Detroit vs Pittsburgh Preseason Week 1 Expert Pick

No Calvin Johnson, No Antonio Brown…, No Problem. Okay Pittsburgh fans, stop freaking out, Brown is as healthy as can be and could even play in this preseason opener, but knowing how Mike Tomlin likes to keep his best players healthy, I wouldn’t hold my breath about seeing Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams on the field this Friday, much as the head coach hasn’t ruled out anyone yet from the home game against Detroit. Anyway, whatever happens, all that matters right now is that Football is BACK and we have an online NFL betting preview of this Detroit vs. Pittsburgh game specially prepared for you below.

How to Bet on Detroit vs Pittsburgh Preseason Week 1 Expert Pick

.@ttwentyman lists five things to watch tonight: https://t.co/9JwDz0bnr2#DETvsPIT pic.twitter.com/LgLR1W7pDR

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 12, 2016

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh When: Friday, August 12, 7:00 PM ET TV: RSN Radio: Detroit / Pittsburgh Stream: NFL.com NFL Lines: Detroit (+3), Pittsburgh (-3), OVER/UNDER 35

Why Bet on Detroit?

Megatron’s retirement will definitely become a talking point in this game, but that won’t matter much to Detroit’s fans who will be hoping to see the emergence of a new go-to receiver for their team in this preseason encounter. Mathew Stafford, going by his show in the second half of the last season and what we’ve heard about him training, is well-capable of finding that new Megatron with his strong arms, but with Detroit likely to limit Stafford’s time on the field, the onus will be on veteran backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky and rookie sixth-round pick Jake Rudock from Michigan to link up with the targets. To their advantage, these QBs will be supported by some solid running backs and a defense that has shown a lot of improvement in training camp, which should offer the Lions a much-needed boost in this crucial preseason clash.

Why Bet on Pittsburgh?

Even with Big Ben and the majority of his top targets likely to miss or see very little time on this game, the Steelers still have enough depth on both sides of the ball to take care of business against the rebuilding Lions. After all, Pittsburgh has owned Detroit in this series, winning 5 of the 6 All-time meetings against the Lions, so finding a winning formula over Detroit shouldn’t be much of a big deal for the extremely talented Steelers. As a concern, though, Pittsburgh will most likely give Landry Jones a lot of time under the center in this game, and after throwing for 3 TDs against 4 INTs on 58.2 percent completion last season, you will definitely need to be wary of trusting too much on the Steelers for the win here.

My Expert NFL Predictions and Picks

Unlike the Steelers who have most of its starting and backup positions figured out, the Lions are still in the process of trying different schemes and players, and that could limit the team’s efficiency if you look at it logically. But then again, we’ve seen many of such teams with position battles do well in the preseason, sometimes even better than the already-established team that often feels complacent. With that in mind, I would not be surprised if the Lions–who have been a good preseason team over the recent years and a 4-2 ATS in the 6 All-time meetings against Pittsburgh– manage to keep this game very tight to take away the points, or even deliver a straight up upset. Final Game Score Prediction: Detroit 25, Pittsburgh 23 Best Pick: Detroit (+3)