Somewhat competitive football returns tonight as the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Houston Texans in the NFL Preseason. Tonight’s game starts at 7 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium and begins a new era of Steelers football.
Tonight is also the first opportunity for Steelers fans to lay action on the black and gold since last season’s Wild Card loss.
So, how should you bet? Check out two of my best bets for the Steelers’ first NFL Preseason game.
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Houston Texans -2.5 (BetMGM)
This line opened last week with the Steelers favored by 2.5 and flipped to now favoring Houston, a big move.
The Houston Texans announced QB CJ Stroud will play at least a series in this game. The Steelers, however, will sit most of their big names on offense and defense.
Prohibitive Week 1 starting QB Russell Wilson won’t take a snap. TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cam Heyward will also sit.
According to Steelers HC Mike Tomlin, QB Justin Fields will see a series or two. Depth-chart QBs should play most of this game.
Houston has an edge here. Take advantage by creating a BetMGM Sportsbook account to receive a risk-free initial bet worth up to $1,500.
Aside from Stroud, the Texans will play QBs Case Keenum and Davis Mills. Both have legitimate NFL experience. Those two produced 17 points against the Chicago Bears in last week’s Hall of Fame Game.
For the Steelers, QBs Kyle Allen and John Rhys-Plumlee will take most of the snaps. Allen hasn’t started an NFL game in almost two seasons while Rhys-Plumlee is an athletic, but raw rookie.
With the Steelers sitting their starting defense and Houston’s QB advantage, I love the Texans to outpace the Steelers by a significant margin.
Over 38.5 (FanDuel)
Last week’s Hall of Fame Game was headed over the total but over bettors lost as the game ended in the third quarter due to inclement weather.
Tonight’s weather forecast in Pittsburgh calls for clear skies so I’m loving the over. Create an account on FanDuel Sportsbook and bet $5 on the over to receive $150 in bonus bets if you win.
The Chicago Bears QB Brett Rypien torched the Houston Texans defense last week, going 11-15 for 166 passing yards and 3 TDs. While Justin Fields will only play a “couple of series,” reports out of camp have been positive.
Tonight’s game is also a golden opportunity for Fields to stake his claim for the Steelers starting QB job. I expect he’ll make the most of it against a weak Houston defense.
Pittsburgh isn’t playing any key defensive starters, meaning they’ll move down the depth chart early in the game. Case Keenum and Davis Mills will have plenty of time to throw downfield against this Steelers team.
Given the circumstances, I think this game turns into a shootout where both teams likely cross the 20-point threshold.