Thursday night will be the final chance to sink your teeth into football game lines for the NFL preseason! The duel in the desert will be a very interesting one to watch, as plenty of quarterbacks will be fighting for jobs in the clash between the Washington Redskins and the Arizona Cardinals.
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Washington Redskins vs. Arizona Cardinals
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 10:00 ET
Game Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, NFL Network, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Washington Redskins (+5.5) -110 vs. Arizona Cardinals (-5.5) -110: Over/Under 37

Thanks to injuries to both Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman, the only two quarterbacks that are probably going to suit it up for the Redskins on Thursday night are John Beck and Richard Bartel.

Let’s remember that Beck was competing to be the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins as recently as two years ago, so he clearly has some skills. Beck is only completing 50.0 percent of his passes for 103 yards in the preseason.

Bartel came on last week and threw for 44 yards and a TD in his debut in ’09 for the Redskins.

Washington has made it to 2-1 on the preseason thanks to the fact that its defense has been fantastic at times. Allowing a total of just 51 points in three games ranks Washington Redskins at 12th in the league in scoring.

On the other side of the field, the Cardinals are clearly in some disarray. Though it is unknown whether either Derek Anderson or Matt Leinart is going to play in this game, it is clear that Anderson is playing in Week 1, while Leinart, barring injury, will not. Ken Whisenhunt announced on Wednesday that the former Cleveland Browns starter is his man for the beginning of the season, which has really thrown the entire team for a whirl. Leinart, once upon a time considered the future of the franchise, is reportedly on the trade block.

Beck’s successor at BYU, Max Hall should be used quite a bit for the Cards on Thursday night. Both he and fellow rookie John Skelton have looked good in the preseason, and both are going to be fighting for what could be just one roster spot should Leinart not get moved by the start of the year.

NFL Insider Tip : The Redskins are unbeaten in their L/5 road games dating back to last season, going 4-0-1 against the football game lines.

Are Beck and Bartel the second coming of Joe Theismann and Mark Rypien? Of course not. However, they are both probably going to find a way to play inspired football once again. There is a lot of controversy right now in Arizona Cardinals, and we don’t love the idea of laying six points in the preseason with a team that doesn’t have a fantastic direction of where it is going.

The ‘Skins should top the Cards on the football game lines on Thursday.

My NFL Predictions: Washington Redskins (+5.5) -110

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Thursday night will be the final chance to sink your teeth into football game lines for the NFL preseason! The duel in Steeltown will be a very interesting one to watch, as plenty of quarterbacks will be fighting for jobs in the clash between the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Carolina Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd, 7:30 ET
Game Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Carolina Panthers (+6) -110 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-6) -110: Over/Under 37

The Panthers have been an absolute train wreck so far in the preseason. They have yet to score an offensive touchdown and have only found pay dirt a grand total of one time; on a kickoff return.

None of their quarterbacks have played well either, as Matt Moore, Jimmy Clausen, Hunter Cantwell, and Tony Pike have all completed 50 percent or fewer of their passes. Simply put, that isn’t going to cut it in the NFL at any level, even in the preseason.

The far more interesting story here is the play of the Steelers. Mike Tomlin still doesn’t know whether he is going with Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon to start the regular season under center. We don’t expect to see all that much from the soon to be suspended Ben Roethlisberger because of this, as these two prospective starters for the first month of the season are still locked in a crucial duel.

Dixon has looked the better of the two QBs so far in the summer, as he has completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 304 yards with a score and two picks, while Leftwich is only completing 45.0 percent of his passes for 138 yards and a TD. Dixon also has a ton of mobility and can get himself out of trouble if need be, while Leftwich looks like a statue in the pocket.

The problem that the former Oregon Duck has is that he looked terrible at times last week while playing against the Denver Broncos first team defense. He won’t see Carolina’s best effort this week, which might not give Tomlin the best gauge for which man he should use some next Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

NFL Insider Tip: For whatever reason, whether in the preseason or in the regular season, the Steelers have dominated this series. They hold a 5-1 ATS and 4-2 SU advantage over Carolina since 2005.

Let’s not mistake the fact that this is an incredibly hefty set of football lines in this game. Asking anyone to cover six-points in the preseason is a tall task. We saw that last week when the St. Louis Rams upset the New England Patriots as 7.5-point pups.

Still, Pittsburgh has too much to play for against a team that has looked this bad to not win by at least a touchdown – Expect a double digit victory!

My NFL Predictions: Pittsburgh Steelers (-6) -110

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The third week of football preseason betting action continues with BetUS Sportsbook on Saturday night in a Lone Star State shootout, as the Houston Texans play host to the Dallas Cowboys.
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Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 28th, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
TV/Radio Broadcast: CBS, Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Dallas Cowboys (+3) +100 vs. Houston Texans (-3) -120: Over/Under: 40.5

The Cowboys continue to have a major problem this year offensively. They have yet to score more than 16 points in a game, and they only have two offensive touchdowns to show for three games worth of work. Simply put, that isn’t going to cut it, especially for a club that expects to boast one of the top offenses in the league this year.

