Ok, listen.
It’s been a very long offseason in the NFL. The draft feels like a distant memory and free agency may as well have taken place decades ago. But finally, FINALLY, we get real, live NFL football on Thursday night.
And while that anticipation will almost certainly not be met with thrilling action, watching toe meet leather on television for the first time all year is worth celebrating. Certainly it’s worth betting on.
We are not here to judge. We are not here to tell you to save your bankroll for