The second week of the preseason will serve the role of what Week 3 of preseason used to fulfill. Previously, when the NFL odds preseason was four weeks, the third week was the most important. Regular players would see the most amount of playing time. The late great Hall of Famer John Madden said that the next to last preseason game was the one that was most treated like a regular season game. Still, there will be plenty of substituting and lineup rotation in Week 2 preseason games.
2024-25 NFL Super Bowl Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +600 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +850 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +950 |
| Buffalo Bills | +900 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +1000 |
| New York Jets | +1400 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1400 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1800 |
| Detroit Lions | +2200 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +2500 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +2500 |
| Miami Dolphins | +2500 |
| Cleveland Browns | +2800 |
| Denver Broncos | +3500 |
| New Orleans Saints | +3500 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +4000 |
| Green Bay Packers | +4000 |
| New York Giants | +4400 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +4500 |
| All Other Teams | +5000 or higher |
2024-25 NFL Week 2 Preseason Schedule
Thursday, August 15
- Philadelphia at New England, 7:00
Saturday, August 17
- Atlanta at Baltimore, noon
- Cincinnati at Chicago, 1:00
- N.Y. Giants at Houston, 1:00
- Detroit at Kansas City 4:00
- Minnesota at Cleveland, 4:25
- N.Y. Jets at Carolina, 7:00
- Arizona at Indianapolis, 7:00
- Washington at Miami, 7:00
- Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7:00
- Seattle at Tennessee, 7:00
- L.A. Rams at L.A. Chargers, 7:05
- Tampa Bay at Jacksonville, 7:30
- Dallas at Las Vegas, 10:00
Sunday, August 18
- Green Bay at Denver, 8:00
- New Orleans at San Francisco (FOX), 8:00
NFL Week 2 Preseason Overview
Live in-game betting will see a surge in action as a result of this, changing players on the fly. And one of the most interesting games on the Week 2 preseason card is the matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Chicago Bears. Of course, Chicago will be giving quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, plenty of snaps.
The risk is that Williams could have his career and confidence damaged by not being brought around slowly. Previously, Bears QB Justin Fields was taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But Fields did not have the surrounding cast that could give him a helping hand and protect him.
The Cleveland Browns will host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2 of the preseason. Both teams have QB difficulties to address. The Vikings have moved on from Kirk Cousins, who arrived with great sports betting fanfare. Now Cousins is with the Atlanta Falcons. In sum, Cousins failed to deliver the championship expected of him.
Namely, Sam Darnold, who was the third overall pick of the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft, replaced Cousins. Darnold has been a journeyman who previously played for the Jets, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers NFL betting odds
Darnold will open training camp as the number one QB on the Vikings’ depth chart. However, 2024 first-round draft pick JJ McCarthy could easily end up as the starter. McCarthy is coming off a national championship season at Michigan, where he played for one of the great QB whisperers in football, Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh raves about McCarthy’s NFL capability. Correlate that if McCarthy can get up to speed quickly, the Vikings will turn to him as the QB of the future.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns made a ridiculous trade in which they overpaid The Houston Texans to receive Deshaun Watson. Of course, Watson was in trouble for the past few years. Watson has not been a regular starter since 2020. In the past two seasons with Cleveland, Watson played six games each season
The Browns had better hope that Watson regains his past form. Cause by their backup option is no option at all. Interception machine Jameis Winson is second on the depth chart. Winston’s career never took off after he imploded at the end with Florida State.