NFL PRESEASON WEEK 2: SATURDAY & SUNDAY PREVIEWS & PICKS

BY ADAM GREENE

We’ve hit the halfway point of the preseason with a near-full slate of games on the docket. We also have the odds, lines, and totals that will make watching these contests a tad more fun.

SATURDAY

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT DETROIT LIONS (+3, O/U: 39)

Are we going to see Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff in this game? God, I hope not. Instead, my hope is this will be a CJ Beathard vs. Teddy Bridgewater game. After those two guys start swiping on Bumble on their Microsoft Surface tablets on the sideline, the ball will go to Nathan Rourke for the Jags, who might be a real person, and Nate Sudfeld of the Lions, who I’ve actually seen start a real NFL football game. Because of that, I’m going with Detroit. Lions 21, Jaguars 17

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (-3, O/U: 40)

First off, there’s still no chance we’ll see Tua Tagovailoa in this game. I can’t imagine we’ll watch him take the field at all in the preseason, considering what’s at stake. The Dolphins’ season, and their playoff hopes, are all keyed in on Tagovailoa’s health and well-being. So that means we’ll get Mike White in this one in the first half and probably Skylar Thompson, who started multiple games, including a near playoff upset over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round. Houston will probably leave CJ Stroud out there for a while. None of the rookie quarterbacks, outside of Stetson Bennett of the Los Angeles Rams, looked particularly good in Week 1 of the preseason, so the Texans will want to give him multiple snaps. Maybe a whole half in this, the second of three preseason games. In the second half, it’ll definitely be Davis Mills and maybe Case Keenum, who’s listed as questionable. We might see more of Mills as the team could be angling him as trade bait for another franchise’s No. 2 before the season begins. EJ Perry will see the field in the fourth, but if Mills remains on the roster, Perry is a practice squad guy at best. Texans 24, Dolphins 20

BUFFALO BILLS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (-2.5, O/U: 40.5)

Listen, no one asked me. I check my email, my messages, and my voicemails every day. The Bills will play Josh Allen in this game and the Steelers will play Kenny Pickett and I could not be more against that. Maybe just a series or a quarter, but it will happen. So expect some real NFL football, much to my chagrin, in the first quarter. After that, we’re getting Kyle Allen and Matt Barkley for the Bills vs. Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and fake AI-created person Tanner Morgan for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I like Buffalo’s starters better, obviously, but I like the Steelers’ backups over the Bills’ reserves. Steelers 27, Bills 24

CHICAGO BEARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (-3.5, O/U: 40.5)

First off, let me say, and if you’re a regular reader then you know, I love Justin Fields. He was my No. 2 rated quarterback after Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL Draft. Yes, he threw two touchdown passes in his preseason debut for 2023, but both were fantastic run-after-catch plays, designed by the offensive coordinator and enacted by blockers down the field. That’s not a bad thing or a knock on Fields. If anything, it’s a solid bonus for the Chicago offensive staff. But we can’t get too excited about Fields’ stat sheet in that first game. He’ll probably play about a quarter at most in this one before PJ Walker, Nathan Peterman, and Tyson Bagent take over. The Colts officially announced Anthony Richardson would be the starter here on out this week, so he’ll probably hit about 15 minutes of NFL action in this one, and that makes this the game to watch in the early NFL hour Saturday. Gardner Minshew and Sam Ehlinger take over after. I like Chicago to win, but it’ll be tighter than the spread. Bears 23, Colts 20

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT NEW YORK JETS (-2.5, O/U: 37.5)

For whatever reason, the Buccaneers have yet to claim an official starter between Baker Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick for the Cleveland Browns, and Kyle Trask, a second-round pick out of Florida, but apparently, the job is still open. Even though it feels like, from the outside, that Mayfield has already won it. Head coach Todd Bowles apparently doesn’t see it the same way. Maybe I can’t blame him, as Trask is, definitely, the more physically gifted of the two. I still can’t imagine a universe where the Jets, with their current offensive line play, put Aaron Rodgers on the field in the preseason. He might try to force the issue, for at least a series, but maybe not this week. Regardless, Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle will play the monster share of the snaps. That’ll be the difference in the game. Buccaneers 24, Jets 17

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (-3, O/U: 37)

First off, let’s not make too much of Mac Jones’ non-start against the Houston Texans last week. If anything, the fact that Bill Belichick kept Jones out of the game is a solid vote of confidence for the third-year QB out of Alabama. Bailey Zappe did look good against the Texans, as you’d expect, but I think we’ll see a couple of series out of Jones in this one before he tosses the ball to Zappe. Again, Malik Cunningham and Trace McSorley should both be solid reserves, but their game is nothing like what Jones or Zappe will unleash as a potential starter so that’s just odd from the outside. While I don’t want to pump up Bailey Zappe too much, I especially don’t want to do the same with Jordan Love, who looked fine in his short action against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Love will probably play more this Saturday, maybe a quarter, but Sean Clifford and Alex McGough will be the guys who decide who wins this game. I’m going with Zappe, McSorely, and Cunningham. Patriots 20, Packers 17

TENNESSEE TITANS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (+2, O/U: 37.5)

