Preseason Betting Preview: Ravens at Falcons Odds & Picks
Two teams in hopes of making consecutive playoff appearances square off at the Georgia Dome at 7:30PM ET on Thursday night as the Atlanta Falcons host the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens have been perfect so far this preseason, going 3-0 in their first three weeks. Second year quarterback Joe Flacco has been impressive and the defense has hardly missed a step despite losing defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and starters Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard to the Jets in the offseason.
The Falcons come into this game 2-1, but easily good have been 3-0 if they had hung onto a late lead against the Lions in the opener. That said, Atlanta had a last-second win last week against the Chargers, a game in which they could have easily lost.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Falcons 3-point home favorites over the Ravens on Thursday night. The over/under total for this game has been established at 35.5.
The trends favor the Falcons in this matchup, as Atlanta is 2-0 against the spread versus Baltimore over the last three seasons and 29-14 ATS in games played on turf since 1993.
The final preseason game is always incredibly hard to predict because teams usually don’t reveal how long starters will play for. That said, the Falcons’ defense has been atrocious so far in preseason and the Ravens have quality backups. We suggest taking the over 35.5 in this game.
Week 4: Ravens at Falcons Odds & Over/Under Totals:
Baltimore Ravens +3 Over 35.5
Atlanta Falcons –3 Under 35.5
Preseason Betting Preview: Redskins at Jaguars Odds & Picks
The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Washington Redskins on Thursday night at 7:30PM ET in both team’s final preseason games of the year.
The Redskins enter this game with a 1-2 record in preseason, while the Jaguars have stumbled to a 0-3 start, including 0-1 record at home. Despite its losing record, Washington is 2-1 against the spread this preseason.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sports Interaction have made the Jaguars a 5-point favorite over the Redskins on Thursday night. The over/under total has been set at 35.
The trends favor Jacksonville in this matchup as the Redskins are just 3-12 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1993 and 1-10 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points since ’93.
The point spread in this game seems a little high given that most preseason games this week fall between 3 and 3.5. That said, Jacksonville will look to play most of its starters for the first half as Jack Del Rio tries to workout the team’s kinks before the regular season opener. Don’t be fooled by the point spread – take Jacksonville –5.
Week 4: Redskins at Jaguars Odds & Over/Under Totals:
Washington Redskins +5 Over 35
Jacksonville Jaguars –5 Under 35
NFL Preseason Betting Preview: Eagles at Jets Odds & Picks
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets will put a bow on the 2009 preseason when the two teams meet at Giants Stadium at 7:00 PM ET on Thursday.
For a team that many people believe is a Super Bowl contender, the Eagles have not had a great preseason. They’re currently 1-2, although the Jets have an identical record and some pundits believe they’re a playoff team as well.
It goes to show you that preseason means very little, even though teams never want to lose.
The Eagles will play newly signed quarterback Michael Vick extensively in this game, so it’ll be interesting to see how the former Falcon does with more than just the handful of snaps he got last week against the Jaguars.
For the Jets, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez might not get more than a series or two before he’s pulled for backup Kellen Clemens and third-stringer Erik Ainge. New York’s backups will get a good test against Vick, who was a dual-threat before being hauled off to prison for 23 months on federal dog-fighting charges.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com have made the Eagles 3-point road underdogs against the Jets for Thursday night’s game. The over/under total has been established at 36.5.
The odds favor the Jets in this matchup, as New York is 9-1 against the spread when playing on Thursday since 1993. The Eagles are just 1-8 ATS in non-conference games over the last three seasons.
The final preseason game is the most unpredictable game to handicap and thus we’ll go with the trends and take the home Jets –3. Vick might dazzle on a couple of plays (assuming he can shake the rust off, that is), but the Jets should sneak out a tight win at home.
Week 4: Eagles at Jets Odds & Over/Under Totals:
Philadelphia Eagles +3 Over 36.5
New York Jets –3 Under 36.5
NFL Preseason Betting Preview: Lions at Bills Odds & Picks
The Detroit Lions hope that their final preseason game of the season will help them decide between Daunte Culpepper and Matthew Stafford at quarterback.
Most teams use their final preseason game to decide between backups, but not the Lions. When Detroit travels to Ralph Wilson Stadium on Thursday night to take on the Buffalo Bills, the Lions will evaluate the play of Culpepper and Stafford to determine which player will start under center come Week 1.
The Lions are currently 1-2 against the spread in the preseason, while the Bills are 1-3. Buffalo is 1-0 ATS at home and 1-0 ATS as the home favorite, while Detroit is 0-1 ATS on the road and 0-1 as the underdog.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sports Interaction have made the Lions 3-point road underdogs against the Bills on Thursday night. The over/under total for this game is 33.5.
The last time these two teams met was in October of 2006 when the Lions edged the Bills 20-17 and covered the 2-point spread. The Bills did beat the Lions 24-17 in October of 2002.
Even though this is the fourth preseason game and starters generally don’t play that much, expect the young, experienced Lions’ starters to get plenty of game action. Thus, we favor Detroit in this matchup, even though Buffalo has the better overall talent. Take the Lions +3, although keep in mind that the fourth preseason game is the toughest to handicap.
Week 4: Lions at Bills Odds & Over/Under Totals
Detroit Lions +3 Over 33.5
Buffalo Bills –3 Under 33.5