The Pittsburgh Steelers will take a visit to Duval County to clash on the gridiron with the Jacksonville Jaguars in some week two preseason action! It is time to take an exclusive sneak peek at our NFL preseason odds series, where our Steelers-Jaguars prediction and pick will take place.
Kenny Pickett's time is here! With the 20th pick overall, the Steelers decided to select their quarterback of the future in the hometown kid in Kenny Pickett out of Pitt. In his first game in the black and yellow, Pickett orchestrated a come-from-behind win in the final seconds of a 32-25 triumphant victory against the Seahawks. Does Kenny Heisman have what it takes to lead the Steelers to another preseason win?
One of two teams that are playing four preseason games, the Jaguars enter their third edition of the preseason against Pittsburgh after dropping their first pair of games to the Raiders and Browns. Now at the halfway point of their scheduled slate, what do the Jaguars have to do to cover the spread and finally see their names under the win column?
Here are the Steelers-Jaguars NFL Preseason odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Preseason Odds: Steelers-Jaguars Odds
Pittsburgh Steelers: +2.5 (-105)
Jacksonville Jaguars: -2.5 (-115)
Over: 41.5 (-110)
Under: 41.5 (-110)
Why The Steelers Could Cover The Spread
For starters, how good did this quarterback room look versus Seattle? With Mitchell Trubisky leading the troops out of the tunnel for the first few drives of possession, Mason Rudolph keeping the Seahawks secondary honest, and Kenny Pickett closing things out, the Steelers were able to generate 224 passing yards as a whole in the victorious effort at home.
Not only did the Steelers get the best out of their quarterbacks, but Georgia Bulldogs rookie wideout George Pickens stole the show and introduced himself to the rest of the football world with a beautiful 26-yard toe-tap touchdown from Mason Rudolph in the corner of the end zone that was reminiscent of Santonio Holmes game-winning touchdown during Super Bowl XLIII.
One of the most winningest franchises in league history, it also doesn't hurt to have a coach of the highest caliber in Mike Tomlin, who has been the Steelers' head coach since the 2007 season. Against Seattle, Tomlin designed the perfect game plan that called for high-percentage passing plays and blocking schemes that opened up holes so big on the offensive line that a semi-truck could drive through them with ease. At the end of the day, had gained 409 yards of total offense.
In fact, executing this type of game plan would certainly get the job done in covering the spread against a very unproven Jags bunch. Even better, the Steelers have faired well against the spread in recent years during the preseason, as Pittsburgh has reeled off an 11-5-1 record ATS in their last 17 preseason matchups. Also, Pittsburgh has the playmakers to exploit the lack of depth on the Jacksonville roster.
Why The Jaguars Could Cover The Spread
It seems like only yesterday that head Urban Meyer was causing a ruckus by allegedly abusing kicker Josh Lambo and causing other issues within the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise. Ahhh, such simpler times. A year has gone by and the Jags have a brand new face running the show in first-year head coach and Super Bowl Champion Doug Pederson leading the team. Infamously known for helping the Eagles win their first championship since 1960. Now in an attempt to rebuild this Jaguars squad from the ground up, these preseason games, although meaningless on the scoreboard, have already played a role in getting this roster ready for regular season play.
Although Jacksonville hasn't played great on their way to an 0-2 preseason start, there are certainly still factors that the Jags can hit the Steelers with that will help them in possibly covering the spread. To begin, it has yet to be seen if the Steelers will be playing most of their starters, but the rumblings out of Jacksonville believe that we will see a good amount of starters that will suit up for action on Saturday. Two playmaking threats on the offensive side of the ball that is expected to see some action for the first time this preseason are wideouts Laviska Shenault Jr. and Christian Kirk, as the latter arrived in town in a trade with the Cardinals during the offense. With Lawrence expected to start under center as well, this offense will have real-game action to smooth out any rough patches before the regular season.
Without a doubt, any NFL team that plays their starters against a squad that is comprised of mostly backups will certainly have a chance to cover the spread.
Final Steelers-Jaguars Prediction & Pick
Even if it is only a preseason game, there is just a feeling that the Jaguars really want to win this one. With plenty of starters suiting up for play, this is Jacksonville's time to shine.
Final Steelers-Jaguars Prediction & Pick: Jaguars -2.5 (-115)
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