This line is ticking down Sunday ahead of kickoff now that the Browns have not had any new COVID-19 cases pop up, and it's available at 5 at a place or two, though most everywhere is at 5.5. The Steelers are rested, and coach Mike Tomlin will have his team ready for this game. Pittsburgh didn't have to show much last week against Cleveland and even saw Mason Rudolph have success against this defense. The Browns will be without their head coach and offensive playcaller in Kevin Stefanski, yes, but being down a starting offensive lineman is of bigger concern. Favorites don't have a propensity for covering in the Wild Card round, and I haven’t liked betting Pittsburgh this season due to its inconsistency, but despite all of that, I’m on the Steelers through -6 in this spot.

The combination of Cleveland's COVID-19 issues (no Kevin Stefanski on Sunday and no in-person practice until Friday) as well as some of Pittsburgh's key players getting rest last week has me on the Steelers. Pittsburgh's defense is good enough to slow the Browns' running game and force Baker Mayfield to make plays, and I know what side I like in that scenario. My model says the Steelers win about 55 percent of the time, so you're getting good value at this number.

This is the third meeting, but more importantly, these teams are playing back-to-back weeks. This is an advantage for the defenses. Cleveland will be missing head coach Kevin Stefanski, which means inexperienced player caller Alex Van Pelt takes over. The Browns must establish their running games against the Steelers' No.1 defense. The Pittsburgh offense ranks 22nd in DVOA and 30th in rushing.

Kevin Stefanski isn't only the Browns' head coach, he's their playcaller. So Cleveland is at a massive disadvantage entering Sunday night's playoff game at Pittsburgh. The Steelers righted the ship with a huge second-half comeback over Indianapolis in Week 16. Then Ben Roethlisberger got some much-needed rest. This spread could rise even higher as Cleveland continues to deal with COVID-related issues. Lay the points.

People are underestimating the Steelers because of that three-game losing streak. But the team is getting healthier at the right time, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger owns the Browns; he is 23-2-1 against Cleveland in his career. The Browns' losing coach and primary play-caller Kevin Stefanski to COVID-19 is a huge blow. Pittsburgh provides value at -6.

Hope you were able to hop on this one early. Even with the move I'd still lay it up to -7. The Browns are in an awful spot, coming off a week of limited practice and facing another one in the biggest game of the year where they know they won't have their excellent head coach on the sideline. On the other side, the Steelers were finally able to rest some key players, and the offense they did run on the field put up its best yardage total since Week 2 despite starting a backup QB. That makes me think they've carried over some of the offensive success from the second half of the Colts game and can build up an insurmountable lead here.

Now that this spread has risen all the way to 6 following the Browns' COVID news on Tuesday, including head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin Stefanski being ruled out for Sunday's game (see news feed), we're going to jump before the number gets to a touchdown. The COVID loss of left guard Joel Bitonio might hurt even more as the Browns have no chance here without their running game dominating, and the three-time Pro Bowler is a big part of the league's No. 3 rushing attack. The Browns of course have lost 17 straight games in Pittsburgh and have covered in only six. Most of the Steelers' key players are well-rested after taking Week 17 off.

The Browns might have reached a tipping point in their third consecutive week of Covid-19 hassles. Kevin Stefanski, a favorite for Coach of the Year, will stay home after testing positive. So will two other coaches and two players -- for now. OG Joel Bitonio is a three-time Pro Bowler. Other Browns on the inactive list last week have yet to be released. Cleveland’s first playoff berth since 2002 overshadows the fact that it has covered only three times in the last 14 road games. The past half-dozen trips to Pittsburgh have produced one cover. The Steelers are gold at home in the postseason, at 7-2 ATS, and QB Ben Roethlisberger and teammates who bypassed last Sunday’s encounter with Cleveland will be fresh.