The NFL preseason rolls on tonight with a pair of intriguing matchups that deserve a closer look from bettors: Colts vs. Ravens and Bengals vs. Eagles. While these games won’t impact the regular season standings, they still offer value for those who understand the storylines behind each roster.
Let’s break down the NFL odds and find what makes these two matchups worth watching and wagering on at the sportsbooks!
Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens
Thursday, August 7, 2025 – 7:00 PM EDT at M&T Bank Stadium
Lamar Jackson’s Absence
According to an ESPN Ravens reporter, the Ravens will sideline their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, tonight.
His absence explains why the Ravens are home underdogs against a team that was clearly inferior to them during last year’s regular season.
Jackson’s absence certainly makes sense: the Ravens do not benefit in any way from exposing him to the possibility of injury when he’s a proven veteran who is so important to his team and who will still be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
Indianapolis’ Quarterback Situation
Whereas the Ravens will play it safe and, with a reliable superstar as their starter, will suffer tonight because they don’t need to have a good backup quarterback for Jackson, Indianapolis’ quarterback situation is significantly less stable in a way that enhances the team’s outlook tonight.
The Colts essentially have two starting-caliber quarterbacks, one being Anthony Richardson and the other being Daniel Jones, who started six years for the Giants.
Both players will see significant action tonight, which means that tonight’s game will largely encompass the starting-caliber quarterbacks of Indianapolis going against the backups of a Baltimore defense whose starters ranked 27th against the pass last year. Of course, their backups will be much worse.
Improved Anthony Richardson
There are big Richardson doubters out there, but, besides the fact that he gets an easy test tonight, he is showing in training camp that he is raising his quality as a quarterback to a higher level.
Most recently, Richardson has displayed a significantly improved passing ability, as evident in the efficiency that he’s achieved in 11-on-11 action.
Richardson was already a winner as a starter — going up against starters in regular season action — and now he’s a better quarterback facing backups, while his backup is competing for the same job.
This competition will bring the best out of both quarterbacks, maximizing their team’s advantage tonight. In this sense, the Colts as a whole, but especially their offense, have more to play for than their opponent tonight.
Parlay Leg 1: Colts ML (-267) at Caesars Sportsbook
Best Bet: Colts Team Total Over 20.5 (-125) at BetMGM
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Thursday, August 7, 2025 – 7:30 PM EDT at Lincoln Financial Field
Celebration Mode
Philadelphia sees its first game action since winning last year’s Super Bowl. For this team, the mood will be great and the emotions will be high, but the competitive spirit will be absent. The Eagles are in celebration mode, in let-down mode, especially with tonight’s game taking place in their stadium in front of their home fans; home field will be a disadvantage tonight.
To explain my take, see how the Chiefs played last year as they came off a Super Bowl victory. In Week 1 of last year’s preseason, they faced a bad Jaguars team that obviously had a lot more to prove. The Jaguars beat them 26-13.
Two years ago, as the Chiefs were (again) coming off a Super Bowl victory, they lost their first preseason game, whereas they won their ensuing preseason games.
Defending Super Bowl champions must be expected to be at their worst in Week 1 of the preseason.
Cincinnati’s Motivation
Motivation is everything in games that don’t count toward the regular season standings. Whereas the Eagles couldn’t have less to prove, because they are the defending champs, Cincinnati will be motivated.
 The Bengals start every regular season very slowly. This is a weakness that bettors commonly attack at the start of every year. Obviously, if bettors are this aware of it, then Cincinnati’s own head coach is going to be aware of it.
Zac Taylor is motivated to have his team better prepared for the regular season. Similar to Carolina’s head coach, Taylor recognizes that stronger preparation for the regular season necessitates a higher level of immersion in preseason action.
Taylor said that his superstar quarterback, Joe Burrow, along with other key starters, will see meaningful action tonight. They’ll be eager to develop their level of preparedness for the regular season by playing well, and they’ll get to face an unmotivated defense that will probably be laden with backups.
They’ll certainly lead against an Eagles team that will likely focus on playing backups, especially with the opportunity for competition that Philadelphia’s players are relishing in Training Camp and in joint practices where they can heat up for the regular season without incurring the injury risk that they would in preseason action.
Best Bet: Bengals Team Total Over 20.5 (-135) at BetMGM
Parlay Leg 2: Bengals ML (-260) at Caesars Sportsbook
NFL Preseason Parlay Pick
- Colts ML (-267)
- Bengals ML (-260)
Two-Legged Parlay (-111) at Caesars
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