NFL Underdogs Thriving Against the Spread Through First Week of Preseason

One week of the NFL preseason -- and the Hall of Fame Game -- is in the books, and there are a few betting trends to be aware of as Week 2 rolls around, starting on Thursday, Aug. 15.

In Week 1 of the preseason, underdogs dominated from a betting perspective covering the spread in 11 of the 17 games overall.

2024 NFL Preseason betting update

Underdogs 11-6 ATS

UNDERs 12-5
— John Ewing (@johnewing) August 11, 2024

Not only that, but favorites such as the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders received some of the most bets in Week 1 at BetMGM Sportsbook, yet they all failed to cover. Underdogs crushed the public in those games, as the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears all covered against those teams.

Three most-bet teams to cover in Saturday’s NFL preseason games at @BetMGM:

1. Browns -5.5 ❌
2. Bills -3 ❌
3. Raiders -3❌
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) August 11, 2024

Week in and week out in the preseason, it's hard to tell which teams will have an advantage since the starters only play a small part of the game in some occassions. For some teams, their starting quarterback may not play a single snap in the preseason.

At Sports Illustrated, we've shared one trend to look at -- every coach's record against the spread in the preseason -- that could be a helpful resource when betting on these preseason games.

For now, it appears that taking the points has been an effective strategy with a lot of low-scoring and close games through the first week.

Week 2 of the NFL preseason will kick off on Thursday with the New England Patriots hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. That is the only matchup in the NFL ahead of the weekend in Week 2.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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