Picking the biggest and most competitive games last week, the Cold, Hard Football Facts posted a 5-3 record.

 

We had a great day on Sunday, nailing five of the six games we looked at in our Friday Beer Run. Our first Thirsty Thursday was not so hot, as the struggling Bengals pulled out a win over the then 9-2 Ravens. We also missed on our Monday pick. That puts us at 53-38 (.582) for the season. Clearly, as we've stated, it's not up to the standards we've set for ourselves. But, as we've come to find, it's not bad in a season that's been hard for everyone to pin down.

 

We're back today with our second Thirsty Thursday of the season. Cleveland at Pittsburgh is normally a nifty rivalry game. This season, it's simply a meeting of NFL also-rans. It makes us appreciate all the more the "flex scheduling" that determines the Sunday night games on NBC.

 

 

When these division rivals played in Week 11, Pittsburgh scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes to pull out a 24-20 victory. The Steelers have now won six straight meetings in this series, and tonight they get to face a quarterback, Derek Anderson, who is making his first NFL start.

 

Cleveland is right at the median for Bendability and Scoreability, ranking No. 16 (and ahead of Pittsburgh) in both. The Steelers are fourth-worst at making opponents work for points, yet they are tied for sixth in the Defensive Hog Index.

 

Despite losing records and injuries on both sides, expect a hard-fought game that is ultimately won by the home team.