The Hall of Fame game has come and gone, and the first full week of the preseason is all-inclusive.
Football is back in full force. At least one NFL game will be played Thursday through Sunday.
We run through the best bets to consider this week.
Let’s dive in.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Jaguars will be at home in Week 1 preseason games, and head coach Doug Pederson has said the starters will play at least one series.
While it’s unclear if we’ll see Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes or another eligible starter. If not, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will have a crack or two in backup, which could be enough to put the Jaguars ahead by a score.
Even if the Chiefs suit up and play the starters for the series, the Jaguars have more reliable backups with performance metrics in play.
Behind Lawrence on the depth chart are former New England Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and CJ Beathard. The Chiefs have Carson Wentz, but also Chris Oladokun and Ian Book for games like this.
I expect to see more of Oladokun/Buku and Beathard in this first preseason game than Wentz/Jones.
Advantage, Jacksonville.
Beathard started 13 games in his NFL career. While he managed a 3-10 record, he also had a 19:14 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He is far from a full-time starter in the NFL, but more than serviceable.
Look for the reliability, depth chart of running back Travis Etienne, and the potential threat of Devin Duvernay returning kicks with the new rules to set the Jaguars up for success here.
Best bet: Jaguars -2.5 (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook
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The Atlanta Falcons take on the Miami Dolphins
On the road, the Falcons sport quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Taylor Heinicke and Nathan Rourke.
Cousins won’t play this month, leaving us with a mix of Penix Jr., Heinicke and Rourke. The Dolphins have Mike White and Skylar Thompson.
Considering the expected career arc of Penix Jr. at the beginning of his career, the conventional wisdom is that he will play a lot, but there is also something that can be said about the man who “started acting” during the preseason with Cousins out.
Heinicke has proven he can be a competent NFL quarterback. The same can be said for White and even Thompson to an extent (he started a playoff game a few seasons ago), but Heinicke went 5-3-1 in 2022 with Washington and 1-3 with the Falcons last season. Since 2021, he has made 37 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
He saw a significant drop in play last season, completing just 54.4% of his passes, but White and Thompson haven’t completed much of late either.
I’m rolling with the Falcons, strictly because of the backup quarterback option.
Best bet: Falcons -2.5 (-110) at bet365 Sportsbook
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Las Vegas Raiders vs Minnesota Vikings
Here are our picks for the most exciting games of the week.
The Raiders and Vikings are teams with quarterback competition (more so for the Raiders), so expect Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy for the Vikings and Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew for the Raiders.
The Vikings will likely start the season with Darnold, but McCarthy’s snaps will be interesting. Do they let people throw a bit? Will it be more conservative? Wherever he goes, these guys want to make an impression.
This preseason performance will determine the Raiders’ starting quarterback: veteran Minshew appears to be slightly ahead in the race with second-year option O’Connell, who showed flashes as a rookie in 2023.
Expect some points to be scored.
Best bet: Over 38.5 points (-115) at FanDuel Sportsbook
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