Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to New York to face the Jets in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Regular Season, and although they’ve yet to play a preseason game, it’s not too early to begin handicapping the opening tilt.
The Steelers are -3 favorites on the road according to the latest NFL odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, a hefty number considering all the situational factors surrounding this game. Both QBs are facing their 2024 teams and are looking for revenge.
The drama of Aaron Rodgers returning to New York and Justin Fields avenging his Pittsburgh benching makes this game a compelling opener. Yet, we must handicap with clear eyes and full bankrolls.
If you want to justify the Steelers as a field goal favorite in the Jets’ home stadium, the big names make it easy. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh QB, is a locked-on Hall of Famer. The Steelers also added WR DK Metcalf in the offseason, a significant upgrade.
The Jets have Justin Fields at QB, a player with unlimited athletic potential who’s never made a consistent impact as a starter. Yes, I know he was 4-2 with the Steelers last year, but he was never truly a factor in those games.
Don’t get me wrong, Fields wasn’t bad during his tenure as Steelers QB1. He threw for 1,108 yards with a 93.3 QB rating. But the Steelers’ offense scored over 20 points only twice during those six games.
The Steelers in the post-Roethlisberger era are a notoriously low-scoring team. They hope that Rodgers can unlock their offense, but will the unit be sharp in Week 1?
Will the Jets’ offense be sharp with a new QB? This is a low-scoring game, one that could easily land within the three-point spread.
The Steelers upgraded their secondary during the offseason, adding Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. They also signed LB T.J. Watt to an extension. The Steelers’ defense was really good in 2024, allowing an average of 20.8 points per game during the regular season.
The unit should be functioning properly again, especially in the early stages of the season.
The Jets’ defense, which was so good in 2023, regressed in 2024, allowing 23.8 points per game. The additions of Derrick Nnadi, Byron Cowart, and Jay Tufele should solidify the New York defensive line enough to force the Steelers into longer third-down scenarios.
The 2024 NFL Regular Season was a boon for public bettors. Favorites won outright 72%, and favorites of six or more points went 29-1 from Week 13 through the final week of the season.
While NFL favorites cruised throughout 2024, underdogs hit hard through the first three weeks of the season. In that timeframe, dogs of +5.5 or more went 13-2 ATS with nine straight-up wins.
Many good teams start slow, and I don’t think we’ll see much Aaron Rodgers during the preseason. The Steelers’ offense with a new QB will...
