NFL preseason Week 2 odds, point spreads, schedule: Totals are dramatically higher

It wasn’t hard to see where betting on the NFL preseason took a dramatic shift from last year:

The scoreboards have lit up a lot more so far in 2022.

Of 16 games in Week 1 of the preseason, 13 went over the total. That’s in addition to the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 4, which also went over, making preseason games 14-3 to the over thus far.

Contrast that to last year, when unders started 20-3 in the preseason and drove totals down for the rest of the preseason.

The opposite has happened this year, with Week 2 totals much higher on average than in Week 1: Opening lines at Caesars Sportsbook show 13 of the 16 games with opening totals of 40 or higher — none were that high last week. The high water marks are the Commanders-Chiefs and the Monday night game between the Falcons and Jets, both of which have a total of 42½.

The lowest opening total on the Week 2 slate is 37½ between the Texans and Rams — higher than the highest opening total of Week 1, which was 36½.

Is that an overreaction? That’s for the bettor to decide.

As for Week 1 spread bets: While six underdogs won outright, most of them were very small spreads. Overall, favorites went 9-7 against the spread, including a 4-2 ATS mark for favorites of a field goal or more.

This week, eight games have opening spreads of three points or more, including the Giants, who are 3-point favorites over the Bengals on Sunday evening. The biggest favorite is the Baltimore Ravens, who play Sunday night at Arizona with a 21-game preseason winning streak on the line. Baltimore is 4½-point road chalk.

Below is the full list of the NFL preseason Week 2 point spreads from Caesars Sportsbook, including money lines and over/unders.

NFL preseason Week 2 lines

THURSDAY, AUG. 18

Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Line: Seahawks -3½; Money line: Seahawks -180/Bears +155; O/U: 40

FRIDAY, AUG. 19

Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots, 7 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: Patriots -2½; Money line: Patriots -145/Panthers +125; O/U: 40½

New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers, 8 p.m.

Line: Packers -3; Money line: Packers -150/Saints +130; O/U: 39

Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams, 10 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: Rams -1½; Money line: Rams -125/Texans +105; O/U: 37½

SATURDAY, AUG. 20

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: pick ’em; Money line: Broncos -110/Bills -110; O/U: 40

Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m.

Line: Lions -1½; Money line: n/a; O/U: 40½

Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs, 4 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: Chiefs -3; Money line: n/a; O/U: 42½

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans, 7 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: Titans -2½; Money line: Titans -145/Bucs +125; O/U: 41½

Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins, 7 p.m.

Line: Raiders -2; Money line: Raiders -130/Dolphins +110; O/U: 41

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings, 7 p.m.

Line: Vikings -3; Money line: Vikings -160/49ers +140; O/U: 40

Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 7 p.m.

Line: Jaguars -3; Money line: n/a; O/U: 40½

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers, 10 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: pick ’em; Money line: Cowboys -110/Chargers -110; O/U: 39½

SUNDAY, AUG. 21

Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: Eagles -3; Money line: n/a; O/U: 41

Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants, 7 p.m. (NFL Network)

Line: Giants -3; Money line: n/a; O/U: 42

Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals, 8 p.m. (Fox)

Line: Ravens -4½; Money line: n/a; O/U: 41½

MONDAY, AUG. 22

Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Line: Falcons -1; Money line: n/a; O/U: 42½

Categories: Upstate Action