Steelers vs Panthers Odds, Picks, Probable Starters & How to Watch
By Sascha Paruk in NFL Football
Published:
- The Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers kickoff the final week of the preseason on Thursday night
- The point spread has swung heavily towards the Steelers over the last few days
- See the latest Steelers vs Panthers odds and probable starters, plus my favorite PIT/CAR picks and details on how to watch
The Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1, 1-0 road, 1-1 ATS, 1-1 O/U) and Carolina Panthers (0-2, 0-1 home, 0-2 ATS, 1-1 O/U) kickoff preseason Week 3 on Thursday night when they clash at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, at 7:00 pm ET.
Pittsburgh opened as a slight 1.5-point road favorite but that number ballooned up to 5.5 before some buy-back on the Panthers dropped it back down a point in the current NFL odds.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Carolina Panthers Odds
The spread is currently sitting at Pittsburgh -4.5, despite confirmation that QB1 Aaron Rodgers will sit out his third straight preseason game. On the moneyline, the best Pittsburgh price is -215 at FanDuel. The longest odds on a Carolina victory are +195 at DraftKings. The total ranges from 35.0 to 35.5. Over bettors can get O 35.0 (-110) at bet365 while under bettors should take U 35.5 (-105) at BetMGM.
Odds as of August 21st. Claim the Kalshi promo code to start event trading today.
No NFL player props are available for Pittsburgh/Carolina, which is standard practice for NFL preseason games.
How to Watch Steelers vs Panthers
Pittsburgh vs Carolina will be broadcast live on the NFL Network, which is carried by Fubo TV among other cable providers. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm ET, so viewers can expect the actual kickoff to come circa 7:05 pm ET, instead of the 7:00 pm start time listed.
SBD readers can click here to claim a 30-day free trial of Fubo TV
Who’s Playing in Steelers vs Panthers?
As mentioned above, 41-year-old QB Aaron Rodgers, who’s in his first season with the Steelers, will not play on Thursday, meaning he won’t see a minute of preseason action with his new team. That will leave quarterback duties to a combination of QB2 Mason Rudolph, QB3 Will Howard, and QB4 Skylar Thompson.
Thompson was electric in Pittsburgh’s preseason Week 1 win over Jacksonville, throwing for 233 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-28 passing in a 31-25 win. Rudolph was nearly perfect in limited time, going 9-of-10 for 84 yards and a touchdown. Neither three an interception.
Pittsburgh’s QB play left a lot more to be desired in the team’s 17-14 loss to Tampa Bay in preseason Week 2. All three saw action and all three throw an interception. Rudolph (3-of-5) had the only TD pass.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t plan to play his starters elsewhere on the field, either.
Carolina coach Dave Canales has signaled he will do the same. Unlike Pittsburgh, Carolina has already given ample preseason playing time to QB1 Bryce Young and the rest of the first-teamers, so it’s not surprising that they would get a rest in the final week of the preseason.
Veteran backup Andy Dalton is dealing with an elbow injury, which spurred the team to sign former LA Ram and reigning UFL MVP Bryce Perkins this week. QB3 Jack Plummer and Perkins, who’s listed as the QB4 on the Carolina depth chart, are likely to handle all the snaps tonight.
Plummer is 16-of-24 for 162 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception in the preseason so far.
Steelers vs Panthers Picks & Prediction
The Panthers have been horrendous this preseason, especially on offense. They have only managed one touchdown and 13 points in the first eight quarters (falling 30-10 vs Cleveland, and 20-3 at Houston). But Pittsburgh hasn’t exactly been a unstoppable force.
Thompson had an uncharacteristically good outing in the first preseason game and regressed back to his mean the second time out. The Steelers might have a slight advantage at the QB position, but I don’t expect it to be pronounced. I do expect both offenses to have a difficult time moving the ball.
The total for this game opened at 36.5 and has dropped by as many as 1.5 points at some books. Bettors can still get U 35.3 at -105 at BetMGM, and that’s a line I’m jumping on.
Both Panthers +4.5 and under 35.5 are fades of the public. Thursday’s NFL public betting percentages show 69% of ATS handle on Pittsburgh and 66% of game-total handle on the over.
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Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
