Football is back, baby. Granted, it’s only the preseason. But we will be just fine with whatever NFL action we can get following the dog days of summer in which there was only baseball to watch among the 4 major American sports. The Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, kicked things off last week; now we have a full slate of Week 1 preseason competition on our hands. There are 3 games on Thursday, 3 on Friday, 8 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. You can find out our expert NFL picks for all of the big preseason matchups this week, but for now, let’s break down my 3 NFL preseason best bets for Week 1.
NFL Preseason best bet: Philadelphia Eagles +6 over Cincinnati Bengals (-110)
Odds available at bet365 at time of publishing.
Cincinnati will play some of its starters in this Thursday night contest – including quarterback Joe Burrow. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that the first team would play for “several series,” although he also said that the majority of the starters’ work would come in Week 3. Philadelphia is presumably resting its starters, which is why the home side is a 6-point underdog. I’m not inclined to give 6 points in pretty much any preseason situation, this one includes – especially with the Eagles surely at least somewhat inspired to deliver a decent showing in front of their own fans.
In 2024, Philly opened with a 16-13 win over Baltimore before beating New England 14-13. The Bengals, on the other hand, went 0-3 in last year’s preseason after going 0-2-1 in 2023. They have compiled a losing record in 5 straight preseasons. Nothing about their quarterback room behind Burrow inspires any confidence (yes, that is a shot at Jake Browning, Desmond Ridder and Payton Thorne), so I think the Eagles will keep this one close.
Read our full Bengals vs Eagles prediction
NFL Preseason prediction: Washington Commanders vs New England Patriots Under 34.5 (-108)
Odds available at bet365 at time of publishing.
Not unlike Cincinnati vs Philadelphia, this is another matchup in which one team’s starters are confirmed to be playing. New England head coach Mike Vrabel announced that his top guys will be on the field this weekend for a home date with Washington. I still don’t think Drake Maye and company will put up a whole bunch of points in limited action. Let’s be honest; this Patriots offense isn’t very good even when the starters are playing.
This franchise has not scored many points in recent preseasons, too. None of New England’s preseason affairs in 2024 exceeded 30 points. Seven of its last 8 preseason contests have stayed under this 34.5 number. Only 1 of Washington’s preseason games in 2024 surpassed the 30-point mark and the schedule included a measly 13-6 loss at Miami. These 2 teams squared off in Week 3 of the 2024 preseason and 30 points were scored in the Commanders’ 20-10 home victory.
Read our full Commanders vs Patriots prediction
NFL Preseason pick: Kansas City Chiefs vs Arizona Cardinals Over 37.5 (-115)
Odds available at Caesars Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Don’t be surprised if the story is different when Kansas City visits Arizona on Saturday night. The total (37.5) is higher, but I still expect it to be exceeded. All 3 of the Chiefs’ preseason games last year surpassed this number, including one with 55 points and another with 47. The year before that, all 3 of their contests finished with at least 48 points and they twice put up 33 points or more by themselves. It is true that we won’t see Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray in this one. Still, some of the backup QBs have experience in the league. K.C.’s depth chart includes Gardner Minshew and Bailey Zappe, while Jacoby Brissett is Arizona’s #2 behind Murray. Those guys know what they are doing out there.
Find out Chris Farley’s Super Bowl 60 best bet and predictions for the new NFL season
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