If Week 1 of the 2025 NFL preseason taught us anything, it’s that the rookie quarterbacks are up to the task, or maybe teams are just playing really soft and basic coverages. A whopping 8 teams scored 30 points through Saturday’s action, matching the total from Week 1 in the last 4 preseasons combined.
With that in mind, let’s look at our favorite picks from top-rated sportsbooks for value in Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
Cleveland Browns vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Saturday, August 16, 2025 – 01:00 PM EDT at Lincoln Financial Field
You’d think the Browns won the Super Bowl on Friday night with the attention they were getting for a 30-10 preseason win in Carolina. The hype was for 5th-round rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ debut after he got the start. It went well, even better than expected, as he connected on a pair of nice touchdown passes.
But we’ve been fooled many times by rookie quarterbacks in the preseason. The team that actually won the Super Bowl last year is Philadelphia, and Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee was as good as anyone in Week 1, completing 20-of-25 passes for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns in the team’s 34-27 win over the Bengals.
There’s a good chance coach Nick Sirianni goes with McKee for much of this game as well as Jalen Hurts rarely sees the field in August. As for the Browns, it should be acknowledged that Sanders needed 9 drives to throw his 2 touchdown passes, including a 10-yard drive that started after a turnover. He also got bailed out with a one-handed catch for a 30-yard gain that made up half of his other scoring drive.
Prediction: Eagles to Halt Browns’ Preseason Momentum
This will be one of the higher marquee games in the Week 2 preseason slate, but we’re going to trust a sound team in Philadelphia to take care of business at home and stop the Super Bowl bandwagon from building in Cleveland after a single preseason win.
NFL Pick: Eagles -1.5 (-110) at Caesars
San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Saturday, August 16, 2025 – 04:00 PM EDT at Allegiant Stadium
Pete Carroll is the oldest coach in NFL history, but don’t tell him that. He’s still got the heart for the close games, and his debut with the Las Vegas Raiders was no exception as his team fought in Seattle for a 23-23 tie on Thursday night.
The Raiders are home this week, and they’ll want to get more out of running back Ashton Jeanty, who didn’t impress anyone with 3 carries for -1 yards in his debut. We might get to see more out of quarterback Geno Smith in Week 2 after he only completed 1-of-3 passes for 15 yards in Seattle. Aidan O’Connell handled much of the game and he does have starting experience.
Meanwhile, the 49ers started well against Denver by taking a 9-0 lead in their preseason debut. But the Broncos scored the game’s final 30 points. Each quarterback threw a pick for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and he may just want to get to the regular season as healthy as possible after the 49ers had massive injuries on both sides of the ball in 2024 when they missed the playoffs.
Prediction: Raiders to Cover at Home
That probably means little to no Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, etc. in this game. But Carroll has a new culture to build in Vegas, it’s his first home game, and he knows how to keep his team fighting to the bitter end. We’ll back the Raiders to cover at home.
NFL Pick: Raiders -3.5 (-110) at Caesars
New York Jets vs. New York Giants
Saturday, August 16, 2025 – 07:00 PM EDT at MetLife Stadium
You know it must be the preseason when the Giants and Jets are winning games by scoring 30-plus points on the road against 2024 playoff teams. But it was a strong start for both with Aaron Glenn making his Jets debut and Brian Daboll just hoping he’ll keep his job into 2026 with the Giants facing a brutal schedule this year.
But let’s give the nod to the Giants here, because their quarterback depth chart is actually very impressive with Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and rookie Jaxson Dart all potential starters this year.
There’s no guarantee any one of them hit big in Daboll’s offense, but things started very well in Dart’s debut in Buffalo. The rookie threw for 154 yards and a touchdown, showing some nice touch on a deep ball, and Dart even led the Giants with 24 rushing yards. Even Tommy DeVito, the No. 4 quarterback, threw a touchdown in the team’s 34-25 win.
As for the Jets, Justin Fields rushed for a touchdown in his team debut as the starting quarterback. Glenn’s defense held Jordan Love and the Green Bay starters scoreless on a couple of drives before they quickly exited for the bench. The Jets more than doubled up the Packers in yards (403-188).
Prediction: Giants to Cover With QB Depth and Coaching Edge
This could be a good one, but let’s give the Giants the edge to cover with the better quarterback depth and Daboll’s experience in these situations.
NFL Pick: Giants -3 (-110) at Caesars
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