Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers Picks and Prediction for Sunday, October 12, 2025
Use Code WWWC On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns (1-4, 4th AFC North) pay a visit to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh for an AFC North clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1, 1st AFC North). Cleveland lost to the Minnesota Vikings 21-17 last time out. Cleveland’s only win was 13-10 over Green Bay in Week 3. The biggest news out of Cleveland was the trade of quarterback Joe Flacco to Cincinnati, handing the starting job to rookie Dillon Gabriel. Pittsburgh defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-21 two weeks ago and had a bye this past week. The Steelers lead the AFC North. Cleveland will play without David Bell, Nathaniel Watson, Cedric Tillman, DeAndre Carter, and several others. Pittsburgh will play without Will Howard, Dean Lowry, Donte Kent, Malik Harrison, Calvin Austin III, and Alex Highsmith, among others. A thorough review of the injury report is recommended before making any wager on any NFL game or any other sporting event. Make sure to read this in-depth Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers prediction
Dominate Sunday with our NFL picks for the Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers prediction—your winning playbook starts here.
Cleveland begins a new era with Dillon Gabriel at QB
The Cleveland Browns traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, which means rookie signal-caller Dillon Gabriel will start the rest of the season and his backup is likely Shedeur Sanders. Cleveland also traded Gregg Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Tyson Campbell in a swamp of cornerbacks. Cleveland's offense has struggled under the guidance of veteran Flacco, averaging 95.8 yards rushing and 192.4 yards passing for 288.2 yards of total offense per game, which is 27th. Cleveland's defense is first in rushing, allowing just 75.6 yards per game, and fourth in passing yardage allowed, at 172.2 points per game. The Browns are second in total defense, allowing just 247.8 yards per game. But that has not been able to make up for the inefficiencies on offense.
Cleveland quarterback Dillon Gabriel has 209 yards passing with three touchdowns, completing 59.5% of his passes. He was solid in his first start against Minnesota last week in London, completing 19-of-33 for 190 yards with two TDs. Quinshon Judkins has the team lead in rushing with 347 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The leading receiver for Cleveland is Jerry Jeudy with 197 yards, and David Njoku is a close second with 195 yards and one touchdown reception. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger has a team-best 44 tackles, and end Myles Garrett leads in quarterback sacks with 4.0. Cleveland's defense has recorded 14 sacks and intercepted two passes. Kicker Andre Szmyt is 6-for-8 in field goal attempts with a long of 55 yards, and 7-for-8 in extra points.
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Pittsburgh's offense and defense need improvement
The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled this season on offense, averaging 80.0 yards rushing and 183.5 yards passing for 263.5 yards of total offense per game, which is 29th. The Pittsburgh defense has also struggled, but has improved over the last two weeks. Pittsburgh allows an average of 122.0 yards rushing and 260.5 yards passing for 382.5 yards per game, which is 28th. The stats don't tell the entire story as the Steelers have found ways to beat Minnesota (24-21), New England (21-14) and the NY Jets (34-32). Their lone loss came against Seattle (31-17), but with Baltimore struggling with injuries on defense and at quarterback and the Bengals losing QB Joe Burrow to a toe injury indefinitely, the AFC North could be a cakewalk. After they play the Browns, they get the now Joe Flacco-led Bengals on a Thursday night. But then the schedule gets a lot tougher as they face the likes of Green Bay, Indianapolis, and the Chargers in three straight games.
Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 786 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer has been sacked nine times in four games. Kenneth Gainwell leads the Steelers in rushing with 154 yards and three TDs, but Jaylen Warren is back from injury and has 132 yards. DK Metcalf leads all receivers for the Steelers with 261 yards and three TDs. Linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson each have 35 tackles to lead the defense. Linebacker T.J. Watt has a team-best 3.0 sacks. The Steelers' defense had made 14 sacks and intercepted 5 passes. Kicker Chris Boswell is 10-for-10 on extra points and 6-for-7 on field goals, with a long of 60 yards.
Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Pick
Spread Pick for Browns vs. Steelers
- Pittsburgh Steelers -5.5 (5 units)
The Cleveland Browns have a very strong defense that is number two overall in the NFL, but their offense, which is now under the leadership of rookie QB Dillon Gabriel, will not be able to put enough points on the board to beat AFC North rival Pittsburgh on Sunday. Cleveland's offense is 27th overall at 288.2 yards per game, while Pittsburgh produces even fewer yards per game, but under veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it has performed better in the last two games. Cleveland has failed to cover the spread in each of its last two games and in three of the last four. Pittsburgh has covered the spread in each of its last two games, which were straight-up victories over New England and Minnesota. Safety DeShon Elliott has returned to the Steelers defense after recovering from an injury, and in their victory over Minnesota had a quarterback sack and an interception, and will be involved in harassing Cleveland's rookie quarterback both on blitzes and defending passes.
Over/Under Pick for Browns vs. Steelers
- Under 38 (4 units)
The total is currently at 38 points, which is quite low for an NFL game, but both teams struggle on offense, and Cleveland has the second-best total defense in the league. The total has finished under in each of Cleveland's last two games. The total has finished over in three of Pittsburgh's first four games, but the Steelers face a very tough Cleveland defense and a Cleveland offense that struggles to put points on the board, scoring an average of only 14.6 points per game, which is next to last.
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