We’re entering the third week of the NFL preseason, which typically means we’re about to see more of the starting lineups than the past two weeks. Teams typically leave the starters out for much longer in the third preseason game, which may actually lend some stability to betting on the preseason.
2014 NFL preseason odds, Week 3: Eagles over Steelers, Jets and Giants are even
It’s the preseason, so the home teams are mostly 3-point favorites heading into the third week of the preseason.
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There's probably quite a few people out there who take great care in choosing their preseason bets, but it's pretty clear that the lines don't offer much on a week-to-week basis. You'll find the biggest trend is home teams being made 3-point favorites. That's still the case this week, though some of the NFL's elite teams -- the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers -- are favored by at least 7 points.
Seattle's line might be the most significant. They're favored by 7.5 points, like the Packers and the Broncos, but the Seahawks are playing the Chicago Bears, a much better team than the opponents of the other two (Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans). That's likely due to the 41-14 beatdown the Seahawks put on the San Diego Chargers in the second week of the preseason.
Whatever the case, be sure to check out SB Nation’s NFL odds page for the most up-to-date lines. Below, we’ve got some early odds from 5Dimes.eu, via OddsShark.
Thursday, Aug. 21
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (-3)
Friday, Aug. 22
Carolina at New England (-5.5)
New York Giants at New York Jets (Even)
Jacksonville at Detroit (-3)
Oakland at Green Bay (-7.5)
Chicago at Seattle (-7.5)
Saturday, Aug. 23
Tampa Bay at Buffalo (-3)
Dallas at Miami (-3)
Tennessee at Atlanta (-3)
Washington at Baltimore (-2.5)
New Orleans at Indianapolis (-1)
St. Louis at Cleveland (-2.5)
Minnesota at Kansas City (-3)
Houston at Denver (-7.5)
Sunday, Aug. 24
San Diego at San Francisco (-7)
Cincinnati at Arizona (-1)
