One of the marquee matchups of the preseason is this Week 2 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers from Lambeau, a potential Super Bowl preview. The Packers are slight NFL betting favorites at Mybookie Sportsbook.
Green Bay safety Jermaine Whitehead (back) left in the second quarter. Fellow safety Josh Jones walked back to the locker room in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. WR Randall Cobb (ankle) and DL Mike Daniels (quad) were among 18 Packers who did not dress.
It’s thought that Rodgers will play a bit here. Rodgers took the first reps in both team periods with the No. 1 offense on Sunday, a sign he might play a little bit on Thursday.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari, who sprained his left ankle during practice on Aug. 5, was back on the field Sunday. Though he only took part in individual drills – Kyle Murphy took the team reps — his return confirmed that the injury wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked when it happened. On the same day that Bakhtiari was back in uniform, right tackle Bryan Bulaga started getting snaps in team drills. Bulaga, who is coming off a torn right ACL, was taken off the physically unable to perform list Aug. 3 and has been taking part in individual drills only.
How to Bet Steelers at Packers 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds & Pick
Ben Roethlisberger talks the young QBs, the team overall, and how he relates to the younger players. pic.twitter.com/ysAuYhTx34
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) 13 de agosto de 2018
- When: Thursday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay
- TV: NFL Network (replay)
- Radio: TuneIn
- Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
- 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds: Green Bay Packers -2.5 (Total 37.5)
Super Bowl LIII Odds to Win
Why Bet on Pittsburgh?
The Steelers opened the preseason with a 31-14 win in Philadelphia despite superstars Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell all sitting out – Bell won’t play the entire preseason as he’s not even in camp. He’ll report to the team and sign the franchise tender the week of the regular-season opener. Landry Jones and Josh Dobbs both threw TD passes in the win over Philly – Dobbs may not make the team with it drafting Mason Rudolph this year. Jones completed all four of his passes for 83 yards, including a 71-yard TD pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the first quarter. He should serve as Big Ben’s back up again this year. Rudolph said he played one third-quarter snap with a flat football, throwing a deep pass to Damoun Patterson that went incomplete. Officials switched out the ball after that. “As soon as I got it, I said something is not right. What else can you do?” Rudolph said. “I just called the next play and there was a new ball in there.” Big Ben should play some here. Brown may or may not. He was cleared to practice after going down with a quad injury at the start of training camp. The team may play it cautious and sit him again. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said “nothing’s changed” with starting tight end Vance McDonald. “When it does change significantly in terms of progress toward a return to play, I’ll update you guys,” Tomlin told the media Sunday. McDonald has missed practice the past week with an undisclosed foot injury and was unavailable in Thursday’s preseason opener. He was listed as the starting tight end on the Steelers’ first depth chart but has since lost reps to Jesse James and Xavier Grimble. Pittsburgh made an addition this week in offensive tackle Zach Banner. Despite being a fourth-round pick, Banner, 24, didn’t make the Colts roster at the end of training camp last year. He was claimed on waivers by the Cleveland Browns and played in eight games last season. Banner provides competition for the team’s swing tackle spot. Jerald Hawkins was lost to a season-ending injury in organized team activities, and veteran Bryce Harris was released after he failed the conditioning test at the outset of training camp. Injuries to guards Ramon Foster and B.J. Finney also have thinned the experience on the offensive line.Why Bet on Green Bay?
The Packers won their preseason opener 31-17 over visiting Tennessee. Packers WR Davante Adams needed just one series to show he was in midseason form before joining starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and many other Packers starters on the sideline. Backup Brett Hundley showed glimpses of improvement under center, going 9 of 14 for 108 yards and an 8-yard score to running back Jamaal Williams. Hundley, who is competing with DeShone Kizer for the backup job, got the start and played well into the second quarter. Kizer went 9 of 18 for 134 yards, hitting rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 51-yard gain to the Titans 11 in the third quarter. WR Jake Kumerow caught 3-of-7 targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. Singled out for praise by Rodgers during the week, Kumerow got a step and caught a 52-yard bomb in stride down the left sideline with 2:37 remaining for his score. Fifth-round WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught 5-of-7 targets for 101 yards and a touchdown. Valdes-Scantling looked every bit his 6-foot-4, 206-pound frame while also flashing his 4.37 speed. His touchdown was a contested 15-yarder he caught in the back of the end zone.
Green Bay safety Jermaine Whitehead (back) left in the second quarter. Fellow safety Josh Jones walked back to the locker room in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. WR Randall Cobb (ankle) and DL Mike Daniels (quad) were among 18 Packers who did not dress.
It’s thought that Rodgers will play a bit here. Rodgers took the first reps in both team periods with the No. 1 offense on Sunday, a sign he might play a little bit on Thursday.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari, who sprained his left ankle during practice on Aug. 5, was back on the field Sunday. Though he only took part in individual drills – Kyle Murphy took the team reps — his return confirmed that the injury wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked when it happened. On the same day that Bakhtiari was back in uniform, right tackle Bryan Bulaga started getting snaps in team drills. Bulaga, who is coming off a torn right ACL, was taken off the physically unable to perform list Aug. 3 and has been taking part in individual drills only.
Latest NFL Betting Trends
- Steelers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games
- Steelers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall
- Packers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games
- Packers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games
