Looking for our Week 3 preseason predictions? Check them out here.
Don’t you just love the preseason? We went a solid 3-1 on last week’s picks, bringing us to 4-1 if you count the Hall of Fame Game. The only bet that missed, which was the over in the Broncos-Cardinals game, missed because of four missed field goals. Let’s dive into my NFL preseason Week 2 predictions so that we can talk about the best preseason picks for Cowboys-Seahawks, Ravens-Commanders and more Week 2 action.
Looking for more 2023 NFL predictions? OddsShopper’s experts are here to break down the upcoming NFL season — make sure to check out the rest of our NFL articles, including our NFC East and AFC North previews. Come back during the NFL season for our market-based betting model’s picks and best bets — or try it out for Week 1 now!
NFL Preseason Week 2 Predictions: Best Cowboys-Seahawks, Ravens-Commanders Picks and More
Browns-Eagles NFL Preseason Week 2 Prediction
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Browns: +115 | Eagles: -135
Browns +2.5: -110 | Eagles -2.5: -110
Over 38.5: -110 | Under 38.5: -110
We’ve gotten to see the Cleveland Browns in action twice this preseason, and my first impression is that there may be a controversy as to who will back up Deshaun Watson, who won’t play on Thursday. The current backup, Josh Dobbs, was trusted enough to not see action in the Hall of Fame Game, but he struggled in Week 1. He completed only 50% of his passes and recorded only 3.8 net yards per attempt (NY/A). Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was the fourth option in the Hall of Fame Game, entered before Kellen Mond in Week 1. He completed 90% of his throws for 10.2 NY/A.
The Philadelphia Eagles do not have an ongoing quarterback controversy. The backup is clearly Marcus Mariota, who was serviceable in Week 1. The reserves, Tanner McKee and Ian Book, neither impressed nor have a legitimate shot at earning the backup job. McKee completed 50% of his throws for 6.8 NY/A while Book completed just 25% of his throws for -2 NY/A and primarily worked as a rusher. Mariota’s job security isn’t in serious question.
The Browns also have a number of wide receivers with something to prove. Several former Day 2 picks, including rookie Cedric Tillman, Jets castoff Elijah Moore, David Bell and Anthony Schwartz — along with veterans Marquise Goodwin and Jakeem Grant — have to make some plays to secure their spot in a receiving room that already features two clear-cut top options in Donovan Peoples-Jones and Amari Cooper.
Because Cleveland’s offensive reserves have so much to prove, especially when compared to what Philadelphia’s reserves have to do to keep their jobs, it’s hard to foresee head coach Kevin Stefanski not featuring his second unit for a considerable chunk of Week 2. Cleveland’s offense has looked above average on offense in the preseason, averaging 366.5 yards per game and 5.4 yards per play, but missed field goals, turnovers and failed fourth-down conversions — in short, variance — have kept them from rolling their opponents. Let’s trust Cleveland as a road underdog in this one.
For updated Browns-Eagles odds and picks, click here.
Browns-Eagles NFL Preseason Pick: Cleveland Moneyline +115 at FanDuel
Panthers-Giants NFL Preseason Week 2 Prediction
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Panthers: +140 | Giants: -165
Panthers +3: -110 | Giants -3: -110
Over 36: -110 | Under 36: -110
Let’s get contrarian with this pick. The Carolina Panthers came out looking terrible in Week 1. Bryce Young lasted three drives, all of which ended in punts, and two of which were three-and-outs. Carolina’s offensive line got beaten by New York’s defensive line, and badly. The good news for the Panthers is that the Giants are far, far less deep along the defensive line. While they have several high-quality starters, including Leonard Williams, several backups are injured, leaving them with only four fully healthy reserves at defensive tackle and defensive end.
