NFL Preseason Week 2 Predictions, Preview & Betting Odds 2026

Week 2 is now the midpoint for the NFL Preseason Schedule 2026. Previously, every team played a minimum of four NFL Preseason Games with the Hall of Fame Game participants playing in five tilts, but that format changed when the NFL expanded to a 17-game regular season in 2021. There were some great games in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason 2026, and there should be even more quality football this week as Week 2 is when we usually see starters play the most snaps. Let’s break it down in the NFL Preseason Predictions for Week 2.

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NFL Preseason Games This Week

Saturday will be the busiest day of action as 10 of the NFL Preseason Games in Week 2 will take place on August 22. It is the first full day of football this season with games kicking off between noon ET and 10 p.m. ET. Seven of those games will be televised on either NFL Network or ESPN Unlimited, so it’s time to fire up the dual view on the big screen!

There are four Super Bowl rematches in Week 2 of NFL Preseason 2026. The Los Angeles Chargers will host the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, and the Denver Broncos will face the Green Bay Packers on Friday. More recent Super Bowl showdowns will be highlighted on Saturday as the New England Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Cigar City. 

Featured NFL Preseason Matchups to Watch

Many Californians will be tuning in to Week 2 of the NFL Preseason Schedule 2026 to see the Chargers host the 49ers in a matchup of two West Coast teams with Super Bowl aspirations. Both the Chargers and 49ers are flying under the radar by virtue of the strength of their divisions, but both teams have the potential to really surprise this season.

Elsewhere, don’t be surprised if the Dallas Cowboys have the crowd at their back when they face the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. When these franchises were NFC East rivals, Cowboys fans regularly overshadowed the home crowd fans, and there are still lots of Dallas fans in and around Phoenix.

NFL Preseason Schedule 2026

Week 2 of the NFL Preseason Schedule 2026 is below:

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Las Vegas Raiders at Houston Texans 8:00 PM ET (ESPN)

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Chargers 10:00 PM ET (NFL Network)

Friday, August 21, 2026

New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers 7:00 PM ET (NFL Network)

Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars 7:30 PM ET (ESPN Unlimited)

Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos 9:00 PM ET (NFL Network)

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions 12:00 PM ET

Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns 1:00 PM ET (NFL Network)

Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts 1:00 PM ET

Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings 1:00 PM ET (ESPN Unlimited)

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams 4:00 PM ET (ESPN Unlimited)

New York Giants at Miami Dolphins 4:00 PM ET (NFL Network)

Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals 7:00 PM ET

Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots 7:00 PM ET (NFL Network)

Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7:30 PM ET (ESPN Unlimited)

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals 10:00 PM ET (NFL Network)

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans 8:00 PM ET (FOX)

When Does NFL Preseason Start?

The unofficial start of the NFL Preseason was the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on Thursday, August 6. The real action kicked off on Thursday, August 13, and there are 16 games spread over four days in Week 2 of the NFL Preseason. 

NFL Preseason Odds for This Week

One of the things you will notice with NFL Preseason odds is that they are all very similar. Since there are a ton of unknowns like playing time and backup quality, oddsmakers make the betting odds for NFL Preseason Games pretty uniform across the board.

Every game is likely to have an over/under between 35.5 and 40.5 this week. It’s very standard for all games to have a point spread of three points or less too, and there will only be a handful of games this week where a team is favored by more than a field goal per the NFL Preseason odds.

How to Read NFL Preseason Betting Odds

Reading NFL Preseason betting odds is just like reading typical NFL odds. The three most common bets are spread, moneyline, and over/under wagers. It has become very popular to bet on NFL Preseason teasers over the last several years, and you will see a lot of that too given the short spreads and low totals.

However, teasers on sides mostly failed last week. A whopping eight games were decided by 13 or more points, turning conventional wisdom on its head. Teasers on totals did somewhat better with 10 of 16 games finishing with between 30 and 41 points, but there were some outliers on both ends.

Factors That Move NFL Preseason Odds

Playing time is the biggest factor when it comes to shifting NFL preseason odds. The odds will move in favor of a team if their coach declares their starters will see more action than expected. Conversely, any coach that openly states that they won’t be playing their starters will see the betting lines move against his team.

Experienced backup quarterbacks are a big factor in preseason odds too. These signal callers can carve up backup defenses in the preseason, leading to more points being put on the board. Rookie quarterbacks do tend to see more action, but it usually takes some time for them to adapt to the speed of the NFL.

NFL Preseason Predictions and Analysis

The NFL Preseason Odds for Week 2 won’t be released until later on Monday, but I will likely back any team getting at least 5.5 points. While Atlanta looked awful in its blowout loss to Denver, Detroit almost upended Cincinnati despite being a seven-point home underdog in the preseason opener.

Perhaps my favorite of the NFL Preseason Picks this week will be the Los Angeles Chargers laying points against the San Francisco 49ers. Kyle Shanahan is painfully aware of the 49ers’ injury woes over the last several seasons, so he is not going to risk his starters getting banged up for too long. Conversely, Jim Harbaugh had Trey Lance throw 20 passes last week and may ask him to throw even more this week against the team that drafted him. D.J. Uiagalelei had some nice moments in the Chargers’ 27-7 win over the Houston Texans last week too.

I will also take the Green Bay Packers against the Denver Broncos this week. Green Bay’s backups did not play well in a 28-9 loss against Pittsburgh last week. The Packers were unable to run the ball effectively and surrendered five sacks to muster a total of 160 yards on offense. Conversely, Denver fired on all cylinders against the outmatched Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos are going to take their time with Bo Nix as he returns from a broken ankle and a follow-up surgery in April, so I expect the Packers to send their starters out for much longer than their opponents in Week 2.

NFL Preseason Picks for Week 2

Los Angeles Chargers

Green Bay Packers

Best Betting Angles for NFL Preseason Games

The best betting angles in the NFL Preseason involve backing coaches with tried-and-true records. Steve Spurrier was legendary in this regard, and John Harbaugh has been superb as well. Another one of the best angles is to find backup quarterbacks with significant experience who will receive the bulk of the playing time. Malik Willis eventually parlayed his preseason success into starting roles, and other players have taken note.

NFL Preseason Standings and Team Trends

When it comes to NFL Preseason Standings, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals are both 1-1 while the rest of the league is either 1-0 or 0-1. Cleveland has the dubious distinction of being the “worst” team in the league with a 34-10 loss, while Chicago is atop the standings after the Bears hammered the Browns on Saturday in the Windy City. 

Do NFL Preseason Standings Matter?

NFL Preseason Standings only matter for bettors. Records are wiped clean before the start of the regular season, but it is important to remember what you see from coaches and quarterbacks so that it can be used with future preseason betting.

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