If we’re going to see Ryan Tannehill and Kirk Cousins, everyone’s favorite Quarterback TV show guy, play in the preseason, this is the game it will happen. I don’t expect it., as Kevin O’Connell is a full-on Sean McVay disciple who will keep his starters out of the preseason. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, because Tannehill isn’t the long-term answer at Titans QB, could very well let him ride for a series or two (or even a quarter).  Minnesota will likely go with Nick Mullens and Jalen Hall and that will cost them. Malik Willis and Will Levis, regardless of what you think of them as future NFL starters, are certainly more talented than the guys the Vikings are tossing onto the field and that should matter in the second game of the preseason. Titans 20, Vikings 17

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (+7.5, O/U: 40)

Listen, Patrick Mahomes shouldn’t play in this game, but he probably will. Andy Ried thumbs his nose at all my preseason fears and metrics and all he does is stack up AFC Championships. Vince Lombardi and Pro Football Hall of Fame jackets. Still, if Mahomes plays, please, Andy, sit him down after the first series. We, as NFL fans,  demand it (unless you root for the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers). Outside of that first series, Blaine Gabbert will play the two, then Chris Oladukun, who I don’t believe is a real person. Shane Buechele is on the Chiefs roster, but never saw the field last week. For the Cardinals, there’s no chance Call of Duty Hall of Famer Kyler Murray will show up in the preseason, so maybe you’ll get to view Colt McCoy for a series or two before the ball is tossed to Clayton Tune and David Blough. As much as we all like Blough after last year’s Detroit Lions Hard Knocks, the Chiefs have an advantage and that should show up Saturday. Chiefs 20, Cardinals 16

DENVER BRONCOS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (+4.5, O/U: 39)

I’ve made no secret that I think that the Trey Lance trade for the San Francisco 49ers is one of the worst trades in NFL history. In the years since, it’s only been proven more true, in spite of the fact that I think that Lance is, absolutely, an NFL player. He’s just not a Top 3 NFL player, where the Niners took him.  As of this writing, Lance is the No. 2 QB on the Niners’ roster after last year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Pudry. Purdy won’t play in this game and probably won’t in the preseason, but Lance will get every shot. Not only to prove that the trade, that cost the Niners three first-rounders and a 2022 third-rounder wasn’t a complete disaster, but in hopes that Lance might be dangled as trade bait for other teams desperate for a QB. Denver will see as much out of Russell Wilson that Sean Payton needs to see, which could be anything from one series to an entire half, After Wilson, they’ll field Ben DeNucci and Jarrett Stidham and I think that’ll be the difference. Broncos 23, 49ers 20

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (+3.5, O/U: 39.5)

It’s unlikely, once again, that Jimmy Garoppolo will suit up for the Raiders in this game. We know for a fact that no Rams key starter, including Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, or Aaron Donald, will even sniff the turf throughout the preseason. That means we get Bryan Hoyer, Aidan O’Connell, and Chase Garbers against Stetson Bennett, Brett Rypien, and Dresser Winn. Now, if you’ve been following the entire preseason at all (at least for a week), then you know that O’Connell and Bennett were the most impressive rookie QBs to take the field in Week 1. And if you’ve read all my draft coverage, then you also know that O’Connell, back in the 1990s, would have been a first-round pick. Funny how those skills continue to translate. LA’s defense was a mess last week, but I’m thinking they’ll have a few new wrinkles in this one. Rams 27, Raiders 23

DALLAS COWBOYS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (-7, O/U:  41)

This is a long trip for a Cowboys team looking to skip ahead to the regular season, then get to the end of that 18-week campaign so owner Jerry Jones can officially fire Mike McCarthy. All these months and games are just in the way of the inevitable. If Dak Prescott and the starters do play, I don’t expect to see them much. After he hits the bench and dons his sideline cap, Cooper Rush and Will Grier will finish out the game for Dallas. While I have no idea who Holton Ahlers, the Seahawks’ No. 3 quarterback is, I do know Drew Lock, the No. 2. And Pete Carroll will have no issues playing starter Geno Smith a while. Carroll put the “old” in “old school.” Seahawks 26, Cowboys 16

SUNDAY

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (+3, O/U: 37.5)

Dennis Allen will likely unleash Derek Carr for the first time for a couple of series in this one before Jameis Winston and Jake Haener take over. For the Chargers, as a follower of the Sean McVay philosophy, don’t expect to see Brandon Staley let Justin Herbert muss his gorgeous locks in this one. It’ll be Easton Stick and Max Duggan, who both performed OK a week ago against the Rams. Saints 20, Chargers 17

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (+3, O/U: 38.5)

Since 2015, the Ravens have not lost a single preseason game. That’s a 23-0 stretch in August for the Poe Birds and they’ve done it, in large part, thanks to the depth of their QB room. Meanwhile, in Washington, the quarterback room is the team’s primary problem as the full-on 2023 tank job for the No. 1 overall pick begins. Ravens 31, Commanders 13

Last week

Straight up: 8-8

Against the spread: 7-9

Preseason

Straight up: 9-8

Against the spread: 8-9

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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