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The Lions head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers for Week 2 of the preseason, in a preview of a game that will take place later in the regular season. It’s time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Lions-Steelers prediction and pick.
While the Lions won their preseason opener over the Bills, the Steelers sit at 2-0 after also playing in the Hall of Fame Game. The Steelers are expected to be one of football's best teams in 2021, but as expected, did not significantly feature any star players in last week's win over Philadelphia. Dwayne Haskins received most snaps at quarterback for Pittsburgh as he aims to earn the backup spot with his new team. Over in Detroit, Jared Goff received a handful of snaps, but the majority of time under center went to former Packer Tim Boyle. With no real quarterback battles to watch for here, this should be a rather low scoring team full of much intrigue.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the Lions-Steelers odds for Saturday's matchup.
NFL Odds: Lions-Steelers Odds
Detroit Lions +6 1.2 (-110)
Pittsburgh Steelers -6 1/2 (-110)
Over 36 1/2 points (-120)
Under 36 1/2 points (+100)
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Why The Lions Could Cover
Both David Blough and Tim Boyle are competing for Detroit's backup QB. Of course, the starting job is all Jared Goff's. But as far as the backup options go, neither quarterback was really impressive in the Lions victory last week over the Bills. Given that there are only two preseason games left, it's crunch time for Blough and Boyle to step up and prove that they deserve a spot on Detroit's active roster come the regular season. Blough had some success for the Lions in 2019, while Boyle is playing his first year in Detroit after also manning the backup role in Green Bay. Given Blough's familiarity with the offense, I expect Boyle to once again get the majority of snaps here. In doing so, I think he improves off Week 1 (8 for 15, 38 yards) and throws for over 100 yards with a touchdown. Boyle enters Week 3 of the competition making the backup quarterback debate a real question mark in Detroit and challenges Blough to step up the following week. With Boyle's much improved performance, I say the Lions can easily cover a 6.5 point spread that is one of the largest I've ever seen for a preseason game.
Why The Steelers Could Cover
Dwayne Haskins comes to Pittsburgh after two mostly unsuccessful seasons with the Washington Football Team. Starting fresh with a new organization will be a great opportunity for the former Ohio State quarterback. Last week, he was spectacular. He went 16 for 22 with 161 passing yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, he also received the most snaps of any QB on the team in Pittsburgh's win over Philadelphia. Although he's competing with Mason Rudolph for the backup job, I think Haskins' impressive showing last week prompts the coaching staff to utilize him heavily again vs. the Lions. Rudolph will get a few series, but it will be Haskins who ultimately throws for another 150+ yards, a touchdown, and completes most of his passes. The Steelers are a far superior team to the Lions, and this should be evident even when the team's second and third units get into the game. Yes, 6.5 is a a lot of points, but Haskins has demonstrated he can start at QB in the NFL. This is not something either Boyle or Blough for the Lions have ever done consistently. With Haskins under center, a Steelers win by at least seven points is certainly possible.
Final Lions-Steelers Prediction & Pick
As preseason games tend to go, my pick here leans heavily on the quarterback matchup. Given Dwayne Haskins' NFL experience is far greater than any QB the Lions will feature in this game, I think the Steelers get an easy win here. Plus, most of the Steelers roster bests the Lions anyway. The fact that a preseason game has a 6.5 point spread says all you need to know about the opposite directions of these organizations.
FINAL LIONS-STEELERS PICK: Steelers -6.5 (-110)
