It’s Week 1 of the NFL preseason, and while we might not get to see all that much of the league’s top talent, it is a first chance to see new coaches, players and systems bedding in – and it gives us a chance to test our mettle with a few bets.
Now, we can’t know who’ll see the most game time and which teams will try the hardest in these regular season run-throughs, so really the preseason is a chance to have a bit of fun and see how the offseason narratives are shaping up on the field. However, we can infer quite a bit from previous approaches to the preseason, as well as the quality of back-ups, especially at the quarterback position, so here’s our pick of the punts for Saturday night’s slate of games…
NFL Preseason Saturday Week 1 Acca
6pm: Chicago Bears @ Buffalo Bills
Handicap: Bills -2.5
7pm: Las Vegas Raiders @ Minnesota Vikings
Moneyline: Raiders
12am: San Francisco 49ers @ Tennessee Titans
#WhatOddsPaddy: Tennessee Titans 2+ Passing Touchdowns
12:05am: Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Chargers
Handicap: Seahawks -3
An acca on these selections pays at approximately 12/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.
6pm: Chicago Bears @ Buffalo Bills
Handicap: Bills -2.5
The Bears go to Buffalo having fielded a handful of starters in the Hall of Fame game last week against the Texans before the heavens opened. Number one draft pick Caleb Williams was not among them and we expect that to continue with former Broncos back-up Brett Rypien, spot starter from last season Tyler Bagent, and undrafted rookie Austin Reed sharing the signcalling duties.
That trio of replacements weren’t terrible, with Rypien getting the lion’s share of the attempts and chucking three scores before the game was abandoned with roster bubble candidate Collin Johnson being the chief beneficiary tallying 56 yards and a pair of TDs.
The Bills have only seen training camp action so far, but the question you have to ask is how much the weather affected the Bears plans last week and does it mean that guys who were supposed to get time late against Houston are given more of a shot this week? It seem likely that they would as the coaching staff attempts to whittle down the roster.
Another factor to worth considering here is the Bills’ record in preseason under coach Sean McDermott. They’ve only lost twice in their last 12 preseason games and they’ve not lost a home opener in any of the last four preseason slates. We’ll take a shot on them to cover in our Week 1 acca.
7pm: Las Vegas Raiders @ Minnesota Vikings
Moneyline: Raiders
The handicap line has swung wildly since opening with the Vikes favoured to the Raiders at -3.5 points as of publication time.
The main factor in Vegas’ favour is the genuine QB battle between the, err, iconic Gardner Minshew and second-year passer Aidan O’Connell. Reports are positive on the former Jaguars starter but it’s still up in the air as to who’ll lead them into the regular season.
As such, the coaches have to give them more reps than we’d usually expect, and each player will want to impress.
Add in the fact that Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell is from the Sean McVay tree – he’s notoriously dismissive of the preseason and the use of starters during it – and this all points to a Raiders win.
Having missed the generous handicap, though, we’ll just take the Moneyline and tick off another acca leg.
12am: San Francisco 49ers @ Tennessee Titans
#WhatOddsPaddy: Tennessee Titans 2+ Passing Touchdowns
The preseason is not a point of emphasis for Kyle Shanahan either. The Niners do not have a strong record in the last three seasons and have not posted huge numbers generally either, hence a relatively low opening Total Points line here of around 36.
That number’s now ticked up to 38.5, This must be because punters expect the new offensive emphasis in Tennessee post-Mike Vrabel to show-up early. Derrick Henry is gone and they’ve brought in the much lighter Tony Pollard from Dallas, along with Calvin Ridley at wide receiver and the offensive line has been bolstered. These additions are designed to give second-year QB Will Levis every chance to make it as a Titan this season. If he doesn’t, they’ll know they’ve whiffed on his 2023 draft selection.
PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams in action against Mason Rudolph #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 10, 2019 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
He won’t see a lot, if any, game time this weekend, but Mason Rudolph and Malik Willis are both QBs who started games – one even a playoff game! – in the league last season. Deputising for Levis in this game, they should find the endzone at least twice, especially with the offensive turnaround Tennessee are trying to implement under new coach Brian Callahan. You’d also have questions about the level of defensive back-ups in San Francisco who’ll see playing time in the second half of this game.
12:05am: Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Chargers
Handicap: Seahawks -3
Just in case anyone was thinking the Chargers might finally put it all together having brought in Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert picked up a nagging injury he’s going to have to manage all season long. Yay!
Herbert was never likely to play much in the preseason anyway, and the new head coach is not going to take August too seriously anyway, hence the Seahawks favouritism here.
In addition, they’ve got one of the more intriguing QB situations, with Geno Smith re-signed for this season, but former Commander starter Sam Howell was also picked up and journeyman PJ Walker is in the mix too – and we’ve all seen the kind of things he can do.
Mike McDonald is also a new coach for them. He’s the former DC of John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, a team that has historically played to win these warm-up games, so we’ll assume he takes after that Harbaugh brother and back Seattle to cover.
NFL Preseason Saturday Week 1 Acca
6pm: Chicago Bears @ Buffalo Bills
Handicap: Bills -2.5
7pm: Las Vegas Raiders @ Minnesota Vikings
Moneyline: Raiders
12am: San Francisco 49ers @ Tennessee Titans
#WhatOddsPaddy: Tennessee Titans 2+ Passing Touchdowns
12:05am: Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Chargers
Handicap: Seahawks -3
An acca on these selections pays at approximately 12/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.
*All odds and lines quoted are accurate at time of publication but are subject to change
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