NFL Preseason Week 2 Updated Losing Picks

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t going to be any good this season, but they will make history. That’s because they are reportedly retaining the NFL’s first female coach, Katie Sowers, for the regular season. Though the specifics of her new job are unknown, Sowers did work with the 49ers’ receivers during the summer. She played professional football, functioned as an adviser for USA Football, and was general manager of the Kansas City Titans of the Women’s Football Alliance. It’s a bit to early to get the latest preseason odds & lines for Week 2, but here are two teams I’d bet against in this week’s NFL preseason action.

NFL Preseason Week 2 Updated Losing Picks

Last day of #PatsCamp in Foxboro is complete. Thank you #PatriotsNation! pic.twitter.com/dvqyiO55I4

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 14, 2017

New England Patriots at Houston Texans

When: Saturday, Aug. 19, 8 PM ET Where: NRG Stadium, Houston TV: Local only (NFL Network replay) Radio: 98.5 FM The Sports Hub (New England) / KILT 610AM (Houston) Opening NFL Preseason Lines: TBA

You Again?

The Patriots have to tired of seeing and beating the Texans. They beat them in the 2015 regular season, last regular season and in the divisional-round of last year’s playoffs. And they play again this regular season. So I’m not really sure why the teams chose to have a preseason game against one another. You probably won’t see much of any starters. The Pats opened the preseason with a 31-24 home loss to Jacksonville last Thursday. Tom Brady sat out and backup Jimmy Garoppolo completed 22 of 28 for 235 yards and two TDs. Unless Brady gets injured, these exhibition games are probably Garoppolo’s only chance before he is eligible for free agency at the end of the season to show other teams he can play. Rob Gronwkowski missed the game and isn’t likely to play here. If Brady does, it might only be a series. Dion Lewis started and played into the second quarter of New England’s preseason opener, rushing seven times for 32 yards. He added four receptions for 23 yards. Lewis’ extensive playing time was a bit surprising considering his injury history. It could be an indication he’s fighting for his spot on the 53-man roster. After further review, the Pats had a league-high 40 players who didn’t play in Thursday’s first exhibition game. Bill Belichick explained that three days of joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars leading into the game was a big part of his thinking.

NFL Preseason Week 2 Sure Losers

Watson Shines In Debut

Houston opened the preseason with a 27-17 loss in Carolina but it was a great NFL debut for rookie QB Deshaun Watson, who is trying to steal the starting job of Tom Savage. Watson completed 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards and ran for a score. Savage went three-and- out on his first two possessions against Carolina’s first-team defense. Savage had better luck with Carolina’s starters out of the game, completing 8 of 8 passes for 67 yards on his final drive capped by a 16-yard TD run by Alfred Blue. “I thought both of those guys had their moments where they were really playing well,” Coach Bill O’Brien said of his QBs. “To me, it was a typical first preseason game. There was some good, some not so good [and] a lot to build on.” D’Onta Foreman rushed nine times for 76 yards in the Texans’ preseason opener, adding two catches for six yards. Foreman worked as the third-team back behind Lamar Miller and Blue, sharing second-half snaps with Akeem Hunt. The Texans and Patriots will practice together Tuesday and Wednesday this week in West Virginia.

NFL Preseason Betting Trends

• Patriots are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games.
• Patriots are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games.
• Home team is 7-1- 1 ATS in their last 9 meetings

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals

When: Saturday, Aug. 19, 10 PM ET Where: U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale TV: Local only (NFL Network replay) Radio: WBBM (Chicago) / Sports 620 KTAR (Arizona) Stream Option: NFL Live Opening NFL Lines: TBA

Bears Add Aguayo

On Sunday, the Bears claimed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Roberto Aguayo off waivers. The 2016 second-round bust was waived by the Buccaneers on Saturday after his rocky start to the preseason. Aguayo missed an extra point in the second quarter of a 23-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday night. He was then brought out late in the fourth quarter for a 47-yard field goal attempt, which went wide right. He made one field goal, a 20-yard kick on the Bucs’ opening possession. Aguayo will compete with Bears kicker Connor Barth — who, incidentally, was released by Tampa Bay in May 2016 after the team drafted Aguayo. Barth went 18-of- 23 on field goal attempts and 31-for-31 on extra points for the Bears in 2016. The Bears are a bit thin at receiver right now. Markus Wheaton has a broken finger on his left hand. He already missed two weeks of camp after an appendectomy. The Bears also placed WR Reuben Randle (hamstring) on injured reserve, ending his season. One of the big stories of the first week of the preseason was Bears rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky’s performance in a loss to Denver. Trubisky completed 18-of-25 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. Bears fans already want him to start over Mike Glennon, but that’s not going to happen. Glennon completed 2-of- 8 passes for 20 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception in the loss against the Broncos. The pick was returned for a TD. If he’s not way better in this game, the calls for Trubisky are really going to intensify.

Third Game For Cardinals

You might see more starters play this week for Arizona over Chicago as it’s the Cardinals’ third preseason game. They are 1-1, losing in the Hall of Fame Game to Dallas and then beating visiting Oakland 20-10 over the weekend. Arizona dominated the game in the first half, building a 17-3 lead. Carson Palmer threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brittan Golden to cap his brief preseason debut. Drew Stanton, Palmer’s backup for the past four seasons, completed 11 of 15 passes for 112 yards, including a 7-yard TD pass to tight end Troy Niklas. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said he doesn’t normally take points off the board like he did in the first quarter when he accepted an illegal formation penalty on the Raiders after kicker Phil Dawson hit a 33-yard field goal. Arizona got the ball back at the Raiders 10 and scored three plays later. Asked if he would do it again during the regular season, Arians said if the offense was playing that well, he “probably” would. The only injuries from Saturday’s game were to TE Ricky Seals-Jones (ankle) and receiver Brittan Golden (groin). Arians doesn’t expect either to miss much time.

NFL Preseason Betting Trends

• Bears are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
• Bears are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games.
• Cardinals are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 Saturday games.
• Cardinals are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall.

Expert NFL Preseason Week 2 Predictions

I like the Patriots in Houston simply because Garoppolo is so darn good. Take Arizona as Bears rookie Trubisky likely will struggle in his first road outing.