Saturday's Preseason Tips
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com
Panthers at Titans (-1, 41½)
Carolina
Head coach: Ron Rivera (11-10 SU, 11-10 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb
Beat Twitter Follow: Joe Person
Barring unforeseen developments, the Panthers are going to give Newton three drives before next week’s ride into the second half. That may not sound like a lot, but Newton hit on his first five passes and easily got into the red zone in his only drive last week, so it will be fun to see continued progress with the returning Kelvin Benjamin, who also got his beak slightly wet in the preseason opener. Devin Funchess has excelled in camp, so keep an eye out for him against a Titans defense that excelled against San Diego last week. Carolina had won its last three road games before being clipped in Baltimore in Week 1.
Tennessee
Head coach: Mike Mularkey (7-6 SU, 8-5 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Marcus Mariota, Matt Cassel, Alex Tanney
Beat Twitter Follow: Jim Wyatt
The defense is loaded with a lot of young talent, and competition for roster spots in the secondary should keep everyone as focused as they were last week, when the defensive backups allowed three points over the final three quarters. Offensively, DeMarco Murray ran for 93 yards, breaking off a 71-yarder, while reigning Heisman Trophy winner debuted with 74 yards on 10 carries, also finding the end zone. Bishop Sankey broke off a 41-yarder and the Titans collected 288 yards on the ground, so Carolina won't be able to key on Marcus Mariota, who led his offense to 10 points on two drives and is expected to get about a quarter this week. Tennessee has won five of its last six preseason home games.
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Giants at Bills (-2½, 40½)
New York
Head coach: Ben McAdoo (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, Logan Thomas
Beat Twitter Follow: Dan Duggan
Nassib got the start for New York last week with Manning sitting out and turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions to contribute to a loss. Manning will play on Saturday, joined by Odell Beckham, Jr., but they likely won’t play more than a quarter. Victor Cruz traveled but won’t play, and you can likely expect a heavy emphasis on the run game in the second half once Thomas takes over.
Buffalo
Head Coach: Rex Ryan (13-16 SU, 13-16 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback Rotation: Tyrod Taylor, E.J. Manuel, Cardale Jones (Rookie)
Beat Twitter Follow: Mike Rodak
The Bills are expected to have starters play a quarter here, including Marcell Dareus in the fold despite his four-game suspension. Although the Colts sat Andrew Luck to avoid Ryan's blitzing defense, the Giants have no such fear, so the Bills should get a strong challenge. They were largely in control of the game they won last week, and Jones looked impressive late. Sammy Watkins and Reggie Bush are questionable.
Ravens at Colts (-3, 41)
Baltimore
Head coach: John Harbaugh (21-12 SU, 20-13 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Joe Flacco (?), Ryan Mallett, Josh Johnson, Jarrod Johnson
Beat Twitter Follow: Jamison Hensley
Flacco says he’s still not 100 percent back from knee surgery, so it isn’t likely that Harbaugh will expose him on the road since he’d have two more opportunities for game action next week. Mallett played the entire first half in last week’s 22-19 before giving way to both Johnsons. Terrence West scored two short touchdowns, so expect him and rookie Kenneth Dixon to remain the focal point of the offense. The Ravens rested 20 players last year and appear to be reticent to expose any of their veterans in an effort to avoid the injury bug. Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Steve Smith, Sr. and Breshard Perriman should all join Flacco on the bench.
Indianapolis
Head coach: Chuck Pagano (6-11 SU, 8-9 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Andrew Luck, Scott Tolzien, Stephen Morris
Beat Twitter Follow: Stephen Holder
Luck was probably going to take a few snaps in the Hall of Fame game that was canceled and was held out in Buffalo last week, so he'll make his much anticipated return here. The expectation is that he'll get at least a quarter, flanked by Frank Gore, who will try to revive a running game that saw the backs rack up a whole 10 yards on 19 carries. Pagano has lost eight of his last 10 exhibition games, including his last four at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Bucs at Jaguars (-3, 40½)
Tampa Bay
Head coach: Dirk Koetter (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Jameis Winston, Mike Glennon, Ryan Griffin
Beat Twitter Follow: Jenna Laine
Tampa Bay turned it over five times in the preseason opener, fumbling both the opening kickoff and on Winston's first drive from scrimmage. Other than drives they set up, the Bucs surrendered just three points, but the offense managed just nine points themselves. Winston was sharp, but his backups combined to throw three interceptions while finishing an inefficient 20-for-37. Coming off joint practices with Jacksonville this week, the Bucs should look more comfortable in Koetter's second preseason game as head coach. .
