Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers (-3), Total 35 |
Pittsburgh enters off back-to-back home wins as three-point favorites against the Atlanta Falcons (34-16) and Philadelphia Eagles (24-14) and will now end their preseason against a rookie quarterback.
Big plays were the name of the game in picking up the win against the Falcons, as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 11 of 16 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with wide receiver Antonio Brown on scores of 77 and 44 yards.
Carolina returns home after dropping consecutive games as underdogs to the Cincinnati Bengals (24-13) and Miami Dolphins (20-10). The Panthers were out-gained in those two contests by a combined 371 yards.
Rookie Cam Newton seems to have a slight edge on second-year quarterback Jimmy Clausen to be the team’s starter, as he showed some explosiveness on a 16-yard touchdown run last week.
“The biggest thing that came out of it was seeing what his potential can be,” said Panthers first-year head coach Ron Rivera. “I know potential is a cary word, but the young man just continues to progress.”
Fans in Carolina aren’t use to running quarterbacks and Newton supplies a much-needed dual-threat option at the position.
Bettors will likely back the Steelers due to their 6-0 ATS mark versus teams with a losing record in preseason competition, while the Panthers are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games.
