Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Who would bet against Cleveland after the win they pulled off in Tennessee last Sunday? Down 28-3 before half-time, the Browns rallied to take a 29-28 lead with just a minute left to play.
Cleveland held on to record a momentous victory – the largest comeback by a road team in NFL history.
It was not the first time that the Browns have shown great competitive spirit this season. Indeed, the team nearly pulled off another magnificent comeback in the first meeting between these two sides this season, in Week 1.
In Pittsburgh, Cleveland recovered from a 27-3 deficit only to fall short as a Shaun Suisham field goal won it for the Steelers, right at the death. The Browns were however hampered by an injury to running back Ben Tate in that game.
Tate has now returned to fitness, and his career-best performance in Cleveland’s win over Tennessee shows that he is ready to roll this weekend. He could potentially be the key factor in a Browns win, and is 8/1 to score the first touchdown against Pittsburgh.
Crucially, Cleveland will enjoy home-field advantage for this contest, which could help to swing it in their favour after the close defeat against the Steelers last time out. Punters should back the Browns to take the spoils at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins Green Bay will seek a third consecutive victory this Sunday as they visit Sun-Life Stadium to face Miami.
The Packers come into this contest in scintillating form, after superb performances saw them sweep aside division rivals Chicago and Minnesota in their last two matchups.
Dolphins coach Joe Philbin, previously the offensive coordinator for Green Bay (2007-11), will not be relishing a reunion with his former protege Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers quarterback has been fantastic recently, passing for seven touchdowns in his last two games. Such was the dominance of the Green Bay offense against Minnesota, that Rodgers was able to sit out the entire fourth quarter of their 42-10 triumph.
Running back Eddie Lacy, meanwhile, exploded for 105 yards and two touchdowns in that encounter. The Dolphins, who will be missing defensive lineman Derrick Shelby (suspension), could struggle to contain him. Lacy is 7/1 to score first in Miami.
It will take something special for the Dolphins to produce a winning performance here. Punters should not expect Miami to be up to the task, however, and would be wise to back the Packers to continue their winning run.
Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati were the last remaining undefeated side in the NFL this season, until last Sunday’s defeat at the hands of New England. A match-up with Carolina this weekend, however, presents the Bengals with a great opportunity to get back to winning ways immediately.
There was an injury for Cincinnati scare mid-week, with wide receiver AJ Green suffering a toe injury that looks likely to rule him out of Sunday’s contest.
The Bengals roster, however, contains enough talent to effectively cover for Green’s absence. Mohamed Sanu would take over as the number-one wide receiver, having already caught two touchdown passes this season as number-two.
Cincinnati’s defense meanwhile is in the top-five in the NFL, and will welcome back linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who missed the Bengals’ last two games due to injury. Consequently, it is going to be very difficult for a stuttering Panthers offense to put many points on the scoreboard, particularly as this game is at Paul Brown Stadium.
Home-field advantage for the Bengals makes it hard to predict any other outcome than a Cincinnati win – the team has won eleven straight regular season games at home. Punters can feel confident in backing the Bengals to make it 12.
