by Rod Pearson
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023
Game Time: 8:20 pm ET, Sunday, September 24, 2023
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Where to Watch: NBC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Steelers +2.5, Raiders -2.5; Over/Under: 43 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Steelers +2.5, Raiders -2.5; Over/Under: 43 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Steelers +3, Raiders -3; Over/Under: 43 points
Season Record
Pittsburgh Steelers: 1-1 (2nd place, AFC North)
Las Vegas Raiders: 1-1 (1st place, AFC West)
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Recent Form
Pittsburgh Steelers: won their last game at home against the Cleveland Browns 26-22.
Las Vegas Raiders: lost their last game on the road against the Buffalo Bills 38-10.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Las Vegas Raiders Preview and Analysis
The Steelers are entering this game with a 1-1 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 1-1 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Cleveland Browns 26-22. Kenny Pickett was the starting QB and he completed 15/30 passes for 222 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Najee Harris led the team in rushing yards with 43. George Pickens led the receivers with 127 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Kwon Alexander led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Alex Highsmith, Larry Ogunjobi, T. J. Watt, Demarvin Leal, Markus Golden, and Elijah Riley each led the defense in sacks with 1. Alex Highsmith came away with the only interception for them in that game.
The Raiders are entering this game with a 1-1 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-0 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against the Buffalo Bills 38-10. Jimmy Garoppolo was the starting QB and he completed 16/24 passes for 185 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Tre Tucker led the team in rushing yards with 34. Davante Adams led the receivers with 84 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Robert Spillane led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles while Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception in that game.
Steelers vs Raiders Prediction
The current betting odds have the Raiders listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Raiders are 1-1 this season and were destroyed by the Bills in their last game, but they did pull off a big divisional win in their 1st game of the season and now they have their home opener here. The Steelers were also embarrassed when they played against the 49ers as they got destroyed at home, but they came away with a nice divisional win on Monday night to set the ship right. Now they are on the road for the 1st time this season and they are also on a bit of a shorter week after playing on Monday. The Steelers looked a lot better in their win against the Browns but their defense really came through for them in that game as the offense squandered many opportunities. The Raiders have a decent defense that will keep this Steelers offense at bay and the Raiders also have a good offense with some weapons and a starting QB with a really good record. Jimmy G may not be the best QB when it comes to playing the position but he is a really good game manager that finds ways to win games for his team and that is exactly what he will do in this home opener. The best way to place a bet here is on the Raiders to cover the spread in this game.
Steelers Raiders Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Sunday, September 24, 2023 (8:20 pm ET start time) is Raiders 23 Steelers 16.
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NFL Betting Trends
Pittsburgh Steelers: 12-4 ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3. 100-67 ATS as an underdog. 11-6 UNDER in games where the line is +3 to -3. 34-20 UNDER after allowing 400 or more total yards in their previous game.
Las Vegas Raiders: 5-11 ATS as a favorite. 11-21 ATS off a road blowout loss by 21 points or more. 12-6 UNDER in games where the line is +3 to -3. 12-4 UNDER off 1 or more straight overs.
Key Injuries
Pittsburgh Steelers: D. Washington (TE) Ques Sun - Knee. L. Ogunjobi (DT) Ques Sun - Foot. D. Kazee (S) Ques Sun - Calf. M. Golden (LB) Ques Sun - Knee. M. Fitzpatrick (S) Ques Sun - Chest. G. Olszewski (WR) Ques Sun - Head. A. McFarland Jr. (RB) Out indefinitely - Knee. D. Johnson (WR) Mid Oct - Hamstring. C. Heyward (DT) Mid Nov - Groin. R. Wren (DT) I-R - Achilles. C. Trice (DB) I-R - Leg.
Las Vegas Raiders: C. Jones (DE) Out indefinitely - Personal. J. Meyers (WR) Ques Sun - Concussion. D. Adams (WR) Prob Sun - Concussion. B. Facyson (CB) Out indefinitely - Shin. D. Wagner (OT) I-R - Undisclosed. B. Brown (RB) I-R - Undisclosed. A. Butler (DT) I-R - Arm. A. Walter (RB) I-R - Undisclosed.
Notable Quotes
“We're not going to apologize for winning.” - Mike Tomlin after his team’s win against the Browns in their last game.
“I thought we created some momentum at the beginning of the game. But momentum is just a word. We need to play well, and coach well, for 60 minutes. We can’t just live off the momentum of a drive. We had five decent plays and then didn’t play very well the rest of the game.” - Josh McDaniels after his team’s loss against the Bills in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Pittsburgh Steelers
WR Austin III, Calvin
WR Pickens, George
WR ROBINSON II, ALLEN
TE Freiermuth, Pat
QB Pickett, Kenny
RB Harris, Najee
Las Vegas Raiders
WR ADAMS, DAVANTE
WR Meyers, Jakobi
WR Renfrow, Hunter
TE Hooper, Austin
QB GAROPPOLO, JIMMY
RB Jacobs, Josh
FB Johnson, Jakob
Statistical Leaders
Pittsburgh Steelers
Passing: K. Pickett (454)
Rushing: N. Harris (74)
Receiving: G. Pickens (163)
Touchdowns: P. Freiermuth (1)
Las Vegas Raiders
Passing: J. Garoppolo (385)
Rushing: J. Jacobs (46)
Receiving: D. Adams (150)
Touchdowns: J. Meyers (2)
Coaches:
Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin (17th season)
Las Vegas Raiders: Josh McDaniels (2nd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
