Experts pick Pittsburgh Steelers over Browns, despite sitting starters

Even if the Pittsburgh Steelers sit more than a few starters, all experts are picking them to win this final AFC North battle of the 2017 regular season.

When it comes to beating the Cleveland Browns, there’s nothing to backup a loss. Cleveland, sitting at 0-15, has proved nothing. Going from the worst team in 2016 to the worst team in 2017, not much has changed, and neither will the outcome of their game against the Steelers.

For the experts are NFL.com, ESPN, CBS Sports, and SB Nation, even with Pittsburgh pulling starters, they still believe the Steelers are the favorite in this one.

Right now, fans should expect to see a number of backups on the field to start the game. Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Maurkice Pouncey and Cameron Heyward will all likely miss this week, with more starters being pulled as the game progresses. With one week before their playoff run, and a long shot from moving into first place in the AFC, the Steelers are more concerned about resting starters than winning big.

That hasn’t changed the predictions, though, as everyone is still picking the Steelers. According to NFL Pick Watch, who organizes all the expert picks into a graph, there isn’t a single name who’s picking Cleveland.

That shouldn’t surprise anyone. At 0-15, Cleveland has proven they’ve made no improvements over the last year. In fact, despite three first-round picks in 2017, a new starting quarterback and the return of wide receiver, Josh Gordon, this team has somehow gotten worse.

Next: Betting line drops as Steelers pull starters

Hopefully this year’s offseason does them better, but chances are, the Cleveland Browns will be riding the bottom of the NFL for years to come. Good for the Steelers, but when it comes to watching quality football, most fans can turn these games off before they even get started.

And imagine, Pittsburgh almost started the season 0-1 against these guys.