However, for as poorly as Dallas’ ‘O’ has played in football preseason betting action, its defense has been incredibly solid. This unit has only allowed a total of 38 points in three games and looks to be an incredibly dangerous unit.

Tony Romo has the worst numbers on the team amongst quarterbacks, as he has only completed 46.4 percent of his passes for 141 yards with a TD and a pick. That must improve on Saturday for the Cowboys to triumph in this football preseason betting duel.

The Texans are 0-2 this year in football exhibition betting battles, but that doesn’t mean they’re ripe for the picking once again. This is their first 2010 game at Reliant Stadium after a pair of road defeats.

One could argue that the recipe was just wrong for Houston last week at the Superdome, as it was the first time that the Saints had played in their building since winning the Super Bowl. This week though, the exact same sort of mojo could be playing in the Texans’ favor, as they are full of expectations this year and the hometown crowd is dying to see the team live.

The offense has looked sharp as a tack when Matt Schaub has been on the field. Schaub has thrown for 195 yards on 81.3 percent completions with a TD, and he has successfully directed the starting offense on at least two scoring drives in both of Houston’s football preseason wagering games.

NFL Insider Tip: The home team has won all seven affairs between these two teams. Houston is just 2-3 SU, but 3-2 ATS in five football preseason betting clashes.

Head coach Gary Kubiak is badly going to want to get his team off to a good start in this spot.

Taking a game against its instate rivals is going to be great for Houston, even if this is only just a preseason match-up. For a team that historically does very well in their exhibitions, the Texans are the obvious football preseason betting choice on Saturday night!

My NFL Preseason Predictions: Houston Texans (-3) -120

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Off back-to-back in-game teaser wins the first two weeks of the preseason, we look to move to a perfect 3-0 ATS with this specific bet heading into Week 3 NFL betting action.
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The game that stands out quite a bit for me will take place at Ford Field late Saturday afternoon when the Detroit Lions host the Cleveland Browns in a game that sets up perfectly for an in-game teaser.

Cleveland Browns vs. Detroit Lions
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 28th, 5:00 ET
Game Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
TV/Radio Broadcast: NFL Network, Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Cleveland Browns (+2) -110 vs. Detroit Lions (-2) -110: Over/Under: 38

The first question that needs to be answered is why on earth the NFL Network is broadcasting this game between two of the worst teams in the NFL. Wait… Are they really two of the worst teams in the NFL?
Let’s address both of these offenses first.

Jake Delhomme has done a decent job in the preseason of directing the Browns down the field for scores. Yes, his backups have all struggled mightily, but we must remember that the first team offense is going to be on the field for the mass majority of the first half and potentially even into the second half.

That means more of Matt Stafford and the Detroit offense as well. The Lions are going to look to show off some of their first round draft choices to the home crowd, as Stafford, Jahvid Best, Calvin Johnson, and Brandon Pettigrew should see plenty of reps.

Unlike the Browns though, Detroit has had a solid quarterbacking trio all preseason long. Drew Stanton is completing 60.0 percent of his passes, while Shaun Hill, a starter last year in San Francisco, has completed 70.8 percent of his; neither has thrown an INT as of yet.

Now let’s take a look at the two defenses. We already know that both of these teams are going to struggle on this side of the ball this year, and so far in the preseason, that hasn’t been an exception.
Cleveland has allowed 19 points to the Rams and 24 to the Packers so for in its exhibitions.

Detroit has allowed 20 and 23 to Denver and Pittsburgh respectively. The ‘over’ seems like a solid investment to put into this teaser.

The question is whether to go with the Browns or the Lions. Detroit got into the win column last week against the Broncos, but this is going to be the first game played at Ford Field this year. Don’t discount the importance of that, especially with the first teamers on the field.

The Lions probably have a much better than average chance to win this game outright, so teasing them to +4 is the right move and is significantly better than taking Cleveland to +8.

Go with the Lions and the ‘over’ for Week 3’s NFL betting preseason in-game teaser!

My NFL Preseason Predictions: 6-point teaser: Detroit Lions (+4) / Over 32

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Hopeful eyes will be honed in on the Minnesota sideline when it takes on San Francisco in NBC’s Sunday night telecast waiting to see if good ‘ol #4 will lace ‘em up and take a few reps against the 49ers first team defense. If so, I’m betting his efforts won’t be enough to allow the Vikings to cash tickets on the football money line as underdogs in this contest.
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Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers
Game Date/Time: Sunday, August 22nd, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Monster Park, San Francisco, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: NBC, Sirius

NFL Odds: Minnesota Vikings (+3) -110 vs. San Francisco 49ers (-3) -110: Over/Under: 35

Though the Vikings pasted the Rams in their first exhibition game of the preseason, all the news is currently centered around Brett Favre and how he finally decided to make one last go of it to capture the Vikings franchise first ever Super Bowl victory.

