The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off consecutive 8-8 seasons, missing the playoffs in both campaigns. The Cleveland Browns have made the postseason once since being reintroduced into the NFL in 1999. Both franchises hope to right the ship in 2014, and it begins at Heinz Field on Sunday afternoon.
NFL picks and predictions 2014: Browns vs. Steelers
One of the classic NFL rivalries starts the season with a new coach and a revamped defense clashing.
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Cleveland has been the talk of the offseason after drafting quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in May's NFL Draft. Manziel could not win the starting job, losing out to veteran Brian Hoyer. Hoyer started three games last season and led the team to a perfect record in those contests before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. Hoyer will be without top receiver Josh Gordon, who was suspended for the year due to a third violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Gordon led the league with 1,646 receiving yards last season.
Week 1 Picks
Pittsburgh altered its defense by drafting linebacker Ryan Shazier out of Ohio State in the first round and signing safety Mike Mitchell. Shazier might end up being a big pickup when it comes to the team's run defense, as they've been searching for some help alongside Lawrence Timmons for some time. On the offensive side of the ball, they lost Emmanuel Sanders and added Darrius Heyward-Bey, Lance Moore and rookie Martavis Bryant.
The Steelers are heavy favorites to win this one, according to OddsShark. The experts tend to agree, as well. Of the eight experts at CBS Sports, all of them picked the Steelers to win it. Over at ESPN, all 13 of their experts picked the Steelers to win as well. Both Yahoo Sports experts picked them too.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the same situation with SB Nation’s own picks. All of Ryan Van Bibber, Stephen White, Joel Thorman, Matt Ufford, David Fucillo, Danny Kelly and even PFT Commenter picked the Steelers to win.
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