Thursday's NFL preseason Week 1 betting primer and odds
The NFL preseason gets into full swing Thursday night with seven games on the schedule, including the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots who will host the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. We have betting notes for all 14 teams in action tonight.
Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens (-1, 37)The Redskins will be missing some key members of their offensive unit as TE Jordan Reed, WR Josh Doctson, WR Jamison Crowder, and WR Kendal Thompson will all sit out Thursday with injuries. Running back Rob Kelley is dealing with a minor neck strain and, although he has not officially been ruled out, is also unlikely to play. If quarterback Kirk Cousins does set foot on the field it will only be for a series or two. The Skins know what they have in backup Colt McCoy so the bulk of the action is expected to go to No. 3 quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco is nursing a back injury and will not play Thursday night. The team is saying the ailment is relatively minor and he should be ready to play in Week 1 of the regular season, but he is unlikely to suit up at all during the preseason. Ryan Mallett will handle the starting quarterback responsibilities during the preseason and will likely play into the second quarter Thursday as the team works to get him as many starter reps as possible, just in case Flacco's injury lingers into the regular season.
Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins (+1, 36)We get to see our first glimpse of the Steve Sarkisian edition of the Falcons' offense Thursday night in Miami. Now don't expect too many changes considering the Falcons led the NFL in scoring (by a large margin) with 540 total points. Teams usually play their cards pretty close to the chest in the preseason, but we should get some insight into some of the new wrinkles Sarkisian will bring to the Atlanta attack. Unfortunately Julio Jones won't be a part of that attack. The star wideout had a bunion removed this offseason and the Falcons won't be pushing him into game action until at least Week 3.
There has been a lot of talk out of Dolphins camp this week about the arrival of quarterback Jay Cutler and how his arm has looked pretty good. However, it is unlikely that he will suit up for Thursday's game. That means look for incumbent backup Matt Moore to do all he can to prove he should still get a chance for this Dolphins team. Running back Jay Ajayi and lineman Laremy Tunsil are both expected to miss Thursday's contest.
New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns (-3, 38)Starting quarterback Drew Brees and newly acquired superstar running back Adrian Peterson will both sit out Thursday's game in Cleveland. The New Orleans offense should not be an issue this season as they ranked second in the NFL in scoring offense last season and first in passing offense. They will, however, put an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball during the preseason.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson named Brock Osweiler the starting quarterback for preseason Week 1, but made no guarantees moving forward. Jackson also publicly stated his desire to win this preseason. "I want to win them all if I can. We need to go out and play good in front of our fans and go win." Osweiler will play two or three series' and rookie DeShone Kizer is expected to play the entire second half. Rookie defensive end Myles Garrett and fellow rookie defender Jabrill Peppers are both looking to make a major impact in Thursday's contest.
Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills (+2, 36.5)Rookie running back Dalvin Cook has already been named the Vikings starter, according to their first official depth chart and he will be the featured back on Thursday. Offseason acquisition and former Raider Latavius Murray has been ruled out for this game. Expect to see Cook play for about a quarter in the Vikings first game.
Bills fans will get a bit of a treat in their preseason opener, as head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that the team's starters will play "about a quarter, give or take." That is much more than the regular series or two most NFL starters play in a preseason opener. That includes wide receiver Sammy Watkins.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots (-3.5, 40.5)The Branden Albert stuff in Jacksonville is just plain weird, but the Jaguars have questions to answer at offensive line, especially if they are truly changing their offensive philosophy in 2017. We should get a little bit of a glimpse of this Thursday night as first round pick Leonard Fournette is set to make his NFL debut. But it all comes down to Blake Bortles for the Jags, check to see if his footwork looks at all improved in their preseason opener. If not, it could be another long season in Jacksonville.
Tell me if you guessed this, the Patriots do not care about the preseason. Reports heading into this game are that a number of key starters won't play at all; including Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, Julian Edelman and Mike Gillislee. That means Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett will split the majority of the snaps Thursday. Both have starting experience due to the Brady suspension, but both need a strong showing after a rough start to camp. Keep an eye out for how the Pats use new tight end Dwayne Allen in this game.
Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears (+1, 35.5)Denver travels to Chicago for their preseason opener to take on an Bears team led by former Broncos' head coach John Fox. The Broncos are strong at every position on the football field, except the most important one - quarterback. Denver has to figure out whether they are going to enter the season with Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch as their starter. Reports are that neither player has performed well at camp and both will see significant reps Thursday night.
All three quarterbacks on the Bears' roster are newcomers to the team and they will all see some time on the field in order to get more familiar with Dowell Loggains' offensive system. Mike Glennon will likely play two or three series' followed by some combination of Mark Sanchez (listed as No. 2 on the team's depth chart) and first round draft pick Mitchell Trubisky for the remainder of the football game.
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers (-1, 38.5)The Eagles' starting offense is expected to play one or two series against the Packers in Green Bay on Thursday night. That "starting offense" will include quarterback Carson Wentz but will likely not include newly acquired wide receiver Alshon Jeffery who is nursing a sore shoulder. After Wentz is done the rest of the game will likely be shared by Matt McGloin and Dane Evans. The Eagles are looking for big things from rookie first round pick Derek Barnett at defensive end and expect him to get into the backfield several times in this game.
Packers' starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not play Thursday night against the Eagles and the throwing duties will be shared by Brett Hundley, Joe Callahan, and undrafted rookie free agent Taysom Hill...in that order. Rodgers will be joined on the sidelines by wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who tore his ACL in a Packers' preseason game back in 2015 - no need to tempt fate there.
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