NFL Preseason Week 2 Betting Preview

With only three preseason games for most of the league, Week 2 has become the best week to see regular season starters. Next week, the majority of the stars will be protected from the possibility of a season-changing injury. This week, they will be working out the kinks, getting into form for the upcoming season, and treating their preseason games like a dress rehearsal.

Thursday – August 15

Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots (-2.5)

In the joint practice this week between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, and before their game on Thursday, it was all Eagles. In the words of the Boston Globe, it was a “disaster” for the Patriots.

Jalen Hurts didn’t play at all in the 2023 preseason. He didn’t play last week, and he won’t play this week. The Patriots, however, are going to work their expected quarterbacks. Jacoby Brissett will be the starter, but there will be a lot more of Drake Maye this week. In Week 1, the No. 3 overall pick was only on the field for six offensive snaps.

Saturday – August 17

Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears (-6)

Two top overall picks are featured in this game, although we may not see much, or any, of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. His wrist looked good last week, and head coach Zac Taylor said he wasn’t inclined to use Burrow much more in the preseason.

That is why the Chicago Bears are nearly touchdown favorites in this one. We should see more of Caleb Williams, more of the Bears working on their offense, and more of the Bears starters beating up on another team’s backups, like they did in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.

Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5)

We will not see Jahmyr Gibbs in this potential Super Bowl preview. The Detroit Lions running back injured his hamstring early this week at practice, and that is a very important hamstring to the team. We won’t see him before the regular season.

The Kansas City Chiefs offense looked sluggish in their Week 1 loss at Jacksonville, and head coach Andy Reid said, “There’s plenty that we can work on.”

So expect to see at least a full quarter of Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the starters. Last year, in Week 2 of the preseason, Mahomes played three offensive series.

Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5)

The latest report is that there is a deal in place between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers for unhappy wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Maybe it’s resolved by the Steelers game with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. But even if it is, we won’t see Aiyuk. But if it hasn’t been resolved by then, we might get a preview as to who the Steelers are sending back to San Francisco in who they don’t play. The expectation is that along with draft picks, at least one player will be leaving Pittsburgh.

As for the game, both the Bills and Steelers looked bad in Week 1.They both want to look better this week, and the Steelers still have a quarterback situation to work through.

Other Saturday games include the Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens (-1.5), New York Giants at Houston Texans (-2.5), Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns (-3.5), Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts (-3), New York Jets (-1.5) at Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders at Miami Dolphins (-1), Seattle Seahawks (-1) at Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Chargers (-1), Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3), Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders (-6.5).

Sunday – August 18

Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (-7)

The Green Bay Packers will be in Denver by Thursday this week so they can have a joint practice with the Broncos on Friday, and then play them at Empower Field on Sunday.

The amount of time we’ll see Jordan Love under center for Green Bay is unclear. But the quarterback competition in Denver is definitely one to watch. Jarrett Stidham was the starter last week, but his drives were killed by penalties and turnovers. Rookie Bo Nix was impressive, but he played against backups.

Nix will get the start this week, but it also might come against backups. More might be learned by Sean Payton and the rest of his coaching staff by how things go during Friday’s practice.

New Orleans Saints (-3) at San Francisco 49ers

One rookie quarterback flying under the radar is Spencer Rattler of the New Orleans Saints. He bounced from Oklahoma to South Carolina in college, and that took off some of the shine he had coming out of high school. But it’s important to remember that at OU, he lost his job to Caleb Williams. In hindsight, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Rattler played well at South Carolina, was drafted in the fifth round by the Saints, and he was outstanding in his preseason debut. He is unlikely to challenge Derek Carr for quarterback supremacy in New Orleans. But in the battle for QB2, Jake Haener is feeling the heat.