The 2018 NFL Preseason is set to kick off on Thursday, August 9th. Most teams will only play their starters for a series or two, but there will still be great competition. Let’s take a look at the top 5 preseason week 1 games to bet on.
Thursday, August 9th
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Chicago Bears: The Cincinnati Bengals will open up their preseason schedule by hosting the Chicago Bears. This will actually be the second preseason game for the Bears, as they will take on the Baltimore Ravens in the Hall of Fame Game. For this reason, the Bears are the team to bet on in this game. Chicago will already have worked through some kinks and should be much more crisp in their second preseason game. The Bengals will be trying things out for the first time, and will still be limiting starters to a series. The Bears will win this game.
Thursday, August 9th
New York Giants vs. Cleveland Browns: The Giants and Browns were two of the worst teams in the NFL last season, and both teams have a ton of improvements to make. The Giants have more veterans on their roster, and should be ready for week 1 of the preseason. The Browns will be unveiling new quarterback, Baker Mayfield, in this game. Mayfield will struggle seeing an NFL defense for the first time. Bet the Giants to open up the preseason with a victory.
Thursday, August 9th
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Lincoln Financial Field will be rocking when the Eagles take the field for the first time on August 9th. The defending champion Eagles will be great again this season, and will be pumped up for their first preseason game. The Steelers will likely be without Le’veon Bell in this game, and probably won’t play Ben Roethlisberger more than one series. The Eagles will defeat the Steelers in preseason week 1.
Thursday, August 9th
New England Patriots vs. Washington Redskins: The Patriots open up the preseason by hosting the Washington Redskins at Gillette Stadium. The Redskins will be breaking in veteran quarterback Alex Smith in this game, after moving on from Kirk Cousins. The Patriots always compete well in the preseason, with players trying to find a way to get on Bill Belichick’s good side. The Patriots will probably hold out Tom Brady for this game, but New England has plenty of talent to beat the Redskins.
Friday, August 10th
New York Jets vs. Atlanta Falcons: The New York Jets have a quarterback controversy brewing. The Jets selected Sam Darnold in the first round of the 2018 draft, and also signed Teddy Bridgewater in the offseason. For this reason, the Jets are the team to bet in this game as both quarterbacks will want to show that they deserve the starting job. The Falcons will be the much better regular season team, but will fall to the Jets to open up the preseason. Bet the New York Jets in this game.
