NFL preseason Week 2 picks: Odds, best bets as preseason rolls on (2024)

The NFL's preseason slate continues this weekend, starting with the Eagles vs. Patriots matchup on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET.

Both Philadelphia and New England won their preseason openers.

The Eagles squeaked by Baltimore 16-13 last Friday night on a last-second field goal by Jake Elliott, while New England suffocated Carolina in a 17-3 near-shutout win on a rainy night in Foxborough last Thursday.

Of the 16 games on tap this weekend, 13 will take place on Saturday. The wall-to-wall action begins at noon with Atlanta-Baltimore and includes a late-night battle between the Cowboys and Raiders, which doesn't kick off until 10 p.m. ET.

At the risk of jinxing our takes on Week 2 of the preseason, we would like to point out that last week's picks were plenty profitable. In our NFL Preseason Week 1 overview, three of five bets cashed, and all four plays given out in our Bears-Bills and Broncos-Colts game previews also hit:

NFL Preseason Week 2 Best Bets

NFL Preseason Best Bets for Thursday, August 15

Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots (7 p.m. ET, NFL Network, NFL+)

While there's no doubt about who will lead the offense for the Eagles, the Patriots have an ongoing competition between rookie Drake Maye and vet Jacoby Brissett. Maye saw limited action on a wet field in Week 1 and figures to have a busier night against the Eagles.

The star of the Pats' opener, though, was fourth-string rookie QB Joe Milton III, whose athleticism and arm strength were on full display late in Patriots-Panthers.

The former Tennessee Vol, who completed 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards and a TD and added 22 yards rushing, makes New England a good bet to move to 2-0 on Thursday night. With four Patriots QBs fighting to prove themselves, New England Team Total Over 19.5 (-125 at bet365) is also worth a play.

Eagles vs. Patriots best bet: Patriots -3 (-110) FanDuel, bet365

NFL Preseason Best Bets for Saturday, August 17

Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears (1 p.m. ET, NFL Network, NFL+)

Last week featured some flashy moments from players, including Milton, who are unlikely to make much noise come Week 1 of the regular season.

But it was the player under the most scrutiny, Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams, who took home the unofficial honor of "star of opening weekend of the preseason." NFL fans got their first live look at Williams' penchant for making difficult throws on the run look easy, and it didn't disappoint.

Whether Williams plays extensively against the Bengals or not, the Bears offense is as trustworthy as any in the league right now. Chicago not only scored 33 points against Buffalo last weekend, but also put up 21 with its reserves in less than three quarters of the NFL Hall of Fame Game.

We've seen enough this preseason from not only Williams, but also backups Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien, to take the Bears to go over their team total every week until proven otherwise.

Bengals vs. Bears best bet: Bears Team Total Over 21.5 (-120) bet365

New York Jets at Carolina Panthers (7 p.m. ET, NFL+)

Jets-Panthers looms as an interesting test for Carolina, which endured a rough preseason opener. The absence last week of the team's top quarterbacks, Bryce Young and Andy Dalton, makes some degree of ineffectiveness understandable, but hot take: the Panthers' nightmare offensive showing last week (seven first downs, 151 yards of total offense, 2.9 yards per play) doesn't bode well.

The Jets knocked off Washington 20-17 last weekend, and this defense turned heads (if such a thing is possible in August) when Carolina and New York met last preseason in the Panthers' preseason opener at home. The Panthers were shut out 27-0 in that game in the first sign that Young was in for a long rookie year in Charlotte.

Even if Carolina's O-line holds up much better against the talented Jets' front seven this time around, New York offers plenty of value on Saturday as slight road favorites.

Jets vs. Panthers best bet: Jets -1 (105) bet365

NFL Preseason Best Bets for Sunday, August 18

Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (8 p.m. ET, NFL Network, NFL+)

We're high on any team with a QB battle's offensive potential (at least for the rest of the preseason), and the Broncos fit that bill perfectly.

Denver coach Sean Payton needs as many realistic reps as possible from Jarrett Stidham, rookie Bo Nix and Zach Wilson to see who deserves to lead his offense. Oddsmakers have noted as much, which is why the Broncos are laying a touchdown in a game with as big a spread as any on the board this weekend.

Yes, we're bullish on Denver given the circ*mstances, but that's too many points. Fortunately, some sportsbooks, including bet365, offer team total markets for these games. "Broncos team total -- over" is the best play for this matchup.

Packers vs. Broncos best bet: Broncos Team Total Over 23.5 (-120) bet365

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