NFL Preseason Week 2 (+273) Parlay Features Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 7 p.m. ET at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville
The Odds
In scanning the NFL odds, there immediately appears to be something amiss: Jacksonville is favored.
One has to look to fade a favored Jaguar squad.
There may be a few similarly untalented squads that Jacksonville should be favored against at home -- Houston and Detroit might be two examples.
But generally, this Jaguar squad lacks competitive talent.
Poor Offense: Starters and Backups
Through two preseason games -- the Jaguars also played in the Hall of Fame Game -- the Jaguars' difficulty with scoring points has been consistent.
This difficulty might seem surprising given the amount of money that Jacksonville invested in its offense, particularly in its wide receiver corps.
If Christian Kirk and Zay Jones play much, then they still have to develop chemistry with their. new quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.
This need extends to new tight end Evan Engram, who has been notoriously awful at holding onto the ball during Training Camp.
Plus, if Lawrence plays much, then he has to fix his issues with accuracy and decision, which kept him from completing over half his passes in his last preseason game against Cleveland.
After Lawrence, Jacksonville can hardly claim to field NFL-caliber quarterbacks in Jake Luton and CJ Beathard, both of whom struggle to accrue passing yards, to throw efficiently, and to avoid interceptions.
Beyond the free agent signings at wide receiver, Jacksonville's lack of quality at the position shows why it's been the NFL's worst team in the last two years before Kirk and Jones arrived.
Steelers' Deep Secondary
One might want to say: yes, Jacksonville's offense is bad, but didn't the Steeler defense also really struggle last year.
Also, even if Pittsburgh's top defensive players play and are healthy and their new additions play, might their backups might not be expectedly awful?
While their last opponent's high scoring output might cast additional doubt on Pittsburgh's defensive quality, one should expect a strong and focused bounce-back accomplishment from the Steeler defense.
First of all, Pittsburgh's defensive back group is very deep and competitive.
At safety, Karl Joseph might be challenging Miles Killebrew's roster spot.
Even if Joseph's injury doesn't allow him to play, former NFL Draft steal Layne is competing closely with James Pierre among others.
Steeler Cornerbacks
Most especially, Layne enters his contract year and has reportedly been enjoying a very positive Training Camp.
Pierre seems, still, to have an edge on Layne while undrafted free agent Chris Steele is also making noise.
A distinguishing feature of Pittsburgh's more hopeful defensive back roster candidates is their attacking impetus and their physicality.
This physical expression of motivation offers added hope that Pittsburgh's defense will bounce back this week.
But, simply stated, it comes down to the desire to make the Steelers' roster.
Running The Ball
It is harder for a team -- this is true for Pittsburgh as much as any other team -- to stop the opposing pass attack when it also has to worry about the opposing rush attack.
While Pittsburgh struggled to stop Seahawk running backs, running the ball is a known strength and focus for the Seattle offense.
Expect, again, a more focused and more successful revived effort from the Steeler defense against a much softer test.
Jacksonville's rush attack has been anemic through two games.
Against Cleveland, for example, the Jaguars mustered 3.2 YPC on 24 attempts.
On the other side of the ball, the Jaguar run defense has consistently been allowing open lanes through which running backs easily achieve big gains.
In the Hall of Fame Game, for example, Josh Jacobs thrived for Vegas not just because he's Josh Jacobs, but also because he consistently had a lot of room to run.
Big Leads
With the super talented Kenny Pickett developing and thriving -- he was 13-for-15 for 95 yards and two touchdowns in his first preseason action -- Pittsburgh has the firepower to earn a big lead that Jacksonville lacks.
But the Steeler defense won't be as good when Pittsburgh gets a big lead.
The Steelers gave up two 14-point leads in their preseason opener.
This sort of slackness is consistent with the Steelers' vulnerability last year to giving up big leads.
So, one may expect Steeler scoring ultimately to lead to some Jaguar scoring.
Parlay Verdict
Pittsburgh's competitive defense in a bounce-back effort will help the Steeler offense achieve a strong lead.
The "over" will hit as Jacksonville contributes some scoring in what will nevertheless be its third straight double-digit loss.
