2018 NFL Preseason Week 1 Betting Preview

Now that all of the 32 teams in the National Football League are in training camp, it’s time for the first week of preseason games, beginning with the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday (which we previewed in a separate article) and then the opening week of preseason contests. While I wouldn’t put a ton of cash down on NFL preseason games, simply because coaches are looking to see what they have in terms of talent, rather than trying to win (although Pete Carroll is a notable exception), sports betting on the outcomes of young players can be fun and give an element of suspense to these games. Check out the slate for NFL Preseason Week 1 as well as our insights on several of the matchups.

2018 NFL Preseason Week 1 Preview

The Philadelphia Eagles open the 2018 NFL Preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on @fox43. pic.twitter.com/6TVRX3Osgc

— FOX43 Sports (@FOX43Sports) July 30, 2018

Thursday, August 9

• Carolina at Buffalo (7:00pm ET)
• Chicago at Cincinnati (7:00pm ET)
• Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (7:00pm ET)
• Cleveland at N.Y. Giants (7:00pm ET)
• New Orleans at Jacksonville (7:00pm ET)
• L.A. Rams at Baltimore (7:30pm ET)
• Washington at New England (7:30pm ET)
• Tennessee at Green Bay (8:00pm ET)
• Houston at Kansas City (8:30pm ET)
• Dallas at San Francisco (10:00pm ET)
• Indianapolis at Seattle (10:00pm ET)

Friday, August 10

• Atlanta at N.Y. Jets (7:30pm ET)
• Detroit at Oakland (10:30pm ET)

Saturday, August 11

L.A. Chargers at Arizona (10:00pm ET) In Carolina at Buffalo we get to see who the Bills will run out there at quarterback now that Tyrod Taylor has headed to Cleveland. The Bills did draft Josh Allen as the quarterback of the future, but they also brought A.J. McCarron, who could be an interesting starter while Allen learns the craft of the pro game. The hope is that Nathan Peterman won’t have to see the field after his disastrous starting experiment a year ago. Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia might show us whether Carson Wentz’s knee is recovered, although I’d be surprised if the Eagles let him back onto the field so far ahead of the regular season opener. Expect to see some time from Nick Foles before he heads to the bench, and we get a look at Nate Sudfeld (who we last saw mopping up in that meaningless Week 17 loss to Dallas) and Joe Callahan. The Steelers should give rookie Mason Rudolph, their draft pick from Oklahoma State, some reps behind Landry Jones; I’d be surprised to see Ben Roethlisberger play more than a series, if at all. Cleveland vs N.Y. Giants will be a fun one for Browns fans to watch, as Taylor and rookie Baker Mayfield should get plenty of touches on the ball. Adding wideout Jarvis Landry to the  mix (and potentially Dez Bryant, who remains unsigned, but who did some damage to his prospects by trashing Dallas players Travis Frederick and Sean Lee in a series of tweets Friday night) gives Cleveland an offensive roster that should compete in the AFC North. Houston vs Kansas City will give us a look at Pat Mahomes II, expected to take over the starting job at quarterback for the Chiefs after the departure of Alex Smith to Washington. In Houston, we still have not heard how much action Deshaun Watson will get, although reports indicate that his knee injury has healed. Similar questions abound in Indianapolis vs Seattle, as Colts fans are no doubt curious to see how Andrew Luck, who finally threw in front of the media a couple of weeks ago, will do in his long-awaited return to action. I doubt we’ll see a lot of him, as Seattle has a reputation of playing hard in the preseason (and they are the team that ended Tony Romo’s career with a big hit in a preseason game). The Seattle defense will have a number of changes, but they still have the same physical philosophy. But what will the Colts’ defense look like this year?