The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers will open up their preseason portion of the schedule with a meeting on Thursday night. This is a matchup of two teams who reached the playoffs last season, and both teams are predicted to be division champs this season. Lincoln Financial Field will be rocking when the defending champion Eagles take the field.
Both teams feature dynamic offenses led by terrific quarterbacks. Veteran Ben Roethlisberger looks primed for another big season for the Steelers in 2018. The Eagles will welcome the return of quarterback Carson Wentz, who was the MVP of the NFL until suffering a torn ACL and missing the remainder of the season. The Philadelphia Eagles are -3 against the Steelers in this game.
Defending Champs Look Solid Again
The Philadelphia Eagles came out of nowhere last season to capture the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LI. The Eagles didn’t make a ton of moves this offseason, but they kept the majority of their roster. Philadelphia will give the starting quarterback job back to Carson Wentz this season, but backup Nick Foles has the talent to lead the team once again.
Both Wentz and Foles are listed as questionable for this game, so Nate Sudfeld will likely get most of the offensive snaps at quarterback. Sudfeld will have plenty of weapons to utilize, most notably Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz. The Eagles will be hungry to open up their preseason with a victory on Thursday night.
Pittsburgh Still Without Bell
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still without running back Le’veon Bell as he is holding out until he receives a contract extension. The Steelers expect Bell to be with them for Week 1 of the regular season, but he will not appear in this game. Pittsburgh will most likely limit Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown to one series in this game, which will limit their offensive ability.
The Steelers defense got torched in the playoffs last season in an upset loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pittsburgh failed to address their defensive needs this offseason, and this could lead to them struggling in 2018. The Steelers have a veteran roster, and many of these veterans will likely sit out on Thursday night. Escaping without injury will be the main goal for Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Eagles Open Up Preseason With Victory
Usually the first preseason game for each team is a sloppy affair, but this game should be different. Both of these teams have great coaching staffs who will have their teams prepared for their first real game action. The Steelers know that they must improve on defense in 2018, and head coach Mike Tomlin will have his eye on the defense in this game.
The Eagles always have tremendous support from their fans, but the fans will be extra excited for this game. Philadelphia will use the home field advantage to play inspired football and start off the preseason with a victory over the Steelers. Look for the Eagles to win big, bet Philadelphia -3 on Thursday night.
