The first week of the 2018 preseason in the National Football League is in the books, and we’ve learned a few things already — the new quarterbacks in Cleveland (Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield) and in Baltimore (Lamar Jackson and RGIII) are here to make a statement, and when Nathan Peterman went 7 for 7 in his preseason outing for Buffalo, the critics who had panned his performance last year had to have a second thought. The defense in Dallas is young and aggressive, as we saw when they bottled up Jimmy Garoppolo. Take a look at our NFL Preseason Week 2 betting preview for this week’s preseason action as you put your own wagering strategy together.

NFL Preseason Week 2 Betting Preview

Which rookie QB had the best performance in Week 1 of #NFLPreseason? pic.twitter.com/DoutSgWnUp

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 12, 2018

Thursday, August 16

• Philadelphia at New England (7:30pm ET)
• Pittsburgh at Green Bay (8:00pm ET)
• N.Y. Jets at Washington (8:00pm ET, ESPN)

Friday, August 17

• Kansas City at Atlanta (7:00pm ET)
• N.Y. Giants at Detroit (7:00pm ET)
• Buffalo at Cleveland (7:30pm ET)
• Miami at Carolina (7:30pm ET)
• Arizona at New Orleans (8:00pm ET)

Saturday, August 18

• Jacksonville at Minnesota (1:00pm ET)
• Oakland at L.A. Rams (4:00pm ET)
• Cincinnati at Dallas (7:00pm ET)
• Tampa Bay at Tennessee (8:00pm ET)
• San Francisco at Houston (8:00pm ET)
• Chicago at Denver (9:05pm ET)
• Seattle at L.A. Chargers (10:00pm ET)

Monday, August 20

• Baltimore at Indianapolis (8:00pm ET, ESPN)

How about those Cleveland Browns? Tyrod Taylor had an early touchdown pass, and then Baker Mayfield had two more, as the Browns rolled to a 20-10 win over the New York Giants in the preseason opener for both teams. The Browns’ quick, aggressive defense was able to hold a moribund Giants offense in check as well for most of the game — and the Browns have now won five preseason games in a row. They return home to host the Buffalo Bills in Week Two, and the Bills fell to the Carolina Panthers a week ago. While Nathan Peterman played well for the Bills in the opener, the reserves on defense allowed Carolina to move the ball down the field, and given the success that Cleveland had against a more talented Giants defense, it’s hard to see the Browns not winning here. Give me Cleveland to win. Philadelphia visits New England in Week Two — in the preseason opener, the Patriots battled back from an early deficit to take a 26-17 win over the Washington Redskins. Philadelphia, meanwhile, took a 31-14 pasting from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles didn’t show a lot of their starters in that game, and their reserves didn’t have much resistance to offer the Steelers, as one can forgive the Birds for having some Super Bowl hangover. However, Bill Belichick doesn’t play around in the preseason, and since I expect Carson Wentz to sit out this game as well, there’s no reason to pick the Eagles to win. Give me New England to win. Minnesota hung 42 points on the Denver Broncos in their preseason opener, and now they face a Jacksonville team that lost a 24-20 nailbiter to the Saints. It looks like the Vikings have something to prove, and they will use some significant time in the first half, at least, to integrate Kirk Cousins into their offense. The Jaguars do have a solid defensive scheme, but I don’t know if they can go to Minneapolis and control the Viking attack. Give me Minnesota to win. Cincinnati scored 30 points against Chicago in their preseason opener, holding on to win by three. They travel to Dallas to take on a Cowboys team that showed some surprising defensive starch in their win. Dak Prescott has thrown a lot of interceptions in practice but looked solid in his drive for Dallas against the 49ers before Cooper Rush came on in relief, and Dallas’ defense was flying all over the field and putting pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo before the reserves came on. Give me Dallas to win.