Picking NFL preseason games is so much more difficult than the regular season — which is saying something, because NFL picks in meaningful games aren't a cakewalk. Yes, we can look at the starters in these games and whether they're playing, but when you're talking about an exhibition game in which the results will largely be determined by deep-roster backups, things get a bit unpredictable.
So, naturally, we're going to make predictions for the unpredictable. You can call it just getting the feet wet to get us ready for the regular season. With that, let's dive into our NFL preseason Week 2 picks for every game, predicting the winner and making a pick against the spread as well.
Note: All lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
NFL preseason predictions for Week 2: Picks straight-up and ATS for every game
NFL Preseason Matchup | Straight-Up Pick | ATS Pick |
|---|---|---|
Raiders at Texans | Texans | Texans -1.5 |
49ers at Chargers | 49ers | 49ers -1.5 |
Jets at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers +1.5 |
Panthers at Jaguars | Panthers | Panthers -1.5 |
Packers at Broncos | Broncos | Broncos -5.5 |
Commanders at Lions | Commanders | Commanders +1.5 |
Falcons at Colts | Colts | Colts -3.5 |
Bills at Browns | Browns | Browns -2.5 |
Ravens at Vikings | Ravens | Ravens +3.5 |
Saints at Rams | Rams | Rams +2.5 |
Giants at Dolphins | Giants | Giants -3.5 |
Eagles at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots +2.5 |
Bears at Bengals | Bears | Bears -2.5 |
Chiefs at Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers -5.5 |
Cowboys at Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals -1.5 |
Seahawks at Titans | Titans | Titans -4.5 |
The 3 NFL preseason picks I really have a feel for
New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers (+1.5)
You won't find me getting behind this year's Steelers all that often, as I believe, on the whole, this is the third-best team in the division, ahead of only the Browns. Having said that, both Will Howard and Drew Allar were impressive in their preseason debuts last week. For me, that type of quarterback depth could be an advantage in the preseason. That's especially true with a roster like the Jets', which I don't think quite matches up.
Maybe Allar turns into a pumpkin considering his time at Penn State was marred by his overall inconsistency, but I saw enough last week from this Pittsburgh offense to find it a little too curious that they're underdogs this week at home with Howard and Allar expected to play most of the game.
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts (-3.5)
Put simply, I don't know how anyone could feel good about the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason or overall at this point. Michael Penix Jr. still isn't cleared to play, which means that Tua Tagovailoa will be playing if Kevin Stefanski looks to play his starters. The veteran southpaw looked, frankly, broken in his first preseason action. More importantly, it didn't look like a level of performance that he was going to be able to wildly exceed moving forward.
This isn't to say that the Colts are some highly bankable commodity. That's certainly not my feeling on Indianapolis on this point. With the quarterback situation, though, the Falcons look like they might be in serious, long-term trouble with their roster building, and that's not exactly a good omen for a preseason contest.
Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans
New Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh has been one of the best preseason coaches in terms of win-loss record in the NFL in the past several years when he's been in that position. He's 10-3 against the spread in his preseason career, and added a win to that tally last week with his Titans — despite the fact that neither Cam Ward nor Will Levis played well at all — taking down the 49ers.
For whatever reason, it seems like some coaches care more than others about the NFL preseason. Saleh, based on his track record, is one of those coaches. Seattle is clearly the better team if we're talking about the regular season, but we're going to follow the trend on this one, which means backing Saleh and the Titans. That doesn't feel great to say, but you have to go by the information we're given.
Add us as a preferred source on Google