Thursday’s pick: Steelers begin holiday feast

Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-14)
Analysis: Not sure if it’s fair to call the schedule-makers biased, but giving the Steelers two games against the Browns in December seems more than generous. As it stands, the Browns are generally pretty generous to their opponents because they have no offense whatsoever and a mediocre defense. Pittsburgh is rolling despite being last year’s Super Bowl loser, usually a bad omen. At 9-3 and with only one NFL-caliber team remaining on its schedule (at 49ers next Monday night), they will be 12-4 at worst for a second straight year. Even if Joshua Cribbs runs a couple of kicks back for touchdowns, the offense will not be able to muster anything and Pittsburgh could still find a way to win. Cribbs is a dynamic player, but don’t expect him to do anything of the sort in this one as Colt McCoy can only hope he can stay healthy for 60 minutes. The pick: Steelers.