Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns Sports betting favorite: Steelers -10<\/p>\n What do to do with these defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers? The hangover myth is coming true again as they\u2019ve lost four straight games for the first time in five years. At first glance, it\u2019s tough to see what the problem is. They\u2019re still scoring and, statistically, they have a strong defense, including the best run-stopping unit in the league.<\/p>\n It seems the chink in the armor, however, is in the secondary. Any doubt about Troy Polamalu\u2019s value to the \u201cD\u201d is long gone; without him, the Steelers are 4-1 with him in the lineup and 2-5 without him this season. Opponents keep beating Pittsburgh deep at crucial moments in situations where Polamalu would normally jump the play and go for the pick. It\u2019s not just elite offenses, either. Matt Cassel and the Chiefs stole an overtime win from Pittsburgh and last week Bruce Gradkowski led Oakland on a massive game-winning drive, earning AFC Player of the Week honors in the process. Considering that Cleveland\u2019s Brady Quinn has found himself of late, throwing for seven touchdowns versus no interceptions over his last three starts, is Pittsburgh in trouble again? I wouldn\u2019t go that far. First off, Quinn\u2019s stats are inflated by a matchup with Detroit and a game against San Diego\u2019s overrated pass defense last week.<\/p>\n More importantly, the Browns are football\u2019s worst defensive team, allowing 400.3 yards of offense per game, and there\u2019s nothing wrong with Pittsburgh\u2019s offense. Ben Roethlisberger is enjoying one of his best seasons and is now the clear-cut focal of the Steelers\u2019 attack. Rashard Mendenhall has flourished in his first season as a starting running back and should churn up a ton of yards Thursday night if Pittsburgh grabs an early lead.<\/p>\n The forecast is for ugly weather, meaning the better running team has the advantage. Not only do the Steelers run the ball much better, they allow fewer rushing yards per game than other team in the NFL. If that isn\u2019t enough to justify the Steelers as NFL picks<\/a>, remember that this is a must-win game. A seventh loss could virtually eliminate the defending champs and they\u2019ve shown a knack for clutch play in recent years.<\/p>\n Even if Hines Ward doesn\u2019t play, Pick Pittsburgh with confidence.<\/p>\n Steelers vs. Browns Betting Trends to consider:<\/strong>
\nThursday, December 10, 8:20 p.m. ET<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nPittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
\nPittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
\nThe total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh’s last 10 games
\nThe total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games
\nCleveland is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
\nCleveland is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home<\/p>\n