2024 NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds - Football Betting

2024 NFL Preseason Week 1 Spreads, Moneylines and Totals

Thankfully, the NFL Preseason has been reduced to three games. Regardless, the first week of preseason football is tough to handicap. That is because of the inability of fans and gamblers to get reliable lineup information. Teams will often play rookies and or inexperienced second or third-string players and free agents Week1 NFL preseason action. Thus, the lineups have no resemblance to what will be seen in the regular season. For established championship-caliber teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, the main goal of the preseason is to escape without serious injuries to key players. The established powers will focus on finding role players and filling out the bottom of their rosters. On the other hand, perennial losers or teams with new quarterbacks will invest more in the preseason. The Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons will use the preseason to evaluate their QBs.

Many sharps love preseason thanks to in-game live betting. Wise Guys will track the lineups on a play-by-play basis, looking for an advantage to leap into action immediately. Despite the uncertainty regarding how long starters will play, if at all, Week 1 NFL preseason games still get action because it is NFL football. The major TV networks don’t get involved with Week 1 games, but NFL Network will be showing plenty of action.

NFL Betting Odds

NFL Preseason Week 1 Betting Lines

Opening night of Week 1 NFL preseason games features a matchup of two struggling teams with new head coaches and unsettled QB situations. On Thursday, August 8, the New England Patriots will host the Carolina Panthers on NFL Network. The Bill Belichick era has ended in New England. The Hoodie was fired more for his terrible performance regarding the procurement of talent after Tom Brady departed than anything else. In his place, Jerod Mayo was promoted from Belichick’s staff to become the new headman. Mayo is obviously filling some historically large shoes.

New England owner Robert Kraft was tired of Belichick’s lack of personality and gruff ways. Kraft tolerated it when Belichick was at the peak of his powers in leading the Patriots to, arguably, the greatest dynasty in NFL history. But once the losses started to accumulate, Kraft was eager to move on to a kinder, gentler, and more respectful partner. But NFL history shows that tyrants win a lot more championships than the agreeable collaborative types. Thus, there are plenty of skeptics regarding the Patriots prospects.

Another era ended last year at New England. Mac Jones, New England’s first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a Pro Bowler as a rookie, was sent packing after regressing from that peak. Jones took the Pats to the playoffs as a rookie, but once offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Jones lacked the mentoring that had made him so successful. Jones will try and rebuild his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he is expected to back up Trevor Lawrence.

Drake Maye was drafted third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Patriots out of North Carolina. Although Maye is second on the depth chart behind Jacoby Brissett, who is with his fifth team in five years, Maye will be given every opportunity to win the starting QB job. Alex Van Pelt, New England’s new offensive coordinator and TC McCartney is the QB coach. Both will be experimenting in the preseason to solve one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

Carolina has a new head coach, Dave Canales, who has a reputation for being a QB guru. Canales is being tasked to get 2023 first overall draft pick Bryce Young back on track. Young has looked good in camp and he is expected to play far better than he did a year ago. How much we see of Young and the starters in the preseason opener is the question.

Friday’s spotlight will be in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers host the Houston Texans on NFL Network. The Texans are coming off a weather-shortened loss in the Hall of Fame Game to the Bears so Houston will have the advantage of being a little more prepared, but oddsmakers have the Steelers favored. That could be due to the fact that Pittsburgh could have a starting quarterback battle between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Early reports have the race closer than expected, as Wilson has been battling an injury, while Fields has looked great. It should be noted that Houston has capable backup quarterbacks behind CJ Stroud in Davis Mills and Case Keenum.

There are three games on NFL Network on Saturday, including the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs visiting Jacksonville. The Jaguars are slight favorites in a game that likely won’t see the starters playing much. Jacksonville will be looking to get backup quarterback Mac Jones a lot of playing time and the Jaguars also have CJ Beathard. The Chiefs have Carson Wentz as the main backup to Patrick Mahomes and then playing time will go to Chris Oladokun and Ian Book.

Both of Sunday’s NFL Preseason Week 1 games are on NFL Network, as the Denver Broncos visit the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys visit the Los Angeles Rams. Both road teams are favored in NFL Week 1 preseason odds. The Broncos have a quarterback battle going on between Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson while the Colts are pretty well settled with Anthony Richardson the starter and Joe Flacco the backup. The Cowboys don’t figure to play Dak Prescott, so it will be Cooper Rush and Trey Lance getting the playing time. The Rams almost never play any starters in Week 1 of the NFL preseason, so it will be backup Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback followed by Stetson Bennett and Dresser Winn.

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