The first inclination of gamblers looking at making an NFL preseason bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers is likely to avoid the Steelers. With the team dealing with the Ben Roethlisberger suspension, gamblers will be afraid to take Pittsburgh in NFL preseason odds. That might be a mistake since the Steelers may offer great value.
NFL preseason bet odds are going to be very close on most preseason games. Pittsburgh open up the preseason with the Detroit Lions at home on August 14th. Pittsburgh will be favored in that game and they may be out to prove a point to start the preseason. The Steelers may have even more value the next two weeks in NFL preseason odds as they travel to New York to face the Giants and then to Denver to battle the Broncos in a game that can be seen on Fox television. The Steelers will be underdogs in both of those two games. Pittsburgh wraps up the preseason on September 2nd as they host the Carolina Panthers.
What makes Pittsburgh an interesting team to wager on in the preseason is their quarterback situation. Ben Roethlisberger is the starter but he has been suspended for at least the first four games of the regular season. That means that the backups are going to get a lot of work. Byron Leftwich is expected to be the starter for the first four games so the Steelers will want to get him ready for the season. That should mean starters play a lot more than they normally would. The Steelers have two other capable backups in Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch.
Preseason results can be determined by how well the backup quarterbacks play. When a team has three quarterbacks who all want to get into action then the team could be one to watch in the preseason. Pittsburgh also has something to prove after missing the playoffs last season. They will want to start the preseason with a winning mindset. That should mean the Steelers will be playing to win, not just look at players. When a team is playing to win in the preseason they can present some good value and that might be the case in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.