Pittsburgh Steelers vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Thursday, 08/21/25

Week 3 of the NFL preseason kicks off on Thursday night in Charlotte with a matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers. Both teams are coming off low-scoring contests in Week 2. Pittsburgh fell 17-14 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Carolina lost at Houston 20-3. I’m expecting more of the same this week, so my Steelers vs Panthers prediction is Under 36.5.

The Steelers’ starters have mostly been on the shelf this preseason and that probably won’t change for a matchup in which the opposition is playing its backups. Carolina head coach Dave Canales has already confirmed that his starters — who played in the first 2 games — will be on the bench to rest up for the regular season. That means we won’t see quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Bryce Young. Even with some of their starters on the field, the Panthers’ offense was largely inept in losses to Houston and to the Cleveland Browns. They scored a combined 13 points in those 2 outings. Backup QBs Andy Dalton and Jack Plummer have combined to throw zero touchdown passes and 3 interceptions. It’s the Under for me.

Steelers vs Panthers prediction: Under 36.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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