The NFL preseason has come and gone, and that only means one thing: Week 1 is next! The preseason featured a lot of highs and lows for each team, but for 3 teams, it was 3 weeks of excitement. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders all finished 3-0 and head into Week 1 with more momentum than anyone else. However, it’s important to remember that it was just preseason; everything could change in the regular season.
With that in mind, I have gone through the results from the preseason for all 30 teams and have 3 best bets to make as we head into Week 1.
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NFL Week 1: Jacksonville Jaguars -4 (-112) over Indianapolis Colts
Available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
The Jaguars were the most impressive team in the preseason to me. They beat the Cowboys, Lions and Dolphins in their 3 preseason games, and the most impressive part was their offense. The Jags averaged 28 points and 408.67 yards of offense per game, and that was with Trevor Lawrence only in for a few series. Lawrence finished 13 for 16 with 128 yards as he looked sharp in his limited time on the field. But it wasn’t just Lawrence that was impressive; it was the entire offense. Travis Etienne Jr. looked great against the Dolphins and Calvin Ridley put his speed on full display as he hauled in 3 catches for 50 yards last week. Combine those 2 offensive threats with Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, and that’s a solid offense. As for the Colts, I didn’t love what I saw from Anthony Richardson. His accuracy will definitely be a problem, and I’m willing to bet he throws at least 1 interception in Week 1. Jacksonville is one of my favorite teams to watch for heading into Week 1.
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NFL Team Win Total: New York Jets Over 9.5 Wins (-115)
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Aaron Rodgers was barely used in the preseason for obvious reasons but he looked on the same page as all his receivers – especially Garrett Wilson. Rodgers went 5-of-8 for 47 yards and found his favorite target for a touchdown last weekend. The Rodgers-to-Wilson connection was the talk of training camp, and it seems like that duo is going to do big things in 2023.
🚨AARON RODGERS 1st JETS TD🚨
📺: #NYJvsNYG on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/PSWFIwcLcF— NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2023
However, Wilson won’t be Rodgers’ only favorite target since Allen Lazard followed him from Green Bay and Mecole Hardman will give him a chance to air it out downfield. Their offense is shaping up to be solid unit with Rodgers leading the pack, so as long as their defense can do their job, the Jets could absolutely be a threat in the regular season. Could Rodgers and the Jets challenge Josh Allen and the Bills for the AFC East title? Who knows. But I do like New York’s chances for a 10+ win season.
NFL Player Futures: Sam Howell Over 18.5 Touchdown Passes (-110)
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One of the biggest surprises from the NFL preseason was the Washington Commanders and Sam Howell. As the Commanders transition to the post-Carson Wentz era, they are expected to go through some growing pains with Howell at quarterback. However, the North Carolina product was fabulous in the preseason. Howell finished 28 for 37 with 265 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 2 games that he played. His accuracy was far better than I expected, and he showed the ability to scramble out of the pocket when needed. His offensive outburst helped the Commanders achieve a perfect 3-0 record in the preseason, but — once again — it is just the preseason.
I’m not expecting the Commanders to break all predictions and win 10+ games, but I am much higher on Howell than I was a few weeks ago. For that reason, I’m focusing on him for this futures bet. In order for him to throw 19 touchdown passes, he basically needs to throw 1 touchdown a game. That’s not unrealistic by any means, especially since he’s the QB1 for the Commanders and should start every game as long as he’s healthy. If he avoids injury, I could honestly see him hitting this number by Week 13 or 14.
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