You always hear in NFL preseason betting that is really doesn’t matter who wins or loses but is that really true?. Teams that win during the preseason are actually more likely to carry that success into the regular season. NFL preseason odds don’t vary much as most of the time the home team is favored by about a field goal. NFL preseason betting includes more than a month of games. The Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals will play five preseason games since they met in the Hall of Fame Game. Does it really matter to teams like Dallas or Cincinnati if they win in the preseason? The answer that you get from most people is that preseason results don’t mean anything but it is not true.
Let’s look at the Pittsburgh Steelers to illustrate how important preseason records are. In the last 11 years the preseason record of the Steelers has indicated how they will do in the regular season. Last year the Steelers went 3-1 in the preseason and finished 9-7. They actually should have been better than that last year but they inexplicably lost games against teams like Oakland, Cleveland and Kansas City. Two years ago the Steelers were 3-1 in the preseason and then went 12-4 in the regular season and ended up winning the Super Bowl. Three years ago the Steelers went 4-1 in the preseason and then went on to finish 10-6 in the regular season. Four years ago they went 0-4 and then stumbled to an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs. The Steelers went 3-1 in 2005 and then went 11-5 during the regular season and won the Super Bowl. The preseason has definitely mattered for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As you look back at NFL preseason odds you will notice that success and failure does carry over to the regular season. Three years ago there were only two teams that went 0-4 in the preseason. The Rams and Chiefs each went winless and then followed the preseason up by going 3-13 and 4-12 respectively. That season, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Seattle, New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and San Diego all went 3-1 or better in the preseason and then went on to win their divisions.
Yes, the preseason does matter and success or failure can carry over into the regular season.