NFL Picks and Predictions: Predicting the winner of Steelers vs. Browns Week 17

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers most likely keep telling themselves the same thing, "Win, get some help and we are in." The first part of that scenario cannot be overlooked, even against the 3-12 Cleveland Browns. After the Steelers dropped a game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 which they were heavily favored, all bets are off for this team moving forward.

The question remains, will the Steelers high powered offense be able to get back on track against a porous Cleveland defense, or will the Browns duplicate the Ravens' blueprint and upset the Steelers and ending their postseason hopes?

After scoring at least 30 points in their previous 6 games, the Steelers were held to 17 points at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD in Week 16. The Ravens deployed the perfect scheme, and ran it flawlessly. Play two deep safeties, taking away the deep pass, and surrender the run and the underneath routes.

What the Ravens' offense did in chorus with the defense was almost as genius, as Ryan Mallett was given a game plan so simple it worked with relative ease. The Ravens dinked and dunked their way up and down the field, and despite not always putting points on the board, they kept Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense off the field. Sometimes the best defense is possessing the ball.

The Browns will likely try to duplicate the game plan the Ravens developed in Week 16, but can they execute said game plan? We want to know what you think with your prediction. In the Crowd's Line tool below, you have several options. You can simply predict your score, or you can log in and enter your score. The tool will calculate your score history, accuracy and compare with the likes of the opposing team. In this week's contest BTSC fans will be compared with Browns fans from Dawgs By Nature (SB Nation's Browns website). Time to prove who is the more realistic and knowledgeable fans between the two fan bases.

As for me, I see the Steelers offense being revived, or pissed off. They had a golden opportunity in Week 16 and let it slip through their fingers. Despite what many say, that loss was on the offense, and they will rebound in a big way in Cleveland. Will they make the postseason? Only time will tell, but I see the Steelers taking care of their end of the scenario with relative ease.

Jeff Hartman's Prediction (BTSC Editor):
Steelers: 37
Browns: 16