Jacksonville
Head coach: Gus Bradley (4-9 SU, 6-7 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Brandon Allen (rookie), Max Wittek (rookie)
Beat Twitter Follow: Ryan O'Halloran
Bortles completed six of seven passes in his brief stint against the Jets, hooking up with Allen Robinson for a 45-yard gain that set up Chris Ivory’s first touchdown with the Jags. The first team offense is likely to play well into the second quarter here, so we’ll get to see what progress Bortles has made with all his weapons. The Jaguars threw for 337 yards in New York last season, but failed to score in the second half despite Allen’s team-high 138 passing yards. He was picked off in the red zone on Jacksonville’s final play, failing to lead a comeback win.
Saints at Texans (-2½, 41)
New Orleans
Head coach: Sean Payton (19-19 SU, 21-16-1 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Drew Brees, Luke McCown, Garrett Grayson
Beat Twitter Follow: Mike Triplett
The Saints were involved in the highest-scoring game of Week 1 and had given up the most points this preseason until the Dolphins surrendered a 41-spot in Dallas on Friday. The New Orleans defense didn’t play as poorly as it sounds since two of New England’s scores were defensive, but it failed to force a turnover, allowed 151 rushing yards and didn’t cause much disruption outside of two Kasim Edebali sacks. Dennis Allen took over for Rob Ryan last year and is back in charge of a defense that needs to show it’s making some strides. They cut banged up corner Keenan Lewis on Friday. Offensively, Drew Brees looked sharp on his only throw at Foxboro, connecting with Brandin Cooks for 37 yards. He’ll play more here. New Orleans has lost six straight preseason games. The over has prevailed in four of their last five exhibitions.
Houston
Head coach: Bill O'Brien (5-4 SU, 5-4 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Brock Osweiler, Tom Savage, Brandon Weeden
Beat Twitter Follow: Aaron Wilson
Last year’s preseason was all about determining a winner in a tight QB race between Mallett and Brian Hoyer, both of whom are elsewhere now. There are no cameras shooting for “Hard Knocks” either, having moved on to Los Angeles for 2016 to chronicle the Rams in their new surroundings. Still, if Savage plays as well as he did in the opener against the 49ers, throwing for a pair of scores while Osweiler looked mediocre, may we’ll get some controversy after all. Despite having DeAndre Hopkins available, Osweiler couldn’t connect with his top target and finished 4-for-7. He’ll have more of an opportunity to cement his status as the No. 1 guy against New Orleans, and it's a good sign that he and Hopkins have shined in joint practices with the Saints this week. Houston will be playing its first game on NRG Stadium’s new synthetic surface.
49ers at Broncos (-5½, 40)
San Francisco
Head coach: Chip Kelly (7-6 SU, 7-6 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Blaine Gabbert, Cristian Ponder, Jeff Driskel (rookie)
Beat Twitter Follow: Cam Inman
A “dead” arm kept Colin Kaepernick from throwing for most of the week, which is why you don’t see his name above. The plan is to have him be a full participant come Monday in preparation for his preseason debut against the Packers on Aug. 26, which gives Gabbert an opportunity to widen his lead in the race to start the season opener against the Rams on Sept. 12. Ponder was signed earlier this week and practiced for the first time on Wednesday, looking rusty. Driskel may be among the fastest quarterbacks in the NFL, but the rookie had a hard time making basic throws in the quarter-plus he played in against Houston at home. Kelly’s 49ers ran 52 offensive plays and racked up over 300 yards in the first half against the Texans, so look for a fast tempo despite squaring off against Denver’s elite defense.