Best Bet: Parlay Steelers +3.5 at -105 & Over 42.5 at -110 at +273 odds with Bovada
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 7 p.m. ET at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville
The Odds
In scanning the NFL odds, there immediately appears to be something amiss: Jacksonville is favored.
One has to look to fade a favored Jaguar squad.
There may be a few similarly untalented squads that Jacksonville should be favored against at home -- Houston and Detroit might be two examples.
But generally, this Jaguar squad lacks competitive talent.
Poor Offense: Starters and Backups
Through two preseason games -- the Jaguars also played in the Hall of Fame Game -- the Jaguars' difficulty with scoring points has been consistent.
This difficulty might seem surprising given the amount of money that Jacksonville invested in its offense, particularly in its wide receiver corps.
If Christian Kirk and Zay Jones play much, then they still have to develop chemistry with their. new quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.
This need extends to new tight end Evan Engram, who has been notoriously awful at holding onto the ball during Training Camp.
Plus, if Lawrence plays much, then he has to fix his issues with accuracy and decision, which kept him from completing over half his passes in his last preseason game against Cleveland.
After Lawrence, Jacksonville can hardly claim to field NFL-caliber quarterbacks in Jake Luton and CJ Beathard, both of whom struggle to accrue passing yards, to throw efficiently, and to avoid interceptions.
Beyond the free agent signings at wide receiver, Jacksonville's lack of quality at the position shows why it's been the NFL's worst team in the last two years before Kirk and Jones arrived.
Steelers' Deep Secondary
One might want to say: yes, Jacksonville's offense is bad, but didn't the Steeler defense also really struggle last year.
Also, even if Pittsburgh's top defensive players play and are healthy and their new additions play, might their backups might not be expectedly awful?
While their last opponent's high scoring output might cast additional doubt on Pittsburgh's defensive quality, one should expect a strong and focused bounce-back accomplishment from the Steeler defense.
First of all, Pittsburgh's defensive back group is very deep and competitive.
At safety, Karl Joseph might be challenging Miles Killebrew's roster spot.
Even if Joseph's injury doesn't allow him to play, former NFL Draft steal Layne is competing closely with James Pierre among others.
Steeler Cornerbacks
Most especially, Layne enters his contract year and has reportedly been enjoying a very positive Training Camp.
Pierre seems, still, to have an edge on Layne while undrafted free agent Chris Steele is also making noise.
A distinguishing feature of Pittsburgh's more hopeful defensive back roster candidates is their attacking impetus and their physicality.
This physical expression of motivation offers added hope that Pittsburgh's defense will bounce back this week.
But, simply stated, it comes down to the desire to make the Steelers' roster.
Running The Ball
It is harder for a team -- this is true for Pittsburgh as much as any other team -- to stop the opposing pass attack when it also has to worry about the opposing rush attack.
While Pittsburgh struggled to stop Seahawk running backs, running the ball is a known strength and focus for the Seattle offense.
Expect, again, a more focused and more successful revived effort from the Steeler defense against a much softer test.
Jacksonville's rush attack has been anemic through two games.
Against Cleveland, for example, the Jaguars mustered 3.2 YPC on 24 attempts.
On the other side of the ball, the Jaguar run defense has consistently been allowing open lanes through which running backs easily achieve big gains.
In the Hall of Fame Game, for example, Josh Jacobs thrived for Vegas not just because he's Josh Jacobs, but also because he consistently had a lot of room to run.
Big Leads
With the super talented Kenny Pickett developing and thriving -- he was 13-for-15 for 95 yards and two touchdowns in his first preseason action -- Pittsburgh has the firepower to earn a big lead that Jacksonville lacks.
But the Steeler defense won't be as good when Pittsburgh gets a big lead.
The Steelers gave up two 14-point leads in their preseason opener.
This sort of slackness is consistent with the Steelers' vulnerability last year to giving up big leads.
So, one may expect Steeler scoring ultimately to lead to some Jaguar scoring.
Parlay Verdict
Pittsburgh's competitive defense in a bounce-back effort will help the Steeler offense achieve a strong lead.
The "over" will hit as Jacksonville contributes some scoring in what will nevertheless be its third straight double-digit loss.
Best Bet: Parlay Steelers +3.5 at -105 & Over 42.5 at -110 at +273 odds with Bovada
