NFL Preseason Betting Week 2 Review
By: Jeff Grant
Week 2 of the NFL preseason is in the books and favorites continue to create a profit for bettors with a 9-7 record against the spread to bring the overall preseason mark to 21-11 ATS.
The ‘over’ is slightly ahead with a 16-15 record and much of the credit goes to the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots who have combined to go above the posted total in all four of their contests. It’s no shock to total players that these two teams meeting in Week 3 has caused the highest posted number of the preseason thus far at 44 ½.
Quarterback Competition Provides Winning Results
The two most-publicized quarterback competitions have lined bettors’ pockets with a perfect 4-0 ATS mark, as the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins search for their respective leaders heading into the regular season.
Denver head coach John Fox announced Monday that Kyle Orton will be under center when the team opens the regular season on Monday Night Football against the Oakland Raiders at Invesco Field at Mile High. He nailed down the position by completing 10-of-13 pass attempts for 135 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 24-10 home win over the Buffalo Bills.
Washington has opened up its preseason by starting two different signal callers, with former BYU star John Beck leading the way in a 16-3 road win over the Indianapolis Colts as 5-point road favorites.
Rex Grossman received the starting nod in the opening week for Redskins’ head coach Mike Shanahan due to Beck suffering from a groin injury.
Six Undefeated Teams Remain
The Patriots and Lions will be meeting in the only Week 3 battle of undefeated teams this week, as both are coming off straight-up underdog wins on the road.
New England captured a dominating 31-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Detroit slipped by the Cleveland Browns in a 30-28 contest at Browns Stadium.
Houston has arguably started the preseason with the toughest schedule in the league, but has come away unscathed, including a 27-14 win over the New Orleans Saints as 2½-point home underdogs in Week 2.
Miami tallied a 20-10 home victory over the Carolina Panthers and received a solid performance from starting quarterback Chad Henne, who finished 15-of-24 for 194 yards.
St. Louis was considered a team on the rise at the end of the 2010 season and it’s carried over into consecutive wins over the Indianapolis Colts (33-10) and Tennessee Titans (17-16). Rams quarterback Sam Bradford connected on 8-of-15 passes for 138 yards in last week’s contest against the Titans at the Edward Jones Dome.
Washington takes its quarterback competition to Baltimore this week as 5.5-point road underdogs.
Giants Hammer Bears On Monday Night Football
New York evened its preseason record with a resounding 41-13 home win over the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium.
Recreational bettors will see a lopsided win, but professionals circled the fact that the Bears outgained the Giants by a 414-380 margin.
The Giants’ first-team offense played five series, gained 132 yards and scored 13 points. Quarterback Eli Manning completed eight of his 16 passes for 78 yards and is glad the week is over.
Manning caused a stir by stating that he belongs in the same category as New England’s Tom Brady when people discuss the NFL’s top quarterbacks.