The New York Giants, meanwhile, scored only 16 points against the Lions in Week 1. They tallied only 243 yards on 55 plays, good for 4.4 yards per play — not exactly what you want to see. The Giants played their backup, Tyrod Taylor, for only two possessions before handing the reins over to rookie Tommy DeVito for the entire game. DeVito, who probably isn’t challenging for the backup spot, completed 62.5% of his passes for 4.4 NY/A. The Giants don’t have a fourth-string option, so we’re likely to see more of the same come Friday.
What’s most encouraging to me is that both of these defenses struggled in Week 1. The Panthers coughed up 348 yards and 27 points on 68 plays, good for 5.1 yards per play. The Giants allowed 328 yards and 21 points on 69 plays, good for 4.8 yards per play. New York’s pass rush recorded a single sack for a loss of just one yard, which means Young and backup Matt Corral probably won’t face as much pressure in Week 2. Likewise, the Panthers recorded just one sack against the Jets, so Taylor and DeVito probably won’t combine for five sacks again.
Although the Panthers have a new head coach in Frank Reich, he isn’t a first-timer. Reich’s Colts saw their games go over the total for this one (36) in all of their preseason games last year with an average of 47 total points per game. Likewise, Brian Daboll’s Giants beat this number in each of their preseason contests last year while averaging 49.7 total points per game. Let’s look at Week 1 as an offensive outlier for both teams and play the over at a rock-bottom price we may not see later in the week.
For updated Panthers-Giants odds and picks, click here.
Panthers-Giants NFL Preseason Pick: Over 36 -110 at FanDuel
Cowboys-Seahawks NFL Preseason Week 2 Prediction
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Cowboys: +190 | Seahawks: -230
Cowboys +6: -110 | Seahawks -6: -110
Over 38.5: -110 | Under 38.5: -110
Good Lord. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys are a 6-point underdog for a preseason game. I genuinely don’t understand why FanDuel has put the line here, and we’re likely to see considerable movement throughout the week because the Cowboys should not be such massive dogs. They only lost their first preseason game because of a miraculous touchdown pass by Nathan Rourke and were overall efficient. The Cowboys racked up 376 yards and 23 points on 69 plays, good for 5.2 yards per play.
While Dallas has a clear starting quarterback in Dak Prescott, there could be some controversy as to his backup. Cooper Rush looked great last season and played well in Week 1, completing 83.3% of his passes for 5.5 NY/A. However, third-string quarterback Will Grier also looked impressive, completing 70.9% of his passes for 5 NY/A and, importantly, two touchdowns. Grier, a 28-year-old former third-round pick, has had a roster spot on the Cowboys either on the practice squad or active roster since 2021 and won’t want to mess it up — and him taking Rush’s spot as a backup isn’t out of the question.
The Seahawks don’t have nearly as much potential controversy on offense. Geno Smith is the starter — his new $105 million contract dictates as much. Drew Lock is the backup as his one-year, $4 million contract suggests. That leaves rookie Holton Ahlers as the clear third-string, practice-squad stash. Although motivation wasn’t an issue for either player in Week 1, as they combined to complete 75% of their passes for 7.8 NY/A, it’s possible that the Seahawks move to reduce Lock’s snaps as the preseason progresses. Seattle ended up compiling 340 yards and 24 points on 55 plays, good for 6.2 yards per play with him at the helm for most of the game.
Let’s trust the Cowboys to cover a generous spread. I suspect that Seattle’s incredible offensive production in Week 1 isn’t sustainable, especially if Lock sees less run in Week 2. Although Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t care much about winning preseason games, as his 2-6 record suggests, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t either. The Seahawks are 2-5 over the same sample, having played one fewer game due to the Cowboys’ appearance in the Hall of Fame Game. Let’s trust the Cowboys to keep this within at least six.
For updated Cowboys-Seahawks odds and picks, click here.
