Browns vs. Steelers Odds
The timing for the latest news out of Cleveland isn't exactly ideal.
As reported by Adam Schefter, the Browns' COVID outbreak from last week is continuing to spread ahead of their Wild Card Round matchup with the Steelers on Sunday night.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski, two other coaches and a pair of players "have COVID issues," according to Schefter, forcing the Browns to close their facility.
A follow-up update from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com provides a bit more detail on what exactly that means:
#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is asymptomatic. He will coach virtually during week for #Steelers but must miss the game. TE coach Drew Petzing and DB coach Jeff Howard must sit. 1 of the 2 new players who tested positive is significant https://t.co/JY40WOWPsc
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) January 5, 2021
Those two players were soon after revealed to be LG Joel Bitonio (a three-time Pro Bowler) and WR KhaDarel Hodge.
As for the betting market, well, it's surely not ignoring the news.
The Steelers were 4- to 4.5-point favorites across much of the market as of Tuesday morning. That number has now crept up to -5.5, and even -6 at a few shops.
As of 12 p.m. ET Tuesday, 59% of bets accounting for 83% of the money has landed on Pittsburgh. You can follow along with real-time updated lines and market percentages here.
