With the first week of the NFL preseason in the rearview mirror, Week 2 is already in full swing with three more games on tap this Friday.
I am absolutely obsessed with the NFL preseason, which provides ample betting opportunities. Throughout the preseason, I will be previewing most games and providing, at the very least, some sort of pregame or in-game angle. I won't necessarily have a bet for every game, but you'll definitely know what I'm thinking and looking for in each contest in regards to quarterback depth, key positional battles, and more.
I will be locking in my actual NFL preseason bets on gameday so make sure to follow me in the Action App to see those picks right when I bet them. Let's dive into my expert NFL preseason picks for Friday, August 21.
NFL Preseason Picks, Previews — Friday 8/21
| Game | Time (ET) | Preview |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 9:00 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NFL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Jets vs Steelers
Aaron Glenn
ATS: 1-3
O/U: 4-0
Mike McCarthy
ATS: 32-32-2
O/U: 35-31
Jets
QB Performance Ratings, out of 115 QBs, updated through the 2026 preseason
Geno Smith: 14th
Cade Klubnik: 60th
Brady Cook: 67th
Bailey Zappe: 115th
I’m expecting the Jets to use all four quarterbacks, with each getting roughly a quarter. As always, there’s a pretty wide window around those projections, but that’s my baseline heading into the game.
Steelers
QB Performance Ratings
Drew Allar: 12th
Mason Rudolph: 34th
Will Howard: 37th
Aaron Rodgers: 44th
Pittsburgh’s rotation seems much cleaner. I’m expecting Will Howard to handle most, if not all, of the first half before Drew Allar takes over for the second.
The Angle
Geno Smith and the Jets starters should play around two series, which gives them a pretty significant advantage early with Pittsburgh expected to rest its starters.
Cade Klubnik should follow. He looked solid in his debut, but I was a little surprised he only played 15 snaps. I would imagine the Jets want a longer look at their fourth-round rookie this week, potentially allowing him to finish out the first half.
Will Howard also looked sharp in his first NFL action after missing his entire rookie preseason due to injury. So even with only one starting offense expected to play, we could get competent enough quarterback play on both sides for the first half to have a better scoring environment than your typical preseason game.
That makes 1H Over 19.5 worth a look. But the second half is where I see the better potential edge.
I was high on Drew Allar heading into his debut last week, and he did not disappoint. Allar went 10-of-13 for 153 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. That performance moved him all the way up to 12th in my QB Performance Ratings. On a per-snap basis, he actually ranks second, but my updated formula accounts for sample size, which is why he remains outside the top 10.
Obviously, this does NOT mean I suddenly consider Allar one of the 15 best quarterbacks in football. These ratings are describing preseason performance. What his debut did do is give me more confidence backing him when the right preseason matchup presents itself. And this could be the dream matchup.
At some point in the second half, we could get Allar against Bailey Zappe, who I specifically wanted to pick on last week and has now fallen to dead last, 115th out of 115 quarterbacks, in my ratings.
Somehow, Zappe managed to make his preseason résumé even worse last week by throwing two interceptions on only 13 dropbacks. The big question is simply when Zappe enters the game.
Last week, he came in to start the second quarter and threw a pick-six on the third snap of his first drive. That would have immediately triggered my Tampa Bay live angle.
This week, I think the rotation could unfold differently. If Geno gets his couple of series and the Jets want a longer look at Klubnik, it makes sense for Zappe to get pushed into the second half.
