Winning $7 from my first NFL bet of the season was fine screaming “Jamien Sherwood, Auburn” at the TV when the Jets linebacker stripped the ball away from Schwartz was like an intravenous espresso shot. Watching Jets QB Zach Wilson hit Malik Taylor for a 57-yard gain that set up a go-ahead field goal in the Hall of Fame game brought a tear to my eye (and helped cash my Jets first-quarter moneyline bet), and watching Browns kicker Cade York shank a 49-yarder and receiver Anthony Schwartz fumble was a thrill that I’ve been missing since February. Only bet on the NFL preseason because you love football. According to VSiN analytics, preseason underdogs in the +1 to +3 range are 149-102 against the spread. Home-field advantage matters little in the preseason, and there is so much variance in terms of coaching motivations and who will actually suit up, so projecting a true underdog is nearly impossible. My faith is in Harbaugh and his backup quarterbacks, Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson, to continue the Ravens’ August reign.įrom sleepers to busts, we’ve projected every player in your upcoming draft.Īnother safe-ish trend is to back the underdogs.

The betting markets seem to have adjusted to Baltimore’s consistent preseason success, as the Ravens are among the biggest favorites, at -4.5 against the Eagles, in Week 1 of the preseason, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to the bit. Baltimore is 43-12 straight up and 38-16-1 against the spread in the preseason in the first 15 years of the Harbaugh era. There’s perpetual value in betting on John Harbaugh’s Ravens in the preseason.

Do: Bet the Baltimore Ravens and Underdogs Welcome to The Ringer’s Guide to Successfully Betting the Preseason. If you can’t enjoy something as chaotic as a Sean Clifford throw to Bo Melton late on an August Friday night, you either aren’t a real football fan or, more likely, just don’t have a big enough bet on the over. It’s time to stop YouTubing “ NFL big hits” and start watching preseason football the way it was intended: by deep-diving into NFL training camp practice reports and placing wagers on games whose outcomes will largely be determined by players who won’t be on the field in September.

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