Week 1 of the NFL Preseason kicks off tonight with games between the New York Giants and New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens.
Betting on these games, like any in the preseason, is tricky because it’s hard to know who will play and exactly for how long. So, it’s imperative to gather as much of that intel as possible. It’s also important to keep in mind which teams have new coaches and coordinators and could be implementing new systems.
Aside from those things, I’m looking for trends from preseason games of past seasons and leaning on what we do know about the players expected to play.
Giants vs. Patriots
These teams are taking different approaches to their opener, with the Giants playing their starters while the Pats sit theirs.
I don’t know how long the Giants starters will play, but I do expect them to at least have a one-score advantage by the time the backups start trickling it. That’s less about Daniel Jones and New York’s offense, however, and more about New England’s backups going against a starting-caliber defense, which could create some lopsided fields.
Both teams have veteran backups at quarterback, so I don’t expect either second unit to turn the ball over much. But I also don’t expect Brian Hoyer or Tyrod Taylor to play a whole lot either. So whatever the margin is once they’re done is probably what it’ll be to finish, which leads me to lean towards a Giants cover.
Prince Pick: Giants -2.5
Titans vs. Ravens
The Ravens haven’t lost a preseason game since 2015. That’s 20 straight wins. And if you’ve ever heard head coach John Harbaugh speak about the streak, it’s something he actually takes pride in. That alone makes me want to pick Baltimore’s moneyline.
Lamar Jackson won’t play, neither will the team’s top two running backs or tight end Mark Andrews. So it’ll basically be the Ravens second-team offense getting things started. But it’s not like the Titans starters are going to see much action either, if any at all.
Rookie Malik Willis will see the field for Tennessee. And while the potential is there for him to be a starter one day, it won’t be a shock to see him struggle in his first NFL action. Baltimore backup Tyler Huntley, on the other hand, enjoyed some limited success in real action last season. So he should be able to move his unit a little more and help the Ravens gain an advantage they can keep.
Prince’s Pick: Ravens -200
