Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers Preseason NFL Picks & Predictions 8/25/2018

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Heinz Field

Get todays NFL Odds & Lines on this game

The Tennessee Titans travel to Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, August 25, 2018. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh as 2.5 point favorites. The over/under has been set at 42.5. The Titans had an ATS record of 9-8-1 last season while their over/under record was 10-8-0. The Steelers had an over/under record of 7-10-0 and they were 7-10-0 against the spread.

Valuable Tennessee Titans Betting Trends

The Tennessee Titans were 10-8-0 against the over/under last season

The Tennessee Titans were 9-8-1 against the spread last year

Important Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Steelers were 7-10-0 against the over/under last season

The Pittsburgh Steelers were 7-10-0 against the spread last year

Key Tennessee Titans Injuries

08/10/18 LB Nate Palmer Leg IR
08/03/18 T Jack Conklin ACL PUP
08/03/18 CB Tye Smith Undisclosed IR
08/02/18 S Johnathan Cyprien ACL IR

Key Pittsburgh Steelers Injuries

08/03/18 WR Antonio Brown Quad is probable Sunday vs Cleveland
08/03/18 WR Eli Rogers Undisclosed is doubtful Sunday vs Cleveland
08/03/18 T Jerald Hawkins Quad IR
08/03/18 G Ramon Foster Knee is questionable Sunday vs Cleveland
08/03/18 LB Ryan Shazier Back IR

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Tennessee Titans were 19th in the NFL in points scored with 334 last season. They ran 974 plays last year for 5,024 yards, which ranked them 23rd in the league in total offense. The Titans averaged 5.2 yards per play, which was 17th in the National Football League. As a team they accumulated a total of 290 1st downs last year, placing them 23rd overall as an offensive unit. On the ground Tennessee ran for 1,833 yards as a team, which ranked 15th in the NFL. They ran 443 times last year, averaging 4.1 yards per carry as a rushing unit. The Titans were penalized on offense 85 times for 785 yards last season, which had them 31st in the league in penalties. Marcus Mariota threw for 3,232 yards last season. He completed 281 passes on 453 attempts for a completion percentage of 62%. His quarterback rating last year was 79.3. He averaged 7.1 yards per pass attempt and 11.5 yards per completion.

Defensive Statistics

Tennessee was 17th in the league in points allowed on defense with 356 last year. They surrendered a total of 5,248 yards on D, which was 13th in the NFL. The Titans were ranked 8th in yards per play allowed with 5. Their pass defense gave up 5.9 net yards per pass attempt, placing them 12th in the league as a unit. Opposing offenses completed 369 passes on 605 attempts against the Tennessee Titans defense last season, placing them 29th and 32nd in the National Football League. The Tennessee pass defense also gave up a total of 3,828 yards through the air, which was 25th overall in total pass defense. Their rushing defense allowed 398 attempts for 1,420 yards last year, putting them in 4th place in the league against the run. The Titans committed 119 penalties for 942 yards on the defensive side of the ball last season. That ranked them 22nd in the NFL. They gave up a score on 37.3% of possessions on defense, which was 26th in the league.

Special Teams Stats

Tennessee was ranked 12th in the league in punt returns last season with 36. They accumulated 305 punt return yards and averaged 8.5 yards per return, which was 16th in the NFL. Their longest punt return last year was 46 yards. They returned 28 kicks for 618 yards on special teams, ranking 22nd in kick return yardage. The Titans averaged 22.1 yards per kick return and had a long of 57 yards last year. They were 27th in the league in all-purpose yards with 6,150. The Tennessee Titans attempted 42 field goals last season and made 35, which was 6th in the National Football League. Their kickers had a field goal percentage of 83.3%. Tennessee Titans kickers made 94% of their extra points, going 31 for 33 last year. Their punters totaled 3,729 yards on 75 punts, averaging 49.7 yards per punt. That placed them 1st in the NFL in punting average.

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Pittsburgh Steelers ran for 1,667 yards as a unit last year, which ranked 20th in the league. They ran 437 times, averaging 3.8 yards per rush as a unit. The Steelers were penalized on offense 101 times for 897 yards last season, which had them 21st in the NFL in penalties. They were 8th in the National Football League in points scored with 406. They ran 1,051 plays last year for 6,047 yards, which ranked them 3rd in the NFL in total offense. The Steelers averaged 5.8 yards per play, which was 6th in the league. As a team they accumulated a total of 348 1st downs last season, ranking them 3rd overall as an offensive unit. Ben Roethlisberger completed 360 throws while attempting 561 passes for a completion percentage of 64.2% last year. He passed for 4,251 yards. He averaged 11.8 yards per completion and 7.6 yards per pass attempt. His quarterback rating last season was 93.4.

Defensive Statistics

The Steelers rush defense gave up 385 attempts for 1,693 yards last season, putting them in 10th place in the NFL against the run. They had 110 penalties for 1,041 yards on defense last year. That placed them 28th in the league. They allowed a score on 30.3% of possessions on defense, which was 7th in the NFL. Pittsburgh was 7th in the NFL in points surrendered on defense with 308. They gave up a total of 4,910 yards on D, which was 5th in the league. The Steelers were 14th in yards per play allowed with 5.2. Their pass defense allowed 5.8 net yards per pass attempt, ranking them 9th in the National Football League. Opponent offenses completed 297 throws on 499 attempts against the Pittsburgh defense last season, ranking them 3rd and 2nd in the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers pass defense also surrendered a total of 3,217 yards in the air, which was 5th overall in total pass defense.

Special Teams Stats

The Pittsburgh Steelers tried 38 field goals last season and made 35, which was 5th in the league. Their kickers had a FG percentage of 92.1%. Pittsburgh kickers made 95% of their extra points, going 37 for 39 last season. Their punters accumulated 2,763 yards on 64 punts, averaging 43.2 yards per punt. That ranked them 30th in the NFL in punting average. Pittsburgh was 22nd in the NFL in punt returns with 30 last year. They totaled 207 punt return yards and averaged 6.9 yards per return, which was 23rd in the league. Their longest punt return last season was 27 yards. They returned 33 kicks for 630 yards on special teams, placing them 18th in kick return yardage. The Steelers averaged 19.1 yards per kick return and had a long of 96 yards last season. They were 6th in the National Football League in all-purpose yards with 7,038.

Who will win tonight's Titans/Steelers NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Titans +2.5

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