The Carolina Panthers are 2-0 despite playing their opener without starting quarterback Cam Newton and their second game without Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy, who on Wednesday was placed on. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Carolina Panthers Game Preview and Prediction By Mark Ross, 9/21/14, 10:00 AM EDT Luke Kuechly and the Panthers' defense looks to shut down the Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers
Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 6:00 PM (Bank of America Stadium)
The Line: Carolina Panthers +3 -- Over/Under: 33Click to Get Latest Betting Odds
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The Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers meet Thursday in NFL preseason action at Bank of America Stadium.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 in preseason play after a 18-6 win over the Tennessee Titans. Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph combined for 154 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. James Conner led the Steelers with 41 yards on five carries, while James Washington had 41 receiving yards and one touchdown on one reception. Defensively, Robert Spillane led the Steelers with five tackles, Cameron Heyward had one sack and Tuzar Skipper had one tackle for loss. The Pittsburgh Steelers have allowed a combined 13 points in their last two games and haven't allowed a touchdown in their last two quarters. The Steelers are flying all over the field and you have to be impressed with their effort up to this point. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won each of their last five preseason games.
The Carolina Panthers are 1-2 in preseason action after a 3-10 loss to the New England Patriots. Will Grier and Cam Newton combined for 74 passing yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. Jordan Scarlett led the Panthers with 24 yards on 10 carries, while Reggie Bonnafon had 31 receiving yards on two receptions. Defensively, Antwione Williams led the Panthers with eight tackles, Brian Burns had two sacks and Woodrow Hamilton IV had one tackle for loss. The Carolina Panthers are coming off a game where they had just three points, seven first downs and averaged 2.4 yards per play. To make matters worse, Cam Newton suffered a foot sprain and there's a chance he could miss the first game of the regular season. The Panthers aren't in the best of shape with meaningful games right around the corner. The Carolina Panthers have split their last six preseason games.
The Steelers are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games and 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games on grass. The Panthers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 home games, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Steelers are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings and the favorite is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings. The under is 5-2 in Steelers last 7 games overall. The under is 4-1 in Panthers last 5 games overall.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the better team here, even with the backups playing the whole thing. Dobbs and Rudolph have both provided a spark in the later quarters and the Steelers have a deep defense that's tough to move the ball on. The Carolina Panthers have been blah for much of the preseason. However, we're getting a free field goal with the home team, something you don't see often. In fact, the Panthers are the only home team this week that's getting points. I'll take a shot with the points simply based on the value.
Randy's PickCarolina Panthers +3
Carolina Panthers (6-2) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2-1) at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NFL Week 10: 8:20 ET on Thursday, November 8, 2018
The Thursday night contest should be a great game as the Carolina Panthers, second in the NFC South division, take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaders in the AFC North. Carolina will be looking for their fourth straight victory after defeating Tampa Bay last weekend, 42-28. Pittsburgh has already won four straight and will be looking for number five after they defeated their archrivals, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-16.
Pittsburgh has dominated the series between these two teams, 5-1, including winning the last five games in the series. The last was a 37-19 victory by the Steelers in 2014.
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Carolina Goes for Fourth Straight
The Carolina Panthers won their third straight game on Sunday, using a 21 point second quarter to help catapult them to a 42-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Cam Newton threw for 247 yards on just 25 passing attempts, completing 19 and adding to touchdowns. The Panthers have now won five of their last six games and find themselves just one game behind the New Orleans Saints for the division lead.
Carolina jumped out to a 14-0 lead in this game thanks to two rushing touchdowns. After Tampa Bay cut the deficit in half, Curtis Samuel raised 33 yards for a touchdown before Christian McCaffrey scored his second touchdown of the game to extend the lead to 21. A Newton 17 yard pass to Greg Olsen for a touchdown made it 35-7 before Tampa Bay would score just before the end of the half. The Buccaneers pulled within seven, but Newton found Samuel for 19 yards and a touchdown to make it 42-28.
The Panthers enter this contest second in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 143.9 but her first and yards per carry at 5.2. This should be an interesting matchup as Pittsburgh ranks sixth in the least yards allowed rushing per game at 90.2 and ninth in least yards per carry average at 4.1.
Carolina is rolling behind their quarterback, as Newton has thrown for 1893 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has completed 67.3% of his passes this season and has just for interceptions while rushing for 342 yards and four touchdowns. McCaffrey not only leads the team in rushing yards with 502 but is also Newton's number one target, making 49 catches for 378 yards and two scores.
Pittsburgh Rolls to Fourth Straight Victory
The Pittsburgh Steelers earned therefore straight victory on Sunday, avenging an earlier loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a 23-16 victory in Baltimore. Two touchdown passes by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and a third rushing helped stake Pittsburgh to a 20-6 lead early in the third quarter. Baltimore mounted a late rally but could not overcome the early deficit.
Roethlisberger completed 28 of 47 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. James Conner continues to excel as the Steelers primary running back, getting 107 yards on 24 carries.
Pittsburgh Steelers At Carolina Panthers
The victory was the fourth straight for Pittsburgh, who has been rolling through their own division with three straight victories against AFC North teams. Their run began with a 41-17 victory over Atlanta before defeating Cincinnati, Cleveland, and then Baltimore. Pittsburgh has averaged 31 points scored in those four victories and has allowed more than 20 points just one time.
Roethlisberger has been the catalyst to the Pittsburgh offense, throwing for 2560 yards and 16 touchdowns. Conner has looked exceptional as well, leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns with nine while rushing for 706 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster leads the team with 53 catches for 672 yards and Antonio Brown has nine touchdown receptions.
Trends:
Carolina:
- 5-0 ATS in their last five games in November.
- 5-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning record.
- 1-4 ATS in their last six games on a Thursday.
Pittsburgh:
- 4-0 ATS in their last four games.
- 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games on Thursday.
- 2-7 ATS in their last nine games at home.
The Winner Prediction
This is a battle of two of the hottest teams in the National Football League, which may actually present a quality Thursday night game. These are usually fairly sloppy contests as teams have a minimal amount of time to prepare, but both teams have veteran quarterbacks, experienced coaches, and talented teams.
Either team could win this contest, and it will likely be decided by a field goal. That makes to 3.5 point spread a half-point more than it should be. For that reason take Carolina and the points.
The Pick: Carolina Panthers (+3.5)
Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Panthers
The Total
The total is set at 51.5 and that is not surprising at all. Pittsburgh averages 28.4 points per game, ninth best in the league, while Carolina is two places behind at 27.5 points per contest. Neither of these teams ranks in the top 15 in scoring defense, so points should not be a problem. Especially considering that you have two quarterbacks who can improvise should play get a little sloppy.
This is a battle of two of the hottest teams in the National Football League, which may actually present a quality Thursday night game. These are usually fairly sloppy contests as teams have a minimal amount of time to prepare, but both teams have veteran quarterbacks, experienced coaches, and talented teams.
Either team could win this contest, and it will likely be decided by a field goal. That makes to 3.5 point spread a half-point more than it should be. For that reason take Carolina and the points.
The Pick: Carolina Panthers (+3.5)
Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Panthers
The Total
The total is set at 51.5 and that is not surprising at all. Pittsburgh averages 28.4 points per game, ninth best in the league, while Carolina is two places behind at 27.5 points per contest. Neither of these teams ranks in the top 15 in scoring defense, so points should not be a problem. Especially considering that you have two quarterbacks who can improvise should play get a little sloppy.
The Pick: Over 51.5
November 7, 2018