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Ben Roethlisberger has been around long enough that he probably doesn’t need to play during the preseason. But it’s always good to get reps in games that don’t count in the standings and Big Ben is likely to see his first action when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 of the preseason. Roethlisberger cleared the concussion protocol that had him in street clothes last week, but the Steelers are still without Le’Veon Bell, who continues his holdout.
This preseason Week 3 battle will take place on Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 4 p.m. ET at Heinz Field.
NFL Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tennessee Titans +4
Pittsburgh Steelers -4
Over/Under 45.5
Odds Analysis
The teams have one common opponent with both losing to Green Bay. Of course that doesn’t mean a thing, but it is an interesting tidbit. The Steelers are strong at home and that includes during the postseason. They opened as a 4-point favorite with the total at 45.5. The over is 2-0 for both clubs and the total is within reach.
Quarterback Rotation
It’s time for Marcus Mariota to get some serious reps in a game situation with his new offense. The Titans overhauled their coaching staff during the offseason bringing in new coordinator Matt LaFleur, who had a nice run with the Rams in 2017. But Mariota hasn’t had much work with the new game plan. The former Heisman winner played just one series in the preseason opener, leading the Titans on a touchdown drive.
Mariota played 12 snaps over two series last week against Tampa Bay, finishing off the second drive with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Taywan Taylor. We will see Mariota and the first-team offense for much of the first half on Saturday with Blaine Gabbert taking over with the second unit. Gabbert had a solid outing against the Bucs hitting 10 of 16 for 116 yards. Rookie Luke Falk is destined for the practice squad and will likely start the Week 4 game.
The script has been the same for the past few years and if Mike Tomlin sticks to it we’ll see Roethlisberger for the first time this preseason on Saturday. Big Ben played sparingly in the dress rehearsal last year and he’s ready to chisel off some of the rust that accumulates on a 36-year-old body.
It will be interesting to see how Big Ben performs after having what Tomlin called an “awesome” training camp. Landry Jones also sat out last week’s game and his value to the team increased with Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph making mistakes inexperienced players make. And that presents a problem for Tomlin, who must figure out his quarterback situation in the next few weeks. Dobbs and Rudolph will split second half reps after Jones finishes up for Roethlisberger in the first half.
Coaching History
Mike Vrabel has stuck to the preseason coaching handbook in his rookie season and it doesn’t appear as though he’s going to deviate from the plan heading into the Week 3 dress rehearsal. The first-teamers have played well in their cameos over the first two games and expect to see more of them on Saturday as Vrabel searches for his first victory. The Titans are 0-2 SU and ATS this preseason.
We’ve seen Tomlin treat the preseason for exactly what it is over the past several seasons. He’s been around long enough to know. Still, the Steelers have had some recent success going 4-2 SU and ATS in their last six tune-up games. Overall, Tomlin has a 26-22 record and is 6-5 in Week 3 of the preseason.
Free ATS Pick
Mariota will get at least the first half to build on his solid but brief preseason showing. Working with his new coordinator, Mariota has delivered a pair of scoring passes while completing 60 percent of his throws in his three total series. This isn’t the old Titans we saw under Mike Mularkey, this is a team that finally joined the revolution.
The offense has been diverse and LaFleur has taken advantage of Mariota’s skill set. The hope is that the learning curve continues its upward trajectory. The Steelers aren’t going all out in this one. Big Ben will get a series or two before turning over the controls and I just don’t think the backups are ready to handle the Titans, who would like to get their coach his first victory.
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NFL Betting Odds: Titans 26, Steelers 20
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