Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 – 7:30 PM EST
Intro
This is Pittsburgh’s last game to try out their quarterbacks not named Ben Roethlisberger to see who they want starting while their savior serves his suspension. None of the options looked particularly good in last week’s 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos; not good for fans of Steeltown. The Panthers are coming off a hard-fought 15-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Although the Panthers offense is looking a bit stale, their defense is quickly becoming the talk of the preseason. Carolina’s defense had seven sacks in last week’s win, giving them a preseason-high 18. 15 of those quarterback takedowns have come from the defensive line, an incredibly fascinating stat considering these Panthers no longer employ Julius Peppers in the trenches. It may be the preseason, but the Panthers have reason to be happy about their defensive play.
Quarterback Rotation
If you’re betting on NFL, you know it is unknown who’s going to start for the Steelers. Last week it was Dennis Dixon, followed by Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich. Big Ben will get his reps, but this game will go far in determining whose going to get that Week One start. Leftwich seemed to be the obvious pick thanks to his veteran status, but he went 0-for-4 versus Denver and looked pretty poor against the Broncos defensive backups. Batch (3-for-4, INT) and Dixon (9-for-16, 2 INT) didn’t look much better. In the end the job will probably be Leftwich’s, but if he stinks the bed again versus Carolina, Head Coach Mike Tomlin will have a lot of sleepless nights ahead.
The Panthers seem content with Matt Moore as their starting quarterback, giving him the majority of reps in last week’s win. He didn’t look great (18-for-33, 190 yards), but he has familiarity of the system and seniority on his side. Backup Jimmy Clausen will probably get the bulk of playing time against Pittsburgh to make sure Moore stays healthy. Clausen has limited playing time versus Tennessee, but was effective in his outing (4-for-5, 79 yards).
Motivation To Win
By this point of the preseason, teams aren’t looking for a win; they’re looking to see who will round out the roster. The Steelers need one of their backup quarterbacks to step up and take the reins while Big Ben sits out. The rest of their team seems pretty much set. For Carolina, they need their starters to be healthy for the opener, meaning the B-squads will be handling most of the workload. Again, they’re not looking for a win; they’re looking for organizational depth.
Outlook & Prediction
I’m betting this game will rest of the shoulders of the Pittsburgh pivots. If one of them can emerge, they’ll probably win the game and the starting job for the first few weeks. The Carolina defense won’t make it easy on them. Still, other facets of Pittsburgh’s game looks strong (defense especially), and even without a great QB they’re more talented than Carolina. They should end the preseason with a “W.”
NFL Betting Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers
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