The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6.5-point favorites against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6 (per ESPN BET), but a myriad of factors surrounding head coach Mike Tomlin could make the AFC North-leading hosts even heavier frontrunners in the matchup.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio laid out a handful of Tomlin-related statistics on Saturday that significantly stack the cards against rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the Browns on Sunday.
“Beyond the fact the Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has compiled a record of 14-4 after a bye week, including eight wins in a row, Tomlin’s performance against rookie quarterbacks is beyond impressive,” Florio wrote. “Overall, Tomlin has built a 27-6 record against first-year quarterbacks, including playoffs. At home, it’s nearly unblemished at 14-1, also including playoffs.”
The Steelers are coming off a Week 5 bye, while Cleveland lost 21-17 to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday in London.
The Browns have had a busy week blowing up some of their roster, trading away starting quarterback Joe Flacco and starting cornerback Greg Newsome II.
Story continues below advertisement
Florio noted that the only rookie signal-caller to defeat Tomlin’s Steelers in Pittsburgh was Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in 2016.
More NFL: DeShon Elliott Has Hilarious NSFW Reaction To Cameron Heyward Gift
Featured image via Kirby Lee/Imagn Images