Preseason results in the National Football League often fail to correspond with regular-season results for a number of reasons. Many of the more successful coaches in the NFL prefer to use the preseason primarily to evaluate talent, which means that the second half often serves as a showcase for the lower parts of the depth chart — which does not always lend itself to an ending that fans and sports bettors who are used to a particular team’s regular-season trends appreciate. However, there are some trends that one can use to gauge winner and losers for sports betting in the pro football preseason. We have the point spreads for the 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 below, as well as some suggestions for your wagering for the weekend.
The Falcons host a Kansas City team that fell, 17-10, to Houston last week. New starting quarterback Pat Mahomes II went 5 for 7 for 33 yards in two offensive series, playing cautiously in his first action as the established starter. Given what the Chiefs will likely want to do to expose Mahomes to more action in contrast to how the Falcons will still want to protect Ryan, I see the Chiefs making some more hay on offense. I like the Chiefs to cover.
Baltimore heads to Indianapolis in a matchup that features a Ravens team that put up 33 points on the Rams in Week 1 and a Colts team that eked out a win over Seattle, 19-17. Andrew Luck looked confident for the Colts in limited action, but the Ravens have several different dynamic quarterback options in Lamar Jackson and RGIII once Joe Flacco goes to the bench, and the Colts don’t have much going as far as defense is concerned. I like the Ravens to win in the 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2.
2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Sure Losers
“It was a good couple days worth of energy and a lot of good tape that we can coach off of.”
Hear from Coach McVay following day 11 of #RamsCamp. pic.twitter.com/PrUmZXelnF — Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) 14 de agosto de 2018
Thursday, August 16
- Philadelphia (+3) at New England (7:30 pm ET)
- Pittsburgh (+2.5) at Green Bay (8:00 pm ET)
- N.Y. Jets (+3) at Washington (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)
Friday, August 17
- Kansas City (+2.5) at Atlanta (7:00 pm ET)
- N.Y. Giants (+2.5) at Detroit (7:00 pm ET)
- Buffalo (+3.5) at Cleveland (7:30 pm ET)
- Miami (+4) at Carolina (7:30 pm ET)
- Arizona (+3) at New Orleans (8:00 pm ET)
Saturday, August 18
- Jacksonville (+4.5) at Minnesota (1:00 pm ET)
- Oakland (+2.5) at L.A. Rams (4:00 pm ET)
- Cincinnati (+3) at Dallas (7:00 pm ET)
- Tampa Bay (+2.5) at Tennessee (8:00 pm ET)
- San Francisco (+1) at Houston (8:00 pm ET)
- Chicago (+3) at Denver (9:05 pm ET)
- Seattle (+3) at L.A. Chargers (10:00 pm ET)
Monday, August 20
- Baltimore (+1.5) at Indianapolis (8:00pm ET, ESPN)
Most Interesting Match
Raiders at Rams
When we see Oakland and the Rams square off this week, we’ll have a preview to the Week 1 regular season tilt between these two teams, as they play in the nightcap for the first Monday Night Football broadcast of the season. Oakland’s offense moved well with backup Connor Cook running the offense, as they put up three scores in five drives against Detroit. The Rams were demolished by Baltimore in their preseason opener, 33-7, but they only had two starters appear in the game. The Rams have some work to do in their pass rush if they want to maintain their status as one of the elite defenses in the NFC, but their offensive numbers should elevate as Jared Goff and Todd Gurley enter the offense. On Oakland’s side of the field, Marshawn Lynch impressed with an early explosion of running, but it will be interesting to see if they can get similar results playing against the Rams’ starting unit. I like the Rams to win and cover in the 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2.Chiefs at Falcons
Atlanta was shut out by the Jets in their preseason opener, but starting quarterback Matt Ryan only played one series, going 1 for 1 for minus-two yards. Matt Schaub played at quarterback for the rest of the first half, going 9 for 9 but only picking up 54 yards, and the Falcons didn’t get a first down until there were just ten seconds remaining in the first half. Schaub will likely get a lot of time again this week, so I don’t expect a whole lot of excitement out of the Falcons’ offense.
The Falcons host a Kansas City team that fell, 17-10, to Houston last week. New starting quarterback Pat Mahomes II went 5 for 7 for 33 yards in two offensive series, playing cautiously in his first action as the established starter. Given what the Chiefs will likely want to do to expose Mahomes to more action in contrast to how the Falcons will still want to protect Ryan, I see the Chiefs making some more hay on offense. I like the Chiefs to cover.
Baltimore heads to Indianapolis in a matchup that features a Ravens team that put up 33 points on the Rams in Week 1 and a Colts team that eked out a win over Seattle, 19-17. Andrew Luck looked confident for the Colts in limited action, but the Ravens have several different dynamic quarterback options in Lamar Jackson and RGIII once Joe Flacco goes to the bench, and the Colts don’t have much going as far as defense is concerned. I like the Ravens to win in the 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2. 