Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers Betting Preview

As the preseason winds forward, Pittsburgh heads to face the Panthers on the road. This is basically a scouting period for all the coaches and GMs, players being cut pretty much every day now. Both clubs have to get the total number of guys down to 53, and it will be a bit of a slow grind to make that happen.

It is never easy to let them go, but guys have to be cut so others can shine. There are reserve/futures contracts signed when a team is first knocked out, and at times they find their way onto the roster. The Steelers promising young RB Najee Harris has had an impressive preseason and is looking like a near-lock to be the top back.

The Panthers have a new QB this year named Sam Darnold, who they hope can take them to a new level. They did not win much with Teddy Bridgewater, so they traded him to the Broncos, where he is expected to remain as a starter. PJ Walker and Will Grier are continuing to duke it out for the backup role, so look for both of them to be running and gunning all game.

This marks the third preseason game for both teams.

Betting Lines and Odds

CAR -3.5 is the spread for Friday’s game. The over/under is set at 35. The CAR moneyline is -180, while the underdog PITT is +155.

Steelers Seeking Win

A win or loss in this game changes nothing for the Steelers heading into the regular season in a few weeks. But of course, what they would prefer would be to claim a win. They could use the confidence boost after the late-season collapse that followed an 11-0 beginning to the 2020 year.

Mason Rudolph, Josh Dobbs, and Dwayne Haskins are all competing for the QB2 role, and one or two of them could be cut. Rudolph showed very little during his time filling in as a starter in 2019, meaning nothing is a sure thing for him. Haskins has nothing to lose. And Dobbs has had minimal burn since coming here.

It will be about the young guys, and draft picks in this game. They hope to knock the Panthers off their perch.

Carolina Seeks Home Win

The expectations will be higher for Matt Rhule as he enters year two at the helm. The first season was a complete dud, with Christian McCaffrey also being very limited by injury. They drafted two offensive linemen to improve the depth and brought in Tommy Tremble to help improve TE depth.

The team has lacked a versatile one since Greg Olsen left, so it would sure be nice. Ian Thomas and Dan Arnold have both failed to impress in their NFL careers to date. Terrace Marshall Jr. should add a nice weapon for Darnold along with DJ Moore, who enters off back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.

Panthers Get Preseason Win

Sorry, Pitt. But the Panthers will win and get some confidence with the first week of the season just two weeks away.

Betting Picks:

• CAR -3.5
• OVER 35
• CAR -180