the lineup over the past three seasons, a massive improvement on his 275.3-yard average when Le’Veon plays. Roethlisberger is still a quality QB1, but his outlook is more volatile than usual, especially against a Browns defense that is far more talented than most believe. … James Conner can expect every-down usage as a fringe RB1 play in Bell’s absence after a standout preseason in which Conner logged 19/100/5.3/1 rushing and 7/61/0 receiving on only 56 snaps. Last year’s Steelers ran 65.7 offensive plays per game – ninth most in the league – and this year’s team should push for even more with new OC Randy Fichtner expected to implement more no-huddle/up-tempo concepts per Big Ben’s wish. It would be surprising if Conner did not push for 20 touches with a lucrative passing-game role.

Over the past three seasons, Antonio Brown’s per-game averages skyrocketed from 10.3 targets for 90.7 yards to 13.7 targets for 135.1 yards in 12 games missed by Le’Veon. As always, Brown is the overall WR1 play on the slate. … Martavis Bryant’s exit, Bell’s absence, and Vance McDonald’s foot injury set up JuJu Smith-Schuster to start fast at Cleveland. As the Steelers are expected to use one of perimeter WRs James Washington and Justin Hunter opposite Brown, Smith-Schuster will dominate snaps in the slot, where he ranked No. 1 among 29 qualifiers in PFF’s yards per route run last season. JuJu is an every-week WR2 with WR1 upside. … Washington blew up for 5/114/2 receiving in the second preseason game, then suffered an abdominal injury the next week and wasn’t heard from for the rest of August. Washington did practice this week and is expected to play, but his exact role still needs to be sorted out. … McDonald was plagued by knee, back, and ankle injuries all last season, then missed all but the first week of training camp with a mysterious foot injury. He did not practice on Thursday. If McDonald can’t go, usual blocker Jesse James would be worthy of low-end DFS punt consideration. Browns DC Gregg Williams’ defense gets torched by tight ends by playing its free safety in punt-return alignment and using three linebackers on passing downs. James dumped a 6/41/2 receiving line on Cleveland last Week 1.

Score Prediction: Browns 23, Steelers 21

Would u be interested in running the Aussie Isle of Optimism? ...

Browns by 2 scores. If that doesn’t happen, I’m done making predictions on the year.