Steelers vs Jaguars Preseason Picks and Predictions: Pickett's Push to Start Continues

On Saturday, we’ll see the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Jacksonville Jaguars in a preseason game which should start to answer some more questions about the future of the Steelers at the quarterback position.  

Don’t miss our NFL picks and predictions for the Steelers vs. Jaguars, with kickoff on August 20.

Steelers vs Jaguars odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

The total points line has risen from 40.5 to 41.5 while the spread has remained consistent with the Jaguars being 3-point favorites.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full NFL odds before placing your bets.

Steelers vs Jaguars predictions

• Prediction: Steelers +2.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 42 (-110)
• Best bet: Steelers ML (+125)

Predictions made on 8/19/2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Steelers vs Jaguars game info

• Location: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
• Date: Saturday, August 20, 2022
• Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: DAZN

Steelers at Jaguars betting preview

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Betting trend to know

Mike Tomlin is 35-24 in the preseason as head coach. Find more NFL betting trends for Steelers vs. Jaguars.

Steelers vs Jaguars picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

It’s a three-person battle to be the Steelers’ starter, with former Bear Mitch Trubisky, the man currently in the role, ahead of Big Ben’s former backup, Mason Rudolph, and rookie Kenny Pickett. 

Last week, the Steelers thrashed the Seahawks and all three played well as they accumulated 409 yards. While Trubisky started, it was Pickett who got the most acclaim, completing 13-of-15 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. 

Pickett has been rewarded by moving up in the rotation for this game, with Mike Tomlin saying that he’ll be the primary backup behind Trubisky in order to get him more time against first-string opposition.  

We didn’t see a huge amount of the Steelers’ best talent last weekend, but historically, Tomlin always plays his strongest team, at least for a period, in the penultimate game of preseason. While the preseason is one week shorter this time, that should mean we see those players on Saturday and then rest next weekend. 

While the QB situation might be murky in Pittsburgh, it isn’t in Jacksonville, with the team confident that Trevor Lawrence is their franchise QB. We’ll get a chance to see more of him here, with the starters expected to play the majority of, if not the entire first half. 

We haven’t seen either Christian Kirk or Laviska Shenault yet during preseason, and seeing how they are used on Saturday should be really illuminating for the season ahead. As will another chance to see how Lawrence plays alongside his former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne.

The Jaguars haven’t really excelled in preseason as of yet, which gives me some concerns here. Despite the likelihood that we see more of the starters, which should mean a better performance from the Jags, I’m not sure it’s going to be enough against the Steelers.

As proved by their victory over the Seahawks, this Steelers team does have real quality at the quarterback position, even if they’re not certain of their long-term starter. 

Those question marks over the future of the position are probably beneficial when looking at this game, and once the backups come in, I’m expecting the quality of depth on the Steelers team to really pay dividends and result in the team covering the spread with ease.

Prediction: Steelers +2.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Over/Under analysis

The Steelers looked very, very good at times last week, and they did manage to rack up 32 points against the Hawks, with the game totaling a big 57 points. Despite that, I’m not expecting this game to be quite so high-scoring.

It wouldn’t be a shock if we saw the Steelers put up good numbers, but I’ve not seen anything from the Jaguars yet that would suggest they’re going to be able to score easily on this Steelers team — especially if the likes of TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick get much game time. 

For that reason, we have to back Under 42 points here.

Prediction: Under 42 (-110 at bet365)

Best bet

We’ve already spoken about the quality at QB within the Steelers’ organization, and the difference in quality is vast when compared with who sits behind Lawrence in Jacksonville. 

CJ Beathard and EJ Perry are firmly backups, and neither would be anywhere near NFL starter level, whereas you could argue all three of the Steelers’ quarterbacks are. 

Also, Mike Tomlin is a monster in preseason, and his teams have a great record of excelling. When you combine those factors, I’d argue the Steelers should be favorites, so I’m very happy to grab the +125 on them winning on the moneyline.

Pick: Steelers moneyline (+125 at FanDuel)

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