The first week of the NFL preseason is in the books, and we saw some rather surprising results in those games. We say surprising, but the reality is that it’s tough to really know what to expect from these games, as we get to see a lot of players who are destined to be cut over the next few weeks. Week 2 of the NFL preseason may see some more playing time for the starters, but still not very much. I will be trying to keep that in mind when making my selections for the upcoming round of betting odds for the preseason.
The Falcons stumbled out of the gate with a 23-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener, but no real reason to worry. That said, I think they will come up a little short again this week at Heinz Field.
Analyzing the NFL Preseason Week 2 Top Predictions and Winning Favorites
Baltimore Ravens over Miami Dolphins
Both of these teams got their NFL preseason off to a winning start. The Ravens easily handled the Washington Redskins 23-3, while the Dolphins had a surprising 23-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The big news in this game will be the arrival of Jay Cutler at QB for the Dolphins after Ryan Tannehill went down for the season with an injury. Tough to say how much time Cutler will get, but you would have to imagine that they will want to get him as many reps as possible. Look for the Ravens D to take advantage of Cutler’s rustiness.BALTIMORE RAVENS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 347.69Current Offensive rush yards 91.12Offensive passing yards 256.56Average Score For 21.44Defensive total yards 322.12Current Defensive rush yards 89.38Defensive passing yards 232.75Average Score Against 20.06MIAMI DOLPHINS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 331.71Current Offensive rush yards 110.35Offensive passing yards 221.35Average Score For 22.06Defensive total yards 381.88Current Defensive rush yards 142.71Defensive passing yards 239.18Average Score Against 24.12Preseason NFL Week 2 Updated Losing Picks
Seattle Seahawks over Minnesota Vikings
The Seahawks are almost certainly going to be one of the Super Bowl favorites this season, and they gave a hint of their potential depth with an impressive 48-17 win over the Chargers in Week 1 of the NFL preseason. The Vikings also got off to a winning start, beating the Buffalo Bills in a 17-10 defensive battle that wasn’t really a surprise to anyone. I like the Seahawks to win this one quite comfortably, although I don’t see them racking up huge points this week.SEATTLE SEAHAWKS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 356.17Current Offensive rush yards 103.83Offensive passing yards 252.33Average Score For 22.22Defensive total yards 320.00Current Defensive rush yards 90.83Defensive passing yards 229.17Average Score Against 18.56MINNESOTA VIKINGS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 315.06Current Offensive rush yards 75.31Offensive passing yards 239.75Average Score For 20.44Defensive total yards 314.88Current Defensive rush yards 106.94Defensive passing yards 207.94Average Score Against 19.19Green Bay Packers over Washington Redskins
The Redskins offense did not look particularly good in their preseason opener against the Ravens, and it’s tough to imagine that they are going to be any better versus the Packers, even with the game being at home. Green Bay were efficient in all areas of their game in their opener, a comfortable 24-9 win over the Eagles. It’s never easy to go on the road and win, but I think the Packers will be just too much for the Redskins in this one.GREEN BAY PACKERS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 373.00Current Offensive rush yards 103.26Offensive passing yards 269.74Average Score For 27.63Defensive total yards 374.11Current Defensive rush yards 96.42Defensive passing yards 277.68Average Score Against 25.05WASHINGTON REDSKINS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 403.62Current Offensive rush yards 106.25Offensive passing yards 297.38Average Score For 24.75Defensive total yards 377.75Current Defensive rush yards 119.75Defensive passing yards 258.00Average Score Against 23.94Carolina Panthers over Tennessee Titans
When you are looking to have a bounce back season, you want to get back to the habit of winning as early as possible, which means having a solid preseason. The Carolina Panthers definitely fall into that category, and they will be pleased with their performance in Week 1 of the NFL preseason, where they put together a solid 27-17 win over the Houston Texans. Things did not go well at all for the Titans in their preseason opener, falling 7-3 to the Jets in a game where their O-line was harshly victimized by the New York D. They will need to improve greatly against the Panthers, which I don’t see happening.CAROLINA PANTHERS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 343.69Current Offensive rush yards 113.38Offensive passing yards 230.31Average Score For 23.06Defensive total yards 359.69Current Defensive rush yards 91.50Defensive passing yards 268.19Average Score Against 25.12TENNESSEE TITANS TEAM STATISTICS
Offensive total yards 358.12Current Offensive rush yards 137.31Offensive passing yards 220.81Average Score For 23.81Defensive total yards 357.56Current Defensive rush yards 88.3Defensive passing yards 269.19Average Score Against 23.62Pittsburgh Steelers over Atlanta Falcons
This is arguably the best match-up in Week 2 of the NFL preseason, as there are a lot of folks out there who believe that this could well be a potential Super Bowl preview. T.J. Watt looked like the real deal in his first NFL action, delivering a pair of sacks for the Steelers, and looking like a handful in every single play.The Falcons stumbled out of the gate with a 23-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener, but no real reason to worry. That said, I think they will come up a little short again this week at Heinz Field.