Denver
Head coach: Gary Kubiak (23-14 SU, 23-12-2 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Trevor Siemian, Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch (rookie)
Beat Twitter Follow: Mike Klis
Siemian will get his turn with the starters as he continues to make an unexpected run at becoming Peyton Manning’s permanent replacement. Sanchez had a strong debut with the “1s” against the Bears, finishing 10-for-13 with a touchdown while leading a 76-yard opening scoring drive, connecting with Demariyus Thomas. In that sense, Siemian has his work cut out for him in matching that level of productivity immediately, but Sanchez left the door open by getting intercepted and Siemian looked solid in Chicago once he got his turn. Denver’s defense shut out the Bears 22-0 and looked dominant doing it, surrendering 130 total net yards while registering seven sacks and an interception. The Broncos have beaten the 49ers in the preseason three straight years, outscoring them 63-18.
Chiefs at Rams (-1, 39)
Kansas City
Head Coach: Andy Reid (32-37 SU, 30-35-4 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback Rotation: Alex Smith, Nick Foles, Aaron Murray, Tyler Bray, Kevin Hogan (Rookie)
Beat Twitter Follow: Terez Paylor
The Chiefs surrendered a touchdown on Seattle’s final play, then allowed them to tack on a two-point conversion in suffering a 17-16 loss last Saturday afternoon. Despite the disappointing finish, the only team trying to give five quarterbacks a stage to audition looked quite effective in their preseason opener. Alex Smith led a masterful first drive, Nick Foles looked right at home as the primary backup, the defense intercepted Russell Wilson as he was driving the Seahawks into the end zone and Kansas City led 16-6 through three quarters. Jamaal Charles returned to practice this week as he continues the long road back from a torn ACL, but he won’t play, leaving Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware, Knile Davis and Darrin Reaves to anchor the ground game.
Los Angeles
Head coach: Jeff Fisher (39-42 SU, 37-42-2 ATS in preseason)
Quarterback rotation: Case Keenum, Jared Goff (Rookie), Sean Mannion, Dylan Thompson
Beat Twitter Follow: Gary Klein
Falling behind Dallas 24-7 while being victimized by rookie Dak Prescott suddenly doesn’t look as disconcerting as it did last week. Mannion rallied L.A. to victory with three second-half touchdown passes, and even though it will be interesting to see what he does for an encore, all eyes will again be on No. 1 pick Goff, who will again replace Keenum but is expected to get time with the starters while playing into the second half. Goff was hassled mercilessly by Dallas and finished 4-for-9 for 38 yards with an interception, so Fisher and offensive coordinator Rob Boras will definitely be looking for improvement. Todd Gurley didn’t play in the opener and will make his 2016 debut, so this second and final preseason game at the Coliseum may be more important to L.A. than next week’s visit to Denver. Fisher was on the verge of falling to 2-13 in preseason play with the Rams before the unexpected Mannion-led comeback.
NFL: : Streak, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
N.Y. Giants at Buffalo Bills
Another constant in preseason, you bet Buffalo at great risk. The Bills nipped by Colts in week-one are now 9-22 SU since 2009 with a 10-20-1 record against the betting line.
New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans
'Under' gamblers cashing in preseason since Bill O'Brien became Houston's head coach. In nine August games the result has been 8 'Under', 1 'Over'.
Saturday's NFL Week 2 Preseason Betting Preview
By Covers.com
Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans (Pick, 41)
* Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said his plan for Saturday is to play his starting offense for, "three solid drives" against the Titans. This is generally the plan for most teams in preseason Week 2 and how long the starters stay in the game will simply depend on how much clock the drives consume. Starting TE Greg Olsen (back) did not make the trip and will not play today.
* You can likely expect a steady dose of the running game today for the Titans as they look to build on a very effective preseason Week 1 on the ground. DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry will both see time on the field during the opening half. This emerging rushing attack will certainly take some of the pressure off Marcus Mariota this season - you can expect Mariota to play into the second quarter this afternoon.
