The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made major moves in their coaching staff in the offseason, and will be heading into the 2019 NFL season as a sleeper. The Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, will look to re-establish their identity after missing the playoffs last season and losing two of the best offensive weapons in the game today. The Bucs are +1000 to win the NFC South, while the Steelers are +180 to win the AFC North.
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Betting Preview for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Preseason Week 1 Game on August 9, 2019
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
When: Friday, August 9, 2019, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2.5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5) – view all 2019 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0)
One can say that Jameis Winston’s leash is long, but even that has a breaking point. That could be this year, the fifth in the NFL of the former No. 1 overall pick. Winston, however, will be under the proverbial microscope starting in the regular season. For this Friday’s matchup against the Steelers, it’ll be the pair of Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin who will be scrutinized more under center. The two are battling for the backup role in Tampa. Also worth watching is the debut of Bruce Arians as the Bucs’ new head coach. Arians is an offense guru, who could unlock the full potential of Winston. The Bucs also made a change on defense with Todd Bowles their new defensive coordinator. Tampa Bay drafted a number of defensive pieces, who are going to be showcased this coming Friday. Among them are linebacker Devin White and cornerbacks Sean Bunting and Jamel Dean.
The over is 4-0 in the Buccaneers’ last four preseason games.
Betting on Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0)
What could life for the Steelers without Antonio Brown be? That will be answered this year, though, based on the emergence of JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers will always have a dangerous weapon downfield for Ben Roethlisberger to target. Of course, the Steelers won’t risk Big Ben’s injury-prone body in a meaningless preseason game, so it will be Joshua Dobbs, Mason Rudolph, and Devin Hodges who will be sharing quarterback load this Friday. The Steelers will also get a look at a couple of rookies on offense in wide receiver Diontae Johnson and tight end Zach Gentry. On defense, Pittsburgh spent a first-round pick to draft linebacker Devin Bush this year to address one of their biggest issues heading into this offseason.
The Steelers are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five preseason games.
Writer’s Prediction
Steelers win their first 2019 preseason game, 24-16.
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