Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
The 2022 NFL regular season is only a few weeks away. As such, we have already previewed all 32 teams and provided our best bets for each one. The preseason, of course, is already here. We are one week into the festivities and now it’s time to break down the Week 2 schedule.
Before we dive into Week 2 of the preseason, be sure to read all our 2022 NFL preview content that can be found on NFL tab. It includes our picks for the Super Bowl, AFC, NFC, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Chicago Bears +4.5 (-110) over Seattle Seahawks
I am almost never inclined to give more than a field goal in the preseason and I am not going to do it for Thursday night’s game between the Bears and Seahawks. Seattle’s defense stunk in its opener, resulting in a 32-25 loss to Pittsburgh. Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph combined for four touchdowns without turning the ball over a single time. On offensive, the Seahawks are waging a QB battle between Drew Lock and Geno Smith. Each guy will be inspired to play well, but Chicago quarterback Justin Fields will be the same. Fields playing some and backup Trevor Siemian handling the rest of the duties isn’t the worst situation in the world. Siemian went 7-of-13 for 89 yards, two TDs and no INTs during a 19-14 defeat of Kansas City last week. The Bears could very well win again, and at the very least they should cover.
Read our full Chicago Bears 2022 season preview
San Francisco 49ers +4.5 (-110) over Minnesota Vikings
Yes, I am also taking the points – and a fair amount of them, too – in this game between San Francisco and Minnesota. The 49ers went 3-1 in the preseason in 2019 and 2-1 in 2021, both under current head coach Kyle Shanahan (the 2020 preseason was canceled because of Covid-19). Not too surprisingly, Shanahan and company are off to a 1-0 start this year after beating Green Bay 28-21 last week. Trey Lance completed four of five passes for 94 yards with one touchdown and no picks. There has been some crazy talk surrounding Lance in the media of late, with some pundits even throwing him in the MVP discussion. Obviously the brakes need to be pumped in that regard, but Lance will be eager to prove himself – even in the preseason. He is from Minnesota, too, giving him all the more reason to crave success on Saturday. As for Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, his status is unclear following a recent positive Covid-19 test.
We will have picks for EVERY NFL game this season
Las Vegas Raiders -2 (-110) over Miami Dolphins
When we’re talking about a -2 spread, that is something I am willing to give. The Raiders have already played twice in this preseason (they beat the Jaguars 27-11 in the Hall of Fame Game) and are 2-0 both straight up and against the spread. After easing past Jacksonville, Las Vegas took care of Minnesota 26-20 this past Sunday. The penultimate preseason game for every team is generally when the starters see their most significant playing time, but Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has been non-committal about his plans. Although McDaniel did say earlier this week that he expects some players who did not suit up in last week’s 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay to suit up this weekend, he would not discuss the status of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. No team will ever be going all out in a preseason situation, but look for first-year Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels to make at least some effort to start 3-0.
Pickswise is the home of free expert NFL Picks and NFL Odds. Be sure to check out all of our season previews and NFL Futures Bets leading up to the 2022 NFL season.
