After watching both Maurkice Pouncey and Jordy Nelson suffer serious injuries in the same game last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers very well could elect to not make this Week 3 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills a "dress rehearsal" as many other teams will.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Bills have already garnered just a bit of attention from bettors. They opened up at -2.5 and have inched just slightly towards -3 in the opening 24 hours of betting.
The total is set at 42.5.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Ben Roethlisberger has looked sharp thus far in the preseason, going 14-of-17 for 159 yards and two TDs. We really have to wonder if he is going to play that long in this game after seeing what happened last week against Green Bay. Big Ben is too vital to be lost.
Bruce Gradkowski also has to see a lot more time in this game, knowing that he has only thrown five balls in the preseason. Don't be stunned if most of this game is spent with him on the field instead of either Roethlisberger or Landry Jones, the latter of which has already thrown 97 passes in the exhibitions.
Buffalo has actually used both Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor to start games here in the preseason. One figures that Cassel will be back in this game after giving way to Taylor as the starter last week in an 11-10 win over Cleveland.
E.J. Manuel, who seems to be fighting for a spot on the roster, will likely once again play out much of the second half. Rex Ryan hasn't tipped his hand at all about his rotation, but we suspect that all three potential starters will play.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
The motivation here is easy for Pittsburgh: Get out of this game without any further serious injuries. Playing the Hall of Fame Game has probably already given Mike Tomlin enough of a look at his second-tier players, and we wouldn't be stunned if we see a lot more third- and fourth-string guys in there than anything else on Saturday.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We said from day one that we'd keep the best 53 in our opinion, and regardless of the position, but clearly, you have three good quarterbacks. That's a high, high possibility." – Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan on his three quarterbacks through two preseason games
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
The Bills have had some major problems in their second-tier offensive line this preseason. Manuel hasn't had much of a chance to do anything, and he has made the most out of his time on the field.
Still, the Bills have a lot of vets fighting for roster spots right now, and the argument could be made that none of these men on the second-team outside of Cyrus Kounadjio deserve a roster spot the way they're playing.
INJURIES
Stephen Tuitt, Mike Adams and Pouncey are all injured right now, and we sincerely doubt that any of the three will play in this game for Pittsburgh.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Bills are going to be the more motivated of these two teams, and their starters certainly have more to prove than those of the Steelers.
Yes, Pittsburgh could very well get off to a 7-0 start in this one if Roethlisberger starts, but from there, we can't see him playing all that much. The Bills should claw back from there, and we suspect they'll win this game going away.
Buffalo 30, Pittsburgh 13
BookMaker put out the first point spread for this Saturday game at the Buffalo Bills -2.5 and a total of 42.5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on your television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! Week 3 of the preseason continues with the encounter between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Saturday, August 29, 2015. This is a 4:00 p.m. ET duel.
