Last week’s NFL Hall of Fame Game was just a teaser. An amuse-bouche, if you will. The tiniest of appetizers to get us ready for the smorgasbord of football to come, the 2023 regular season.
That makes this weekend a full trip to the salad bar with all the fixings. We get 16 NFL preseason games, which amounts to 960 minutes of actual game time over the course of the weekend.
Thursday through Sunday is not a national holiday, but it should be.
Top NFL Games of the Weekend
Green Bay Packers (-4.5) at Cincinnati Bengals
Following two games on Thursday, our Friday of preseason football begins with the Green Bay Packers at Cincinnati Bengals and Jordan Love taking the quarterback reins in Green Bay.
This will be his first start as QB1, and even though you should never get too carried away regarding preseason performances, Packers fans are going to want to be wowed.
New York Giants (-3) at Detroit Lions
There is no sneaking up on anyone this year for either of these teams. The Giants are coming off a playoff berth, and the Lions are the preseason betting favorite to win the NFC North. How will both teams respond with the higher expectations?
We also get to see how the Giants plan to use new tight end Darren Waller and how the Lions are going to feature first-round draft pick Jahmyr Gibbs. All reports out of camp say that Gibbs is the real deal, and if Detroit does make it back to the playoffs, he will be a big reason why.
New York Jets at Carolina Panthers (-3.5)
We’re not expected to see Aaron Rodgers on Saturday in Carolina, but we will get our first look at the No. 1 overall pick, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
There will be growing pains. There will be interceptions. There will be bad decisions. A lot. But head coach Frank Reich loves his new quarterback, and the growth Young experiences from this weekend through the end of the season will be worth watching.
San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) at Las Vegas Raiders
We probably won’t see much of Jimmy Garoppolo this preseason, with the Raiders expected to be cautious with a previously injured foot. But we should see plenty of Trey Lance for the 49ers as Kyle Shanahan and company try to figure out what kind of future he has in San Francisco.
We’ll also see some Sam Darnold and maybe some Brock Purdy, although that is more of a long shot. Whoever plays for San Francisco, everyone will be watching. It’s been a long time since one of the Super Bowl favorites was so unsettled at quarterback.
Pay Per Head Software
Independent bookmakers, the action is about to kick in with the start of the NFL and college football seasons. But to truly maximize the profits that are available, you need a top pay per head software provider in your corner.
With WagerHome.com, you get a fully customizable website, access to WagerHome’s huge menu of sports and betting options, plus EZ Live betting.
See a demo today at WagerHome.com.
Join the conversation