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Bills vs. Steelers Prediction & Odds 8-17: NFL Preseason Week 2

Gary Pearson

Last Updated: August 17, 2024 10:00 AM EDT • 2 min 47 sec read.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson warms up before playing the Houston Texans as we offer our best Bills vs. Steelers predictions for Week 2 of the preseason.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson warms up before playing the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Photo by Charles LeClaire via USA TODAY Sports

All eyes are on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Buffalo Bills in Saturday's Week 2 preseason tilt.

Wilson will make his Steelers debut after missing the preseason opener against the Houston Texans with a strained calf. The veteran signal-caller sustained the calf injury on July 24 and returned in a limited capacity to practice on July 30. 

Wilson has participated fully in practice this week, which has led to his highly anticipated first action with his new team.

Fields will also get ample opportunity to improve upon his mediocre opener against the Texans, in which he fumbled twice and was sacked twice in three series. The former Chicago Bears quarterback will receive more action than Wilson, the latter of whom is leading to win the No. 1 role. 

The Steelers are the consensus favorites across our best sports betting sites, and our Bills vs. Steelers prediction and odds focus on the first-half point total. 

Saturday's game at Acrisure Stadium kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (ABC).   

Russell Wilson makes Steelers debut  against Bills 

Odds via our best NFL betting sites; NFL picks confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.

Prediction: Over 19.5 First Half points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Saturday marks the moment Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been patiently waiting for since early in the offseason. Wilson was run out of Denver after the Broncos decided they'd rather take a $53-million salary cap hit this season than keep him around.

The 35-year-old didn't get off to a dream start in Pittsburgh, straining his calf while pushing a sled during a conditioning test.  

You don't need to be a professional athletic trainer to know he failed that test miserably. Now he'll get his chance to reinforce the faith head coach Mike Tomlin has placed in him. Wilson enters his debut with the starting quarterback tag. It's his position to lose, so the pressure is on to perform.

Wilson is expected to start and play up to four series with the rest of the Steelers' starters, which should lead to some point production.  

Fields looks to build on average preseason opener

Fields will take over the responsibility after Wilson's cameo, and he should get the reins for the majority of the contest while looking to improve his QB1 stock.

The 25-year-old went 5-for-6 passing for 67 yards against the Texans last week, which would have represented a promising start to his Steelers career had it not been for Fields' two fumbles. 

He'll be highly motivated to make amends and prove he can lead a new team to pay dirt. 

Additionally, Josh Allen should get some action. While he only threw three passes in the Bills' opener against the Texans, there's a solid chance Allen is in the backfield for at least a drive, possibly more. 

I'm banking on the three former starters helping to amass at least 20 points combined before the fringe players take center stage in the second half.

You'll earn an $8.93 profit from a winning $10 bet. 

Best odds: -112 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 52.83%

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Players to watch

Russell WilsonJustin Fields 
Making his Steelers debut Fumbled twice in Steelers debut against Texans
How is his rhythm and game fitness after straining his calf?5-for-6 passing for 67 yards in Week 1
Sacked 45 times in 15 games last seasonSacked twice against Texans

Bills vs. Steelers odds

See our full NFL odds here.

Bills vs. Steelers game info

  • When: Saturday, Aug. 17
  • Kick off: 7 p.m. ET
  • Where: Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh)
  • How to watch: ABC (NFL+, Fubo)
  • Favorite: Steelers (-240 via BetMGM)

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Written By:
Gary Pearson
Gary Pearson has written professionally since 2010, focusing on sports betting since 2014. Before entering the sports betting space, he contributed to the Canadian Press, FanSided, the Hockey Writers, the Calgary Herald, and other publications. His work has also been featured in Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report. Gary, who consumes sports like a blue whale devours plankton, has a penchant for writing predictions and analyses across several sports, including hockey, soccer, football, tennis, and more. He bets regularly, preferring single-game picks, props, and live betting. While there isn't a sport he has yet to dabble in, Gary prefers betting on soccer, hockey, and football. He studied at various post-secondary institutions, including the University of Calgary, SAIT Polytechnic, and Griffith University, located in Brisbane, Australia. Gary has a marketing degree and completed his bachelor's degree in journalism at Griffith University. He feels strongly that life experience is as essential as post-secondary education, helping formulate more accurate predictions and analyses. Gary believes that competing at a high level of amateur sports during his formative years helped him better understand an athlete's psyche and the nuances and complexities of a team's dynamic, both on and off the playing surface. He feels that knowledge is immeasurably important when offering his analytical expertise. He has lived on five continents and currently resides in Canada.