Top NFL Week 2 Preseason Betting Picks: Saturday (8/21)
August is here, and despite no regular-season games, bettors are eager as ever to place bets on NFL games. I’ll never recommend putting a ton of money on these preseason games. And I absolutely don’t recommend using a large amount of bankroll on the preseason games. But if you’re looking for some action for Week 2 of preseason football on Saturday, I’ve got you covered.
Check out our consensus odds for this week’s preseason games >>
Chicago Bears -4 (-110)
The 1-0 Bills will travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears, who are also 1-0. The significant tidbit on this game is that the Bills signed Mitch Trubisky to a one-year deal in the offseason. Trubisky was the Bears’ first-round pick in 2017 and was the QB1 for the squad ever since. In Chicago, he never figured it out. He’ll most likely get his chance to shine against his former team with the Bills, which could make things interesting.
I say most likely because most of us are unsure who will get the bulk of the snaps in this game. But I’d be shocked if Trubisky didn’t get a couple drives to show the Bills what he can offer.
On the flip side, the Bears will likely provide their rookie first-rounder quarterback, Justin Fields, with a full half of the game’s snaps. Fields looked like the best rookie quarterback throughout Week 1 and will look to build on his performance in Week 2. At this point, Andy Dalton still believes he’ll be the starter in the first regular-season game of the season. Per the coaching staff, that still stands to be the case.
It’ll be fun watching Fields take on Trubisky. Bears fans will love it. Fields will produce how the Bears expected Trubisky to produce. The Bears quarterback room includes Dalton, Fields, and Nick Foles. I’d feel comfortable in a preseason game behind any of those three quarterbacks.
New York Jets/Green Bay Packers Under 34 (-110)
Both of these teams combined for 19 points in Week 1 of the preseason. The Jets’ defense held the Giants to just 163 total yards with only 58 yards passing and 105 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the Packers’ offense scored just seven points in their loss to the Texans, totaling only 242 yards on offense with only 49 yards on the ground.
The Packers never found the red zone behind last year’s rookie Jordan Love and third-string quarterback Kurt Benkert. Love had a solid quarterback rating of 110.4, but Benkert struggled with a 53.5 rating, thanks to an interception thrown.
The Jets’ first-round draft pick and second overall selection, Zach Wilson, went 6-of-9 in his first preseason action. He could’ve been better but also could’ve been worse. The Jets relied on Mike White for most of that game, and he threw for just 127 yards while the rushing game lagged all night.
The Jets’ defense will be prepared, and the offense will never be great, even against this Packers team that allowed 26 to the Texans last week. The Jets ran 29 more plays than the Giants in their first game of the season. They controlled the clock and moved the ball slowly.
I like the under in this battle.
Indianapolis Colts +140
The Colts defeated the Panthers last Sunday, 21-18, and relied on two quarterbacks in Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger to get the job done. Those two quarterbacks combined to go 25-of-36 for 310 yards. Still, they didn’t score any touchdowns. They allowed the running backs to score.
Having depth behind Carson Wentz is awesome, and when Wentz went down, the Colts’ staff talked about how well Eason and Ehlinger were competing for first-team reps in practice. The Colts’ offense accumulated 427 yards on just 10 drives with 75 total plays, out-totaling the Panthers with 21 more plays and 12 more first downs.
On the flip side, the Vikings lost to the Broncos 33-6 and were absolutely humiliated against a Broncos’ defense that was lock-down all game.
The Vikings’ backup quarterbacks were Kellen Mond and Jake Browning, and neither looked anywhere close to reliable in that game. On the road, the Colts are underdogs? I’ll go sip my tea.
View the top deposit bonuses and promo codes for each sportsbook >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you're new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our Sports Betting 101 Section - including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners - or head to more advanced sports betting strategy - like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread - to learn more.
Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.