NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds and Preview

Welcome to week 1 of the 2012 NFL preseason.  We got a little taste last Sunday night as the New Orleans Saints defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the annual Hall of Fame game.  All teams will be in action this week and we are bringing you the most current odds from America’s Bookie and a short preview of the games. 

Thursday August 9, 2012

Washington Redskins (0-0) at Buffalo Bills (0-0) 7:00 PM ET

Washington is favored by 2 ½ and the total is set at 35.  Mike Shanahan will want his young QB to get some game experience and build confidence and will probably see more snaps than will Ryan Fitzpatrick for Buffalo.  Look for the Redskins to get the win in Robert Griffin III’s debut.

Baltimore Ravens (0-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-0) 7:30 PM ET

Atlanta is a 1 ½ point favorite and the total is 33 ½.  I’m looking for the starters on Baltimore’s defense to play very limited time in the preseason.  The guys are getting old and Harbaugh is going to keep them fresh as much as possible before the season begins.  The Falcons are going to flex their muscles a bit even though it is a preseason game.  Look for the Falcons to move the ball and win this one.

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) 7:30 PM ET

This game is a PK and the total is 35.  We have to remember the main focus of these games is to evaluate talent and see where everyone ends up on the depth chart.  Tomlin is usually more intent on winning preseason games but look for the Eagles to win this one for Andy Reid who just lost his son.

New Orleans Saints (0-0) at New England Patriots (0-0) 7:30 PM ET

New England is a 3 point favorite and the total is set at 38.  Drew Brees looked sharp in his first game last week against Arizona.  I don’t look for him to get a lot of snaps until it counts.  I look for Tom Brady to be just as sharp as Brees was last week.  Slight nod goes to the Pats.

Green Bay Packers (0-0) at San Diego Chargers (0-0) 8:00 PM ET

San Diego is listed as a 1 point favorite and the total is set at 38.  Look for lots of offense in this game.  Even thought the total is a bit high I’m looking for an over here.

Denver Broncos (0-0) at Chicago Bears (0-0) 8:30 PM ET

Chicago is 3 point favorite with the total set at 34 ½.  It is going to be really interesting to see Peyton Manning throw the pigskin again.  The burning question will be if he can get back to form this season after a year out with the neck injury.

Friday August 10, 2012

Tampa Bay Bucs (0-0) at Miami Dolphins (0-0) 7:30 PM ET

Miami is a 2 ½ point favorite at home with a total of 33 ½.  I’m not sure how the first preseason game will play out but Tampa clearly has the better team and made a lot of good moves in the offseason.

Cleveland Browns (0-0) at Detroit Lions (0-0) 7:30 PM ET

Detroit is a 3 point favorite with the total set at 36.  Even though it doesn’t count I just can’t see Detroit losing against the Browns.

New York Giants (0-0) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-0) 7:30 PM ET

Jacksonville is a 1 ½ point favorite at home and the total is 35.  The Jaguars look to be the worst team in the NFL this season and it seems ridiculous they would be favored against the Giants.  For that reason I’m taking Jacksonville, but only for a small wager.

New York Jets (0-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-0) 7:30 PM ET

Cincinnati is a 1 ½ point favorite with a total of 34.  The Jets aren’t going to do anything this season but they will pull some trickiness out of the bag this week with both Tebow and Sanchez at QB.

Arizona Cardinals (0-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-0) 8:00 PM ET

Kansas City is a 2 ½ point favorite over the Cardinals, who already have one game under their belts.  Kolb went down with bruised ribs last week but it isn’t that serious. 

Minnesota Vikings (0-0) at San Francisco 49ers (0-0) 9:00 PM ET

San Francisco is favored by 3 points and the total is set at 34.  The Niners know they should have beat the Giants in the NFC conference championship and will won’t to flex from the beginning. 

Saturday August 11, 2012

Houston Texans (0-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-0) 7:00 PM ET

Carolina is a 2 ½ point favorite at home with a total of 35 ½.  Cam Newton should be even better in his sophomore season and the Texans will be overjoyed to have Matt Schaub behind center.  I’m giving the edge to Carolina in this one.

Tennessee Titans (0-0) at Seattle Seahawks (0-0) 10:00 PM ET

Seattle is a 3 point favorite with a total of 35 ½.  Seattle has somewhat of a mess as they have 3 QB’s competing for the starting job. 

Sunday August 12, 2012

St. Louis Rams (0-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-0) 1:30 PM ET

St. Louis is favored by 1 ½ points with the total set at 34.  The Rams are going to be much better this season and young Sam Bradford will have a good season returning from the injury.  Indy had a horrible year in 2011.  They won’t make much noise this season but should get a small moral victory here.

Monday August 13, 2012

Dallas Cowboys (0-0) at Oakland Raiders (0-0) 8:00 PM ET

Oakland is the 1 ½ point favorite at home and the total is 35.  The Raiders lost a lot on defense in the offseason but they will have Darren McFadden returning to the backfield which is a big plus.  I expect another year with Romo being hyped again.  We’ve heard that before.  Dallas will somehow win this one.

Keep up with the action at NFL Scores and Odds.