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The final week of the NFL preseason is here with a pair of Thursday Night Football games, including the Steelers vs. Panthers and Patriots vs. Giants. Let's preview these Week 3 preseason matchups along with our favorite bets.
Steelers vs. Panthers NFL Preseason Betting Preview
The Steelers (1-1) wrap up their 2025 preseason as they take on the Panthers in their final preseason game. The Steelers come in as a 4.5-point road favorite. Head coach Mike Tomlin has confirmed that starters like Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, D.K. Metcalf, and Cam Heyward won't play. Other than that, anyone else is fair game, including Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay at corner. But there won't be any unveiling of the Rodgers to Metcalf connection just yet.
As for Carolina, head coach Dave Canales doesn't believe starter Bryce Young or backup quarterback Andy Dalton will play Thursday night, leaving the door open for Jack Plummer and Bryce Perkins. Dalton is injured, so that's understandable. But no Young is a little surprising given the way Canales has expressed his team is not performing well right now as the season nears. The Panthers are 31st in yards per game and dead last in scoring, having been outscored 50-13 this preseason.
- Steelers O/U regular season win total for 2025: 8.5
- Panthers O/U regular season win total for 2025: 6.5
The Steelers are still getting NFL preseason predictions that say they're a coin flip to win over 8.5 games as they try to set the all-time NFL record with 22 consecutive non-losing seasons. The Panthers are still favored to win over 6.5 games, but they have also lost double-digit games every season for the last six years (tied for the third-longest streak in NFL history).
Odds accurate at the time of posting (August 21, 2025)
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Patriots vs. Giants NFL Preseason Betting Preview
NFL preseason football is much different than the real thing, clearly evidenced by these two teams becoming offensive juggernauts in the preseason. The Giants have racked up over 30 points and 300 passing yards in consecutive games, something the franchise has only done twice in its entire history, and one of those times was in 1963. But the quarterbacks, including rookie Jaxson Dart, have all impressed with Russell Wilson finding an 80-yard completion last week. He's still expected to be the Week 1 starter despite the impressive August from first-round pick Dart.
The Patriots also feel great about rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, the Ohio State back who has looked like a game-changer. We haven't seen as much passing from second-year quarterback Drake Maye, and head coach Mike Vrabel is likely to rest the key starters in this finale.
- Patriots O/U regular season win total for 2025: 8.5
- Giants O/U regular season win total for 2025: 5.5
To the surprise of many, the Patriots are still favored in about 11 games this season. But if Maye and Henderson combine for a good, balanced offensive attack, the Pats could have a solid year. The Giants are having fun now, but that regular-season schedule is brutal. Still, it's great to see Brian Daboll's offense lighting it up this month, as the Giants were the bottom-ranked offense last preseason.
Odds correct at time of writing (August 21, 2025)
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