While the ‘Steel City’ Pittsburgh Steelers fell a wee bit short of their Super Bowl hopes in 2017, they’re entering the 2018 regular season with some renewed hopes and a legitimate chance to make another extended postseason run.
A little bit across the state of Pennsylvania in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ the Philadelphia Eagles managed to complete one of the most thrilling runs in recent memory to capture the first Super Bowl title in the history of their long and storied franchise. More importantly, the Birds are back as a legitimate Super Bowl contender after improving their already stacked roster and its mix of youthful stars and wily veterans.
With both teams taking to the field for their all-Pennsylvania NFL Preseason Week 1 matchup, let’s find out which Super Bowl hopeful is offering the best value against their scrimmage season odds.
After Foles, who probably won’t play a whole lot either, the Birds will be going with veteran Nate Sudfeld and Joe Callahan. The 24-year-old Sudfeld appeared in one game last season when the Eagles had home-field advantage for the playoffs secured and he was decent against Dallas by completing 19 of 23 passes for 134 yards. Callahan made one appearance for the Packers last season and went 5 for 7 for 11 yards against the Lions in Week 17.
Offense:
Steelers vs Eagles 2018 NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds
When: Thursday, August 9, 2018 at 7:00 PM ET Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Odds: Philadelphia -3 / Total: 35Thanks for a great week, #SteelersNation. ✊ pic.twitter.com/qRpd9DMuZd
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 31, 2018
Why Bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Why bet on the Steelers in this Week 1 preseason matchup? The best reason to bet on the Steelers is that they have a really nice set of backup quarterbacks. Ben Roethlisberger may not see the field and even if he does, it’s probably going to be for one series at most. The Steelers however, have a really good set of backups behind Big Ben, including veteran Landry Jones, third round draft pick Mason Rudolph and dual-threat signal-caller Joshua Dobbs. While Jones has been decent in his career, it is Mason Rudolph that I believe has a chance to be a big-time player for the Steelers down the road, seeing as how he was really a prolific passer at Oklahoma State. Either Jones or Dobbs will be cut before the start of the regular season, so both will be looking to impress.Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 26.35
- Total Yards: 387.76
- Pass Yards: 284.82
- Rush Yards: 102.94
- Average Score Against: 20.76
- Total Yards: 310.94
- Pass Yards: 201.82
- Rush Yards: 109.12
Why Bet on the Philadelphia Eagles?
Why bet on the Eagles in this Week 1 preseason showdown? Because the Birds have the best backup quarterback on either roster, they’re playing at home and their young guys probably want to put on a show! While starter Carson went almost assuredly won’t play, we all know by now what veteran backup Nick Foles can do, seeing as how he led Philly to their Super Bowl win last season.
After Foles, who probably won’t play a whole lot either, the Birds will be going with veteran Nate Sudfeld and Joe Callahan. The 24-year-old Sudfeld appeared in one game last season when the Eagles had home-field advantage for the playoffs secured and he was decent against Dallas by completing 19 of 23 passes for 134 yards. Callahan made one appearance for the Packers last season and went 5 for 7 for 11 yards against the Lions in Week 17.
Offense:
- Average Score For: 29
- Total Yards: 377.90
- Pass Yards: 247.11
- Rush Yards: 130.79
- Average Score Against: 18.16
- Total Yards: 322.68
- Pass Yards: 241.84
- Rush Yards: 80.84