Cowboys-Seahawks NFL Preseason Pick: Dallas +6 -110 at FanDuel
Saints-Chargers NFL Preseason Week 2 Prediction
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Saints: -180 | Chargers: +155
Saints -4: -110 | Chargers +4: -110
Over 37.5: -110 | Under 37.5: -110
The New Orleans Saints will visit the Texas Christian Horned Frogs — erm, the Los Angeles Chargers — in a standalone game on Sunday night. The Chargers have two of TCU’s biggest-name offensive weapons from last season, quarterback Max Duggan and wide receiver Quentin Johnston, who will likely play sizeable roles in Week 2 of the preseason. The Saints have another part of that offense, running back Kendre Miller, but he’ll likely sit this one out with an injury.
New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen gave his starters plenty of run in Week 1 and could choose to do so again this week, but it’s likelier that he saw enough and will pivot away from the first-team offense. The Saints didn’t use their first-string offense much last preseason, especially not in Week 2, despite having a quarterback controversy on his hands. Neither Andy Dalton nor Jameis Winston played in Week 2 last year. Dalton played in Weeks 1 and 3 while Winston only appeared in Week 3.
While the Saints have several intriguing depth pieces on offense, they don’t have enough incentive for me to back them as a sizeable road favorite. They just lost running back Kendre Miller to an injury. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed remains sidelined as well. The Saints can’t afford to lose much more depth on offense, especially with Alvin Kamara suspended for the first three weeks of the season, so don’t be surprised if Dennis Allen dials back the aggression in Week 2.
The Saints looked good in Week 1, but the Chargers honestly looked better. L.A. racked up a dominant 34 points, seven of which came on special teams, and 342 yards on just 58 plays, good for 5.9 yards per play. Penalties were their primary problem. The Saints totaled 26 points and 360 yards on 69 plays, good for 5.2 yards per play. New Orleans also got help from a pair of Kansas City turnovers — an advantage L.A. didn’t have last week, as neither team turned it over in SoFi. Let’s trust the Chargers to get the job done on Sunday.
For updated Saints-Chargers odds and picks, click here.
Saints-Chargers NFL Preseason Pick: Los Angeles +3.5 -115 at FanDuel
Ravens-Commanders NFL Preseason Week 2 Prediction
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Ravens: -200 | Commanders: +170
Ravens -4: -110 | Commanders +4: -110
Over 38.5: -110 | Under 38.5: -110
We bet on the Ravens to extend their preseason winning streak to 24 last week, and while we didn’t make a ton of money, they did get the job done. Let’s keep riding one of the most impressive active streaks in sports that dates back to the 2016 preseason, which followed John Harbaugh’s worst as the head coach of the Ravens. Baltimore lost multiple preseason games that year before going 5-11, so it makes sense why Harbaugh wants to avoid a similar mistake — even if these games don’t count.
The Ravens showed some major areas for improvement in last week’s win, but I have faith they’ll deliver. Veteran quarterback Josh Johnson started the game and completed 66.7% of his passes for only 3.4 NY/A but threw for a touchdown. Anthony Brown then took over and completed only 37.5% of his passes for 0.9 NY/A. But the silver lining, and what led Baltimore to a 24th-straight victory, was Harbaugh’s willingness to insert backup Tyler Huntley at the start of the second half, who then completed 72.7% of his passes for 8 NY/A and a touchdown.
It was Baltimore’s aggressive defense that led the team to its 24th straight win. The Ravens shut down the Eagles in key spots, including a late-game two-point conversion attempt that would’ve cost them the lead. In contrast, Washington’s passive defensive play nearly cost them a Week 1 win. The Commanders opened out to a 17-2 lead early in the third quarter before allowing the Browns to score a pair of second-half touchdowns, bringing the final margin to two. Cleveland’s offense averaged a healthy 5.4 yards per play but just couldn’t score due to turnovers and a missed field goal.
For updated Ravens-Commanders odds and picks, click here.
Ravens-Commanders NFL Preseason Pick: Baltimore Moneyline -200 at FanDuel