Regardless of whether he’ll get any game action in this spot, the Vikings will very much want to build off of their solid football money line victory against St. Louis. They went off the board as 2.5-point underdogs, but made the oddsmakers look foolish after they trounced the Rams 28-7 to easily cash NFL bettor’s money line tickets.

While Tarvaris Jackson did nothing to impress, the same can’t be said of Sage Rosenfels who lit the Rams defense up to the tune of 310 yards passing and three TDs. Defensively, the Vikings looked to be in mid season form as well giving up 150 combined yards and allowing St. Louis to convert just 3-of-14 third down tries.

When taking a gander at the box score from last week’s game at Indianapolis, the 37-17 final would lead you to believe that Head Coach Mike Singletary’s squad dominated from the onset.

That was far from the case however, as it wasn’t until Peyton Manning and the rest of the first teamers departed with a 10-0 lead that San Francisco caught fire. That will not have sat well with the firey Singletary who will most definitely expect more from his team in this spot.

Since taking over the Niners reins, the former Chicago Bears linebacker has won four of the five games he’s coached in the preseason against the football betting line. Though his club failed to cover the spread, San Fran is a perfect 2-0 SU in both home games during that stretch.

NFL Insider Tip: Now that the Vikings have their lynchpin back in place, I don’t foresee them doing much of anything to compete throughout the remainder of the exhibition season – And why would they? They were an overtime loss away from going to the Super Bowl a year ago, and a bulk of the pieces from that squad are still in place.

There really just isn’t much to be decided right now. Favre has let it be known that this will be his swan song of a season, so why would Head Coach Brad Childress want to put any of his major contributors in harms way when the games simply don’t count.

On the flipside, the Niners are expected to walk away with the NFC West Title for the first time in years. Singletary is a coach that above all wants to win, and I firmly believe he’ll have his men ready to trounce these guys this evening. It also doesn’t hurt that it would maybe take some of the sting of that brutal Week 3 loss they suffered in the Dome last season. Not much, but maybe a little…

Look for the Niners to at the very least cover the football money line in this contest!

My NFL Preseason Predictions: San Francisco 49ers -165

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Of all the games on the Week 2 slate in the NFL preseason, one game stands out quite a bit as one that you can cash in on in a big way. The San Diego Chargers will take on the Dallas Cowboys in a game that sets up perfectly for an in-game teaser in NFL betting action.
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Dallas Cowboys vs. San Diego Chargers
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 21st, 9:00 ET
Game Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Westwood One, Sirius

NFL Odds: Dallas Cowboys (+3) -120 vs. San Diego Chargers (-3) +100: Over/Under: 37

We have already gotten two looks at the Cowboys this season, and we aren’t overly impressed with either showing. The offense is finding a way to get near the red zone or in the red zone, but it just isn’t capitalizing.

Three field goals last week was all the team mustered in a 17-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders, while three field goals and a TD was all that was put forth in the ‘Boys Hall of Fame Game victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

What’s really happening to Dallas is that the offense is turning for the worse once Tony Romo and the starters leave the game. This is a very, very bad sign for the future of this team if things don’t improve, though there doesn’t seem to be any sort of urgency to change things.

If Matt Nichols and Stephen McGee end up playing substantial time again, it doesn’t seem as though the Cowboys really have much of a chance at winning.

The real key might be the play of rookie Ryan Mathews, though. The Chargers have to love what they’re seeing so far from their first round NFL Draft selection. He ran hard through the Chicago defense last week, taking the Bears for 50 yards on nine carries.

Mathews will probably get some extended work, particularly against the first team defense for Dallas, which is historically one of the better rush defenses in the NFL.

The Bolts also picked up six sacks last week, showing that they aren’t afraid to come after opposing quarterbacks.

Those sacks, a relatively consistent offense, and a blocked punt for a safety led to the team’s 25-10 win over the Bears.

We are still at a bit of a loss as to why the over/under in this game is so high. Teasing 6.5 points will require 44 points on the board to beat us. The only way we see that happening is if San Diego reaches the 30-point plateau, which looks to be quite the lofty goal for an exhibition.

The Chargers are the natural selection in this game as well. Because it is still the preseason, you’d like any points you can get on your side, and going past the crucial ’3′ could ultimately make a world of difference.

My NFL Preseason Predictions: 6.5-point teaser: San Diego (+3.5) / Under 43.5

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