Preseason Week 1 Odds: NFL Spreads, Moneylines And Totals

NFL pre-season Week 1 Odds

Written By:

LSR Staff

Updated on:

The first full week of NFL preseason action gets underway on Thursday, Aug. 11. There will be 16 games squeezed into a four-day window.

Pro football action is back, and legal betting sites are ready for the games. Here’s everything you need to know about NFL Preseason Week 1 and the latest odds for each game.

NFL Preseason Week 1 betting odds

[metabet_core_odds_board league=”nfl” market=”spread” hide_consensus=”yes” site_ID=”legalsportsreport”]

NFL Preseason Week 1 schedule

The NFL preseason gets underway in earnest Thursday with a pair of games. All 32 teams will be in action over the course of four days, with a single late Sunday afternoon game closing out the busy weekend. Let’s take a look at all 16 matchups.

Preseason game odds last updated: August 11, 2022

New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

Brian Daboll makes his coaching debut with the Giants, while Bill Belichick kicks off his 23rd year on the sidelines for the Patriots. New England went 3-0 in last year’s preseason. Belichick is 49-36 in exhibition games over his tenure, and 15-7 in the opening week. The Giants were winless in preseason last year, but there’s a new regime in charge this time around.

Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens

John Harbaugh and the Ravens have had quite a run of success in preseason games. The team is undefeated over its last 20 exhibition games, and is 13-1 in the opening week during the Harbaugh era. Baltimore is a sizable favorite. The Titans were 2-1 last year and are 4-7 in the preseason since the Mike Vrabel era began in 2018.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions

It’s a meeting of two clubs coming off tough seasons. Both the Falcons and Lions had losing records last year and were winless in the preseason. Atlanta maight want to get a look at both Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder behind center, while we could also get our first glimpse at DE Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions second overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

There has been plenty of chatter about the Browns throughout the offseason. Questions remain about what the offense will look like until (or if) QB Deshaun Watson returns from suspension. For the Jaguars, Doug Pederson, former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, is now in charge on the sidelines.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Two high-powered offensive teams square off in Cincinnati, but don’t expect much in the way of fireworks for the opening week of the preseason. Joe Burrow has been out for the start of camp after having his appendix removed. Kyler Murray inked a massive extension in advance of camp. This game will likely see the backup QBs taking turns on offense.

New York Jets vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Based on the latest NFL futures odds, the Eagles could be in the playoff mix this season, while slight improvement is expected out of the Jets. For last year’s preseason, New York was 2-0-1, while Philadelphia was 0-2-1. The teams squared off in Week 3 of the exhibition season and played to a 31-31 tie.

Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers

This is technically a playoff rematch, but don’t expect to see the same matchup with starting QBs sitting. The 49ers eliminated the Packers with a 13-10 victory in the divisional round at Lambeau Field last season. Green Bay heads west this time around and was 0-3 last year, while San Francisco was 2-1.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears

The Chiefs and Bears were both solid in the preseason last year, with the former at 3-0 and the latter checking in at 2-1. Over the course of the Andy Reid era, Kansas City is 42-45 in exhibition games and 11-12 in the opener. For Chicago, this will be the debut game for new head coach Matt Eberflus, former defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts.

Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Commanders

Carolina is one of the teams to watch for the next few weeks, as there’s a preseason camp battle underway at QB between Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. We’ll know for sure closer to game time, but it’s possible that both will see their fair share of action. The Commanders and Panthers both went 1-2 in preseason games last year.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills

The Bills are the current favorites in Super Bowl futures betting, but don’t expect to see the team firing on all cylinders in the preseason with starters not playing as much. Meanwhile, the Colts are a potential dark-horse contender following a trade for veteran signal caller Matt Ryan.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

These clubs will have a changing of the guard at QB. For the Steelers, it’s a race between Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and rookie Kenny Pickett to replace Ben Roethlisberger. Drew Lock and Geno Smith are doing battle in Seattle to take over for Russell Wilson. Pete Carroll is 7-4 in preseason openers with Seattle, while Mike Tomlin is 9-8.

Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The odds are tight for this meeting of two Florida teams that have their sights set on the playoffs. The Dolphins have a new head coach in Mike McDaniel, as well as a new piece of the puzzle for the offense in WR Tyreek Hill. Todd Bowles takes over on the sidelines in Tampa Bay. Tom Brady is back to lead the offense, but he’ll likely be on the sidelines for this tilt.

New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans

It’s another meeting of new head coaches. Dennis Allen has taken over in New Orleans, while Lovie Smith has been hired to lead the rebuild in Houston. In previous stops, Smith has gone 4-8 in preseason openers, while Allen is 1-2. The current betting lines are pointing to a coin flip of a game and not much in the way of offense.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos

The Cowboys were winless in four preseason games last year, losing two of the contests by double digits. We’ll see if a different approach is on the way for the exhibitions this time around, but the Broncos are home favorites for this one. The team has quickly entered the playoff conversation after the blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson.

Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The two tenants at SoFi Field will square off for this one. The defending Super Bowl champions Rams were winless in last year’s preseason games, while the Chargers went 1-2. These are two clubs that are among the big game favorites for this year. They’ll likely keep playing time for top players on the lighter side.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Preseason Week 1 comes to a close with a standalone game on Sunday afternoon. It’s another matchup of debuting head coaches: Josh McDaniels for the Raiders and Kevin O’Connell with the Vikings. McDaniels was 2-6 in exhibition games during his head coaching days with the Broncos. O’Connell was previously the offensive coordinator of the Rams.

Which teams are the best bets for NFL preseason?

There are certain teams that have regularly performed well in the preseason, such as the Ravens while Harbaugh has been on the sidelines. For the most part, the best teams in a given preseason will vary from season to season.

If we look back to last season, just seven teams made it through undefeated and without any ties for a final mark of 3-0. Interestingly, all of the clubs were from the AFC.

Outside of the Broncos, all of the teams were being viewed as potential playoff contenders as the preseason began, but just three of them actually punched a ticket to the postseason: the Bills, Chiefs, and Patriots.

On the opposite side, six clubs went 0-3 in last year’s preseason. The Dallas Cowboys topped them all with a final mark of 0-4 in exhibitions.

For this group – all NFC clubs – the Cowboys and Packers made it to the playoffs, while the Rams went on to victory in Super Bowl 56 over the Cincinnati Bengals.

This preseason, there are 10 new head coaches:

Can you bet on player props for NFL preseason games?

Betting options for preseason games tend to be limited in comparison to what you’ll find during the NFL regular season. The main pregame bets of moneyline, spread, and over/under are top attractions for bettors to choose from, and some contests attract a decent amount of betting volume.

Since playing time for starters often is limited and it’s tough to project what we’ll see out of the rest of the roster, player props typically aren’t available at legal online sportsbooks during the preseason.

NFL Preseason Week 1 betting tips

Live pro football action is back once the preseason gets underway, and sportsbooks will be more than happy to have football back in the fold. That said, it’s important to remember that the exhibition season is tough to predict. Here’s a quick checklist to work through as you sort through the games to look for potential betting opportunities.

How does the team typically approach the preseason?

As mentioned, some head coaches go for it during the preseason, while others might be more inclined to lay back.  Previous records mean that much less for teams with new head coaches though.

Is there any insight from news and notes surrounding the game?

While it might only be the preseason, there are still plenty of game previews and coach sound bytes to digest. Use them to your advantage. While reviewing, look for glimpses into what might be to come. More specifically, seek any clues on playing time and overall approach to the game.

Can you make a case for betting on the game?

If you find a clear advantage for one side, then the game could be worth betting on.

While there are bettors that find success with preseason betting, a cautious approach for the games that don’t count makes a ton of sense. You can certainly pick your spots if you find some clear advantages, but you also can take it slow and using the preseason as a chance to get set for the season while betting responsibly.

LSR Staff Avatar

LSR Staff
Multiple members of the Legal Sports Report team contributed to this article.

editorial guidelines

|

About Us

more articles like this