Ricky Dimon
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Following 4 games on Friday, Week 3 of the NFL preseason continues on Saturday with 6 more contests (a seventh—the New Orleans Saints vs Arizona Cardinals—was cancelled because of Hurricane Ida). Among the teams in action are the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Seattle Seahawks.
Let’s take a look at our three best bets for Saturday’s slate.
Green Bay Packers +8 over Buffalo Bills (-110)
Green Bay rounds out its preseason campaign with a trip to Buffalo. Despite two poor showings so far for the Packers, there could be value in taking the road team against the spread. Quarterback Kurt Benkert looked a lot sharper against that mean Jets defense and could have some success against Buffalo. The Packers have struggled to establish the run in their opening two games, but with roster cuts on the horizon these players will know that they need to show up if they are to secure a spot. As for the Bills, Mitchell Trubisky lit it up against his old Bears team but don’t expect him to show the same fire. He clearly had a chip on his shoulder in that matchup and had the advantage of knowing how the Chicago defense operates. Furthermore, Buffalo’s run game has been lackluster; it’s hard to trust Trubisky, Davis Webb, and Jake Fromm to cover 8 points against anyone.
Check out our full game preview.
Baltimore Ravens -4 over Washington Football Team (-115)
The Ravens have already tied the NFL all-time record for most consecutive preseason wins and they will be looking for more when they visit the Football Team. Baltimore recently extended its preseason streak to 19 with victories over New Orleans (17-14) and Carolina (20-3). I don’t think head coach John Harbaugh will suddenly waive the white flag now that the record is in hand. He will want to keep his foot on the gas and maintain momentum into the regular season. Tyler Huntley will likely take most of the snaps for Baltimore, and he has impressed so far. Against the Panthers last week Huntley completed 24 of 34 passes for 187 yards and also rushed for 23 yards. Meanwhile, Washington lost to New England 22-13 and then edged Cincinnati 17-13. Head coach Ron Rivera may throw some of his starters out there for a while on Friday—but not for long.
Check out our full game preview.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -4 over Houston Texans (-110)
The Buccaneers are going to play their starters a lot more than they have all preseason in this one. Tom Brady attempted 2 passes in the preseason opener and then didn’t play at all in the second game. Now head coach Bruce Arians has said that Brady will play at least the first half. If he isn’t satisfied with that first half, Arians has said he may play his starters into the third quarter. As such, four points doesn’t seem to be. too much to lay against a pitiful Texans roster. The Texans are coming off a “win” over the Cowboys, but they didn’t play well at all. As a team Houston had 131 passing yards and 89 rushing yards. The Texans won only because of the incompetence of Cowboys fourth-string quarterback Ben DiNucci, who threw 3 interceptions. Tampa Bay will be looking to make a statement here after it got routed by the Titans (no starters played).
Check out our full game preview.
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