Thursday’s Week 1 Preseason Primer: Giants-Patriots & Titans-Ravens
Target these specific bets for the two contests
Dan Karpuc - Aug 11, 2022, 3:36pm EDTThe NFL’s regular season is right around the corner, but we have three weeks of preseason action to capitalize on beforehand. Below, you’ll see a breakdown of which players to expect on the field, what to potentially see from both sides, storylines to watch and, of course, best bets to consider. Take advantage of them with our exclusive sportsbook offers as well!
The NFL’s regular season is right around the corner, but we have three weeks of preseason action to capitalize on beforehand. Below, you’ll see a breakdown of which players to expect on the field, what to potentially see from both sides, storylines to watch and, of course, best bets to consider. Take advantage of them with our exclusive sportsbook offers as well!
Giants at Patriots: Odds & Information
The New England Patriots will host the New York Giants on Thursday, August 11th. The temperature at Gillette Stadium is expected to be in the mid-70s and there’s a small chance of scattered showers entering the area. Nonetheless, it’ll be a nice night for some football. As you can see above, the Patriots are slight home underdogs and the total is in the mid-30s, which is typical for the preseason. Kickoff will be at 7:00pm EST and broadcast nationally on NFL Network.
Giants Outlook
First-year head coach Brian Daboll was very clear about the fact that his starters will play in Week 1 of the preseason. ESPN reporter Jordan Raanan tweeted that Daboll expects all of his healthy players to suit up and get time in this game. Since a completely new offense is being installed, live reps will be an important factor for the new coaching staff that also features first-time play-caller Mike Kafka, who took over as offensive coordinator.
Behind what will likely be a terrible offensive line, the Giants will give time to Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor and Davis Webb at the quarterback position, as the trio were listed in that order on the team’s depth chart. I expect Jones to see a couple series before turning things over to Taylor before Webb gets all of the second half. At running back, it’ll be exciting to see how Saquon Barkley looks and Matt Breida is currently listed as his backup. Gary Brightwell and Antonio Williams will likely eat up the majority of the remaining carries. At receiver, Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and Darius Slayton will likely see first-team looks and will be spelled by Richie James, David Sills V, Keelan Doss, C.J. Board, Alex Bachman, Collin Johnson, Austin Proehl and a few others competing for a roster spot. At tight end, Chris Myarick, Jordan Akins and Ricky Seals-Jones will split the snaps and are listed in that order on the depth chart.
Patriots Outlook
Since Josh McDaniels bolted to take the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job, the Patriots offense will now be in the hands of multiple people, as Bill Belichick hasn’t named many official coaching roles for the upcoming season. This will be a very important year for Mac Jones, but things have reportedly not looked great in recent practices leading up to this contest as the team is still figuring everything out.
Patriots reporter Phil Perry tweeted, “ Patriots defense is running roughshod over the offense. … Offense looks broken. Can’t protect. Losing 1-on-1s. Blitzes getting through. No run game. Miscommunication on routes.” Patriots insider Tom E. Curran tweeted, “Patriots No. 1 offense today has been distressingly bad. Run stuffs. Aborted plays. Would-be sacks. Distress lobs into traffic just to get ball out. Beginning to feel it’s less the new offense and more the post-Scar cycle of OL coaches. They are perpetually overwhelmed.” That doesn’t exactly paint a pretty picture for this Week 1 contest.
Of course Bill Belichick has not revealed a single thing about the playing time he will give anyone in this game, but he did give Mac Jones substantial snaps heading into his rookie season last year. Of course that means pretty much nothing given his status atop the depth chart now, but it’s reasonable to expect that Jones and Brian Hoyer will split the first few series while fourth-round rookie draft pick Bailey Zappe sees the majority of the snaps in this Week 1 battle. Don’t expect this Patriots offensive line to see much, if any, time, since they’ll need to stay healthy for the regular season to ensure that Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, both listed as starters, get running lanes to work with. In the running game, expect Ty Montgomery, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor and Pierre Strong Jr. to see most of the carries in this one. At wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor are both listed as starters while newcomer DeVante Parker is listed on the second team. Kendrick Bourne will also be a factor, but expect guys like Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Kristian Wilkerson, Josh Hammond and rookie Tyquan Thornton to see a bunch of snaps.