New York Giants at Buffalo Bills (-2.5, 40.5)
* Both Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. will see some limited time on the field after both Giants' stars sat out the team's opener. Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib will likely see one full drive with the starting offense, which means Manning will only be playing one or two possessions, and play well into the second half. Look for plenty of balls in the air as the Giants look to test their No. 2 quarterback and also their young group of depth receivers.
* Rookie quarterback Cardale Jones will see plenty of time on the field once again after a very productive opener where he threw for 162 yards and a touchdown. Could he be putting pressure on E.J. Manuel for the backup quarterback job? Tyrod Taylor, and the rest of the starters, will play into the second quarter against the Giants.
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts (-2.5, 41)
* The Ravens have not released an official word as of Saturday morning, but it sounds like Joe Flacco will not play for the second consecutive week. Flacco's health is not an issue, as he hasn't missed a practice snap in camp, but John Harbaugh talked about the turf in Indianapolis and his desire to get a good look at their depth players in game situations. Other key players who are doubtful to play for the Ravens are Steve Smith Sr., Elvis Dumervil, Terrell Suggs, and Dennis Pitta.
* Andrew Luck, after sitting out last week, is expected to play "into the second quarter" on Saturday as the Colts try to get him ready for the regular season. The Colts really need to get their running game going and a brief cameo by Frank Gore ("a couple of carries") will not help their situation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3, 40.5)
* The Bucs really want to see what they have in quarterback Ryan Griffin. Backup Mike Glennon is expected to leave after this season so they want to get a good look at Griffin in game action. Expect a similar QB rotation to last week against the Eagles with Jameis Winston playing a couple of drives before handing the game over to the backups.
* Highly touted Jags cornerback Jalen Ramsey will make his NFL debut today - and anything short of a pick-six, and front-flipping over at least two would-be tacklers on his way to the end zone, will not live up to the expectations of Jacksonville football fans. Blake Bortles and the starting offense will play well into the second quarter tonight.
New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans (-2.5, 41)
* Last week Drew Brees was 1-for-1 with 37 yards and said that he, "expects to play more" this week but he's not sure how much. The most likely scenario is that he plays 2-3 drives. Last week against the Patriots, rookie receiver Michael Thomas led the Saints with four catches - look for this trend to continue as Saints' players, as well as opposing players, continue to gush about the newcomer's skills.
* New Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler will continue to prepare for the regular season with his new team by playing the opening quarter and a little bit into the second today. Jadeveon Clowney is expect to play the opening quarter Saturday but, of course, the Texans defense will be without injured DL J.J. Watt who's absence may now extend into the regular season.
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams (-1, 39)
* The Chiefs' offense had a touchdown:drive ratio of 1:1 last week against the Seahawks. While their perfect record isn't expected to continue this week in Los Angeles, the starting unit is expected to play much more than the opening drive - possibly as much as the entire opening half. RB Jamaal Charles returned to practice this week but will not play Saturday.
* Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said that Case Keenum will start Saturday and play a few series, before Jared Goff enters to play a bit with the first team and continue into the third quarter. RB Todd Gurley will see his first game action of the preseason today but will, likely, only play a series or two.
San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos (-5, 39.5)
* Blaine Gabbert will start again this week after a poor showing in preseason Week 1. Colin Kaepernick will not be on the field as he continues to nurse a sore shoulder. Gabbert will play into the second quarter and we can expect to see plenty of newly signed quarterback Christian Ponder in this one. Remember when Ponder was a starter in the NFL? Now he's just a guy brought in to fill preseason snaps because other guys are hurting and can't play. It would be quite a story if he came in, lit up the Broncos defense, and stole the starting job.
* The most watched quarterback situation of the preseason continues this evening in Denver. Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian, and Paxton Lynch will all be looking to put their stamps on a potential starting job. Siemian will get the start but that means nothing at this point. Von Miller announced this week that he will be on the field Saturday - although not likely for any more than a series or two.