Which of the two teams celebrates a successful start to the season?
The Las Vegas Raiders will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. Both teams have started the season with one win and one loss. In the process, the two teams each conceded a heavy defeat against one of the top teams in the NFL. Due to the slightly stronger squad, the home side have the slight edge, especially in their own stadium. For this reason, the bookmakers’ betting odds between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers are more in favour of a home win.
However, the visitors should not be written off in this game. A great win against Cleveland will have given the visiting team a lot of confidence. Before that, the Browns could win against the Cincinnati Bengals and thus one of the top teams. That is why the odds of the betting companies are quite close between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
We recommend betting on a touchdown by Josh Jacobs between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. The running back of the home side is one of the best players at his position and has started rather weak this year. There could be a bounce back next Monday, as the visitors have been very weak against the run game so far.
Kickoff of this AFC match is at 02:20 on Monday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The match can be watched live and in full on DAZN.
Las Vegas Raiders – Statistics & current form
Las Vegas won the first game of the new season 17:16 against Denver. The Broncos, however, were no real yardstick and so the victory was followed by a bitter 10:38 loss against the Buffalo Bills. So at the moment it is still very difficult to assess in which direction the Raiders are moving.
One thing is certain, however, and that is that Jon Gruden’s team is currently in first place in the AFC West. Over the whole season, however, the Kansas City Chiefs are the favourites in this division. Therefore, the home side should be busy collecting wins to keep their chance of making the playoffs alive.
Settling in period
Jimmy Garoppolo traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. After his injury in December 2022, he was replaced and eventually ousted by Brock Purdy. The quarterback has yet to make a real impact with his new employer, throwing passes for just 385 yards. This puts JG in 25th place in the league.
Weak running game
With only 58 rushing yards per game, the Raiders are one of the weakest teams in the NFL in the running game. This comes as quite a surprise, as Las Vegas has the best running back of the preseason in Josh Jacobs. With 46 yards in the first two games, the superstar of the home side is far from his top form. However, we are sure that he will soon find his way back to his old strength.
Passing game with room for improvement
The Raiders not only have one of the best running backs in the league, but also one of the best wide receivers in the National Football League on their roster. Davante Adams scored 14 touchdowns last season and also gained 1,516 yards of space. So it’s only a matter of time before the Las Vegas offense is in the flow with their new quarterback, Garoppolo.
Problems upon problems
It’s not just the Raiders’ offense that’s causing slight headaches right now, but their defensive effort as well. Las Vegas has already allowed 54 points and allowed an average of 355 yards to opponents. The backfield seems particularly vulnerable against the run game at the moment. However, since the Steelers’ offense is rather harmless in this area, the weakness should only play a minor role.
Key players for the Las Vegas Raiders:
- QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
- RB: Josh Jacobs
- WR: Davante Adams
- LB: Robert Spillane
- K: Daniel Carlson
Pittsburgh Steelers – Statistics & current form
Pittsburgh went through a similar start to the season as the Raiders. At the start of the current season, the Steelers lost with 7:30 clearly against the San Francisco 49ers. Mike Tomlin’s team then picked up their first win, however, defeating the Cleveland Browns 26-22.
This puts the visitors in a somewhat surprising second place in the AFC North. In a division with the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals, the visiting team is nevertheless one of the outsiders. We don’t think Pittsburgh will make the playoffs at the moment.
Light and shadow
Kenny Pickett is still failing to reach his full potential at the start of the new season. There are always moments when he shows his ability, but there are simply too few of them. A spectacular pass is usually followed by three or four almost subterranean passes.
Running game hardly exists
Najee Harris ran for 1,034 yards in the preseason, ranking 15th in the league, and averaged just under 61 rushing yards. In the new season, his average has dropped to 37 yards. In addition, the number 22 of the Steelers is still waiting for his first touchdown. It’s no wonder, then, that Pittsburgh currently ranks 31st in the running game.
Focus on the passing game
The Steelers’ passing game is looking much better and Kenny Pickett is focusing more on his receivers. 199 passing yards per game are not a particularly good value, but not bad either. One pass receiver in particular stands out and that is George Pickens. The 22-year-old wide receiver has already caught passes for 163 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season last weekend.
Too vulnerable
The Steelers are allowing an average of 26 points, making them far too susceptible. Especially against the running game, Pittsburgh has big problems and should therefore be wary of Josh Jacobs. When the Raiders’ running back gets going, he is almost unstoppable. On the other hand, the visitors are very tidy against the passing game, so we expect a low-scoring game overall.
Key Pittsburgh Steelers players:
- QB: Kenny Pickett
- RB: Najee Harris
- WR: George Pickens
- LB: T.J. Watt
- K: Chris Boswell
Las Vegas Raiders – Pittsburgh Steelers Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The head-to-head comparison between the two teams goes to the slight favourite. The Raiders won 17 duels against the Steelers, while the visitors stand at 15 victories. The last time the two teams met was on matchday 16 of the preseason. Back then, Pittsburgh prevailed in a rather ponderous game with 13:10. The trend of a low-scoring game could continue, as both offenses have been rather harmless so far. Therefore, between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers, our prediction goes more towards a points bet.
Las Vegas Raiders – Pittsburgh Steelers Tip
We are playing the under 46.5 points in the game betting between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. There is very little going on offensively for either team at the moment, so we find it very hard to imagine seeing many touchdowns in this game. The visitors are averaging only 16.5 points, while the home side is averaging only 13.5 points. In addition, only 23 points were scored in the last duel between the two teams and that speaks absolutely for our recommendation.
Alternatively, we recommend the odds for a home win between the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. This is primarily because the home side still has a lot of potential to call on. Of course, we cannot know whether the hosts will be able to unfold their existing qualities next Monday. Nevertheless, there is currently very little to be said for success for the guests.