Giants-Patriots Best Bets
I don’t trust either of these offenses right now. With new playcallers on both teams, I expect both defenses to reign supreme in this one, also expect a bunch of turnovers and am not expecting much action on the offensive end for either squad. Since the second half will likely feature a QB matchup between Webb and Zappe and Belichick will likely run the ball quite a bit to keep the clock moving, I’m even more confident in the under. I’m also comfortable targeting passing yards overs for both Webb and Zappe if they’re within reason.
Titans at Ravens: Odds & Information
The Baltimore Ravens will host the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, August 11th. The temperature at M&T Bank Stadium is expected to be in the mid-80s, an unfortunate situation for everyone wearing pads. As you can see above, the Ravens are clear home favorites and the total is in the low-30s. Kickoff will be at 7:30pm EST.
Titans Outlook
Head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t play his starters in Week 1 of last year’s preseason and I don’t expect anything to change this year. That means, according to the team’s depth chart, we should see Logan Woodside and plenty of rookie Malik Willis in this game. As a dual-threat star in college, it should be interesting to see how Willis stacks up in a professional setting. Rookie wideout Treylon Burks was placed on the second team on the depth chart and should get the opportunity to prove himself in this contest. After all, the team needs him to be an essential part of the passing game with both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones gone.
Cody Hollister, Kyle Phillips and Mason Kinsey are competing for spots on the 53-man roster at wideout, so expect the coaching staff to get a nice look at them as well. At tight end, Tommy Hudson and Chigoziem Okonkwo are seemingly battling for the 3rd spot on the depth chart and both should see a healthy amount of snaps, too. Overall, it’s easy for me to see an explosion with Willis under center or a complete implosion and not much in between. It’s also worth noting that Baltimore’s defense has been amazing in recent preseasons.
Ravens Outlook
The Ravens have not lost a preseason game in five years, going 20-0 in their last 20 contests. That’s insane. They’ve also gone 17-2-1 ATS in that sample size. In other words, John Harbaugh is an absolute preseason monster. While the Ravens will be sitting Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Williams, Justin Houston and other veteran stars, there’s a chance that some other starters do see minimal time in this one.
Luckily for Baltimore, quarterbacks Tyler Huntley, Brett Hundley and rookie Anthony Brown should be preseason threats to any of their opponents. Outside of Rashod Bateman, a starting wide receiver position is also seemingly up for grabs. Devin Duvernay is listed as the second WR starter, but Tylan Wallace and James Proche II will likely all be fighting it out in the preseason. Therefore, every snap matters for those guys. While the news of J.K. Dobbins being removed from the PUP list is fantastic, Corey Clement, Mike Davis, Nate McCrary, Justice Hill and Tyler Badie will all be competing for a spot on the 53-man roster since the Ravens tend to use three or four backs in their run-heavy offense. Nick Boyle, Josh Oliver and Tony Poljan are listed as the tight ends behind Andrews, but I’m interested to see rookies Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar get some time late in this game. I also love the fact that most of the Ravens’ second and third-team defenses don’t consist of too many rookies. That’s very important when it comes to the preseason, as they’ll be ready to use their professional experience to their benefit, especially in Week 1 when emotions are typically very high.
Titans-Ravens Best Bets
I live by one rule in the preseason: never fade the Ravens. Their record over the last five years shows exactly why that’s the right move. Give me Baltimore’s moneyline and run line. I’m not in love with any player props on Baltimore’s side, but I’d be fine rolling with Willis over rushing yards and over passing yards considering the fact that he could see time against third-stringers late in this game. But, like with Webb and Zappe above, be very cautious about the numbers you get and manage your bankroll carefully. Remember, this is the preseason after all!
PLAYER PROJECTIONS: QB PROP VALUES | RB PROP VALUES
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