The New York Giants are clearly trying to make one last run with Eli Manning getting older. The front office made some moves to give him as much help as possible after last year’s 11-5 finish and Big Blue Nation is optimistic that the Giants could have one of the best offenses in the NFL this season. The receiving corps should be one of the best in the NFL with Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard in his second season, and Brandon Marshall joining in free agency. They will play their first game together on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Friday, August 11, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium. This game will be broadcast on the NFL Network.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh Steelers +3 +105
New York Giants -3 -125
Over/Under 38
Odds Analysis
Mike Tomlin is two games over .500 in the preseason as a coach, but has been one of the worst performing coaches over his last four seasons. Tomlin went 19-6 in the preseason over his first six years in the NFL, but his record has careened in recent years. He is just 3-14 in the preseason since the 2013 preseason kicked off.
Ben McAdoo joined the bevy of first-year coaches that finished their first preseason 2-2 last year. McAdoo got off to a bad start with the Giants scoring just 10 points in their first two games, but beat the Jets and the Patriots to finish out the preseason.
Matchup to Watch
Now that Rashad Jennings is touring with the Mirror Ball Trophy, the Giants are in need of a new No. 1 running back. Paul Perkins is the leader in the clubhouse after finishing second on the team in rushing last year, but he hasn’t locked up the top spot yet.
Shane Vereen still has a shot to be the No. 1 running back for Big Blue this season. Vereen was sidelined for 11 games last season after tearing his triceps, but is back in action. He knows that this is his chance to become a starter and should run hard against the Steelers after missing a few days of practice.
The other main option is rookie running back Wayne Gallman. Gallman was a force for Clemson at times during its national championship run last season and is the bruising running back that the Giants seem to prefer. He, and Orleans Darkwa, will get plenty of opportunities for carries against the Steelers.
Player to Watch
Speaking of rookies that will get a prolonged look in this one, the Steelers have all but announced that Josh Dobbs is going to get the lion’s share of the snaps in this game.
Landry Jones has already been ruled out with an abdomen injury and it’s unlikely that the team will want to play Ben Roethlisberger in the first preseason game considering his injury history.
Dobbs has been turning heads in Latrobe during training camp and might just be the backup quarterback that Pittsburgh has needed ever since Byron Leftwich left. He was fantastic for Tennessee when the coaching staff decided to loosen the reins on the offense last season and Dobbs was able to show just how talented he was. Dobbs will be eager to show that he should have been a much higher pick in the NFL Draft.
Free ATS Pick
Quarterback play is key in the preseason and knowing that Dobbs is going to play a significant amount in this game is all we need to back Pittsburgh as an underdog. The Steelers are undervalued due to Tomlin’s recent preseason record, but they haven’t had a backup quarterback this talented in a while. Dobbs will shine against the Giants.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Steelers 23, Giants 17
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