Steelers vs. Panthers: NFL preseason betting odds, preview, and pick

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers will get one final peek at their teams when they meet at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night for their respective preseason finales.

The Steelers are looking to go a perfect 4-0 in the preseason following convincing wins over the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Detroit Lions, while the Panthers will attempt to avoid going winless after being beaten by the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens in successive weeks.

Our preview and predictions for this clash are below.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-2), 7:30 p.m. ET

Steelers starters dominated the Lions last week

Steelers signal caller Ben Roethlisberger looked reinvigorated running Matt Canada’s offense for the first time, leading Pittsburgh to 14 points over three drives against the Lions. He went 8-for-10 through the air for 137 yards, accounting for both touchdowns through the air.

The Steelers ran roughshod over Detroit in that game, accounting for 401 yards of total offense. The Lions scored 20 fourth-quarter points against Pittsburgh’s reserves to make for a respectable 26-20 defeat.

Kid gloves coming off for Darnold?

After not playing at all in Week 1 of the preseason, Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold was allowed just two throws in Week 2 during a 20-3 defeat courtesy of the Ravens. It’s a surprising tactic by Carolina second-year head coach Matt Rhule, who appears to finally be relenting when it comes to playing his starters in the preseason this week.

“We’re hoping it’s up around a half depending on how everything is. So if it’s less than that or more than that, then so be it,” Rhule told USA Today regarding his gameplan against the Steelers. “I think [Darnold] needs to play some. You don’t wanna put him out there too much without Robby [Anderson], DJ [Moore] and [John Miller].”

Star running back Christian McCaffrey, who missed 13 games in 2020, has yet to play at all this preseason and may not see the field in this one either.

Steelers vs. Panthers injury report

Steelers and Panthers betting trends

• The Steelers are 8-1 SU in their last nine games played in August
• The Steelers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against the Panthers
• The Panthers are 1-4 SU in their last five games played in August
• The Panthers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games as the betting favorite

The verdict

The Steelers should handle yet another soft preseason opponent in the Panthers in a fairly high-scoring game.

Score prediction: Steelers 24, Panthers 17

NFL pick: Steelers +2.5, Over 36.5