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Jets vs. Steelers prediction: NFL preseason picks, best bets Friday

Nypost · · 316 words · By Dylan Svoboda
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What to know about Jets vs. Steelers prediction: NFL preseason picks, best bets Friday

The Jets are favored Friday night for some NFL preseason action largely because the Steelers will be without their top two quarterbacks.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The Jets are favored Friday night for some NFL preseason action largely because the Steelers will be without their top two quarterbacks.

Why it matters

Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph will sit, leaving Will Howard and Drew Allar to handle the snaps for Pittsburgh.

Common ground

That may sound like a problem for the Steelers, but I’m not sure it should be enough to make them a home underdog.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/21/betting/jets-vs-steelers-prediction-nfl-preseason-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 3
info Single Source 1
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “Steelers moneyline (+115, DraftKings Sportsbook)”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “Allar arguably looked even better, throwing for 153 yards and two touchdowns”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Drew Allar threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the game against Green Bay.
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web search NEUTRAL — Drew Patrick Allar is an American professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was sel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Allar
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web search NEUTRAL — On Allar's first throw, he found fellow rookie Kaden Wetjen — who also had an excellent showing in his debut — in the middle of the field, with Wetjen zooming for 75 yards. Two plays later, Allar fini…
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/rookie-qb-drew-allar-th…
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web search NEUTRAL — Rookie Drew Allar threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the Green Bay Packers 28-9 in the preseason opener for both teams. By WILL GRAVES - AP Sports …
https://www.wfmj.com/sports/national/rookie-drew-allar-has-2…
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Claim 3: “Cade Klubnik played well in place of Smith last week”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 4: “Will Howard and Drew Allar to handle the snaps for Pittsburgh”
CORROBORATED
Yahoo Sports reports that Will Howard and Drew Allar will play against the Jets. Wikipedia confirms both are quarterbacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Drew Patrick Allar (born March 8, 2004) is an American professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn Stat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Allar
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Thomas Howard (born September 24, 2001) is an American professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the K…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Howard_(American_football…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Steelers
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “head coach Aaron Glenn”
CORROBORATED
Multiple cross-references from Nypost explicitly identify Aaron Glenn as the head coach of the New York Jets.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Aaron Glenn [is the] Jets head coach
https://nypost.com/2026/08/02/sports/aaron-glenns-hands-on-a…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Aaron Glenn is the Jets head coach
https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/sports/jets-armand-membou-maki…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, now in his second year with the team
https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/sports/where-to-watch-jets-vs-…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “he was a late scratch for the preseason opener with a sore ankle”
CORROBORATED
Multiple cross-references from Nypost confirm Geno Smith missed the preseason opener due to a sore ankle.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Geno Smith missed last week’s preseason opener with ankle soreness.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/sports/geno-smiths-status-for-…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Smith was held out of last week’s preseason opener against the Buccaneers because of a sore ankle.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/sports/geno-smith-to-start-for…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Smith was held out of Friday’s preseason opener against the Buccaneers with what coach Aaron Glenn called a “sore ankle.”
https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/sports/geno-smith-not-playing-…
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Claim 7: “Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph will sit”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (pennlive.com and others) confirm that Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph will not play in the upcoming game.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 93rd in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth under general manager Omar Khan, their 25th playing their home games at Acrisure Stadium and their…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pittsburgh_Steelers_seaso…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Rodgers
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brett Mason Rudolph III (born July 17, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Okla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_Rudolph_(American_footba…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “Bailey Zappe threw two interceptions after taking over”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 9: “Howard was 7-for-9 passing for 86 yards”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result specifically states Howard completed seven of nine attempts for 86 yards. Other sources mention different stats (10 of 15 for 74 yards), but the specific 7-for-9 for 86 yards is only found in one source.
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web search NEUTRAL — The former Penn State quarterback completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score. Howard, meanwhile, completed seven of nine attempts for 86 yards and led an…
https://www.blogarama.com/arts-and-entertainment-blogs/14567…
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web search NEUTRAL — Will Howard completed 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards but threw two first-half interceptions during his first NFL start. Drew Allar avoided turnovers after halftime but could not reproduce the three-touc…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukOJzjxO5fY
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web search NEUTRAL — Locker completed seven passes, to six receivers, for 94 yards on the winning drive. RAVENS 30, TEXANS 9 Baltimore had scored 3 points in 27 minutes, with Ray Rice (strained left hip flexor) unavailabl…
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/sports/football/nfl-round…
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Claim 10: “They gave Pittsburgh plenty to like in last week’s 28-9 preseason win over Green Bay”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Yahoo Sports, wfmj.com, and other web results) confirm the Steelers defeated the Green Bay Packers 28-9 in a preseason game.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2010 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 78th in the National Football League (NFL), their 11th under general manager Kevin Colbert and their fourth under head coach Mike Tomlin. They reached Supe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Pittsburgh_Steelers_seaso…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 season is the Pittsburgh Steelers' 94th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 26th year playing their home games at Acrisure Stadium, their fifth under general manager Omar Khan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Pittsburgh_Steelers_seaso…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he served…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_McCarthy
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 11: “Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said he wants to “max out the opportunities” for both young quarterbacks”
VERIFIED
Yahoo Sports explicitly mentions head coach Mike McCarthy's plan to start Will Howard and then play Drew Allar. Wikipedia confirms Mike McCarthy is the head coach of the Steelers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 season is the Pittsburgh Steelers' 94th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 26th year playing their home games at Acrisure Stadium, their fifth under general manager Omar Khan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Pittsburgh_Steelers_seaso…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pittsburgh Steelers franchise has had 17 head coaches throughout its history. Founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933, the name was changed to the Steelers prior to the 1940 season to celebrate …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pittsburgh_Steelers_he…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he served…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_McCarthy
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 12: “The Jets are favored Friday night for some NFL preseason action”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding system permissions, Skype, and general Jets history. No betting odds or game favorites for a Friday night game are mentioned.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2009 New York Jets season was the franchise's 40th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 50th season overall, the last season at Giants Stadium and the first under new head coach Rex R…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_New_York_Jets_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 season was the New York Jets' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 64th overall, their fifth under general manager Joe Douglas and their third and final full season under …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_New_York_Jets_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Dolphins–Jets rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. The teams play in the AFC East division and play two scheduled games each season. Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphins–Jets_rivalry
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 13: “Geno Smith will start for the Jets”
CORROBORATED
Web search results from the Official Jets site and other reports confirm Geno Smith as the starting quarterback and provide an endorsement from coach Aaron Glenn.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jets QB Geno Smith was dialed in vs. the Titans completing 19 passes. Check out every throw including a 40-yard pass to Adonai Mitchell.spotify Official Jets Podcast. linkedin New York Jets. email E-M…
https://www.newyorkjets.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — New York's starting corner opposite Stephens made multiple tackles in run defense, and was very good in pass coverage as well. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 11th best cornerback in Week 1. It's…
https://www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi/faria-one-thought-on-all-je…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jets coach Aaron Glenn cleared up any questions about whether Geno Smith will be the team’s starting quarterback Sunday.
https://nypost.com/2026/03/29/sports/aaron-glenn-gives-geno-…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.