The final week of NFL Preseason is here! That means the regular season is almost here! Get ready for preseason Week 4 betting as all games will take place on Thursday, Sept. 1.
NFL Preseason Week 4 Betting Preview
New England Patriots at New York Giants -2.5 (7:00 pm ET)
Tom Brady might get another start. He’s on the bench until Week 5 of the NFL Regular Season. Coach Belichick might want Brady to get some work in before the 4-game suspension starts. That should be enough for the Patriots to beat the Giants straight up in this battle.
New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles -3.5 (7:00 pm ET)
The Eagles have looked great so far. The Jets might want to give Fitzpatrick more work at quarterback. If they do, he figures to start and play for at least a half. That would be the smart thing since Fitz, as of yet, hasn’t been on the same page as his wide receivers. I think that the Jets pull off the upset because of that.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons -3 (7:00 pm ET)
It’s hard to see Atlanta giving any work to Matt Ryan in this game. They might also save RB Devonta Freeman for the regular season. Jacksonville will most likely give Blake Bortles a series or two. It’s hard for me to pick a side against the spread because I’m not sure what’s going to happen.
Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins -2.5 (7:00 pm ET)
Miami should put in their starters on offense at least for a half. QB Ryan Tannehill needs as much work as he can get in order to learn Adam Gase’s playbook. That should be the difference in this matchup. Tennessee, almost without a doubt, will rest Marcus Mariota, Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray. I like the Dolphins to cover the spread.
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions -3 (7:30 pm ET)
There’s no telling who will start for either one of these teams in Week 4. I like the Bills because RB Jonathan Williams has been very good for Buffalo during the preseason. He should get enough carries to make a difference in this matchup.
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals -4 (7:30 pm ET)
The Colts are likely to force the rushing attack in this game. Coach Chuck Pagano is disturbed that even with changes along the offensive line, the rushing attack has been desperately bad during the preseason. The Bengals are set. There’s no reason to force anything with QB Andy Dalton, any of the wide receivers, or any of the running backs. Pagano’s insistence on getting the rushing attack going could go either way. My gut tells me that the Bengals cover because Pagano, no matter what he does, won’t get Indy to rush the ball successfully in this game.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers -3.5 (7:30 pm ET)
Carolina needs to get Cam Newton and WR Kelvin Benjamin on the same page. Newton looked terrible in Week 3. He’s likely to see significant action. But it won’t matter. QB Landry Jones, the back-up in Pittsburgh, has been auditioning for a starting gig all preseason long. That won’t change this week. Steelers all the way.
Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5 (7:30 pm ET)
I think Jameis Winston gets some work. I know that Kirk Cousins will get some work in during this game. Winston and Cousins both got on track last week. But, more work is needed. This is especially true for Cousins who has made some suspect decisions during the preseason after being absolutely spot on in the second half of last season. I think that Washington does more in this game because Kirk Cousins has to do more than Jameis Winston. I like the Redskins to win straight up.
Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints -3.5 (8:00 pm ET)
Saints Coach Sean Payton said that Drew Brees is starting at quarterback in NFL Preseason Week 4. That makes sense since the Saints’ offense has been terrible in 2 straight games. Payton is now worried about both the Saints’ defense and their offense. That’s a bad position to be in so close to Week 1 of the regular season. Baltimore is already playing with urgency. I expect John Harbaugh to continue to push a winning attitude with all of his players, reserves and starters. They should cover the spread against New Orleans this Thursday.
Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns -3 (8:00 pm ET)
This is one of those no clue games. The Browns might play RGIII. They might not. The Bears might play Jay Cutler. They might not. I’m not ready to jump on either team in this matchup. I think that the Browns probably cover because they’re at home and their back-ups are likely more talented than Chicago’s. But, I’m not ready to jump on them just yet.
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs -3.5 (8:00 pm ET)
This could be an exciting game. Sure, neither Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers nor KC QB Alex Smith are likely to play more than a series or two. That won’t matter. Both teams have excellent back-up quarterbacks. Green Bay’s back-up QB is Joe Callahan. From Wesley, Callahan played a great game in Week 3 when completing 16 of 24 and throwing for 167 yards and a TD. The Chiefs’ back-up is former starter Nick Foles. Foles is a talented quarterback.
Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings -5 (8:00 pm ET)
The Rams have to play either Case Keenum or Jared Goff. That should give L.A. a leg up in this game against the Minnesota Vikings. It’s hard not to take the points after the line has gone up from 4 to 5. The Vikings might start QB Teddy Bridgewater. More than likely, they’re going to play the back-ups in this matchup.
Houston Texans -1 at Dallas Cowboys (8:00 pm ET)
Does Dallas start rookie Dak Prescott at QB? Or, do they play back-up Jameill Showers? On one hand, Prescott needs as much work as he can get. On the other hand, Prescott is Dallas’s only answer at quarterback now that Tony Romo is hurt. The Texans appear destined for a win and cover in this Week 4, NFL Preseason game.
Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals -3.5 (9:30 pm ET)
Denver gets the nod in this battle versus the Arizona Cardinals in the desert. The Broncos have 3 decent quarterbacks, all of which could start this game, while Arizona is likely to rest all of their best players on offense. The Broncos’ defense could shut down the Cardinals’ offense in this game.
Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders -2 (10:00 pm ET)
This used to be a terrific AFC West rivalry. In this game, Russell Wilson figures to sit on the bench. Oakland could definitely cover the spread because more than Russell might be on the bench. The Seahawks could rest most of its Legion of Boom defense.
San Francisco 49’rs at San Diego Chargers -2.5 (10:00 pm ET)
The Chargers finally signed DE Joey Bosa. Bosa might play a few series in this game on Thursday night. San Francisco has a lot of ways to go, none of those ways are particularly positive. My guess is that the Chargers end up winning and covering the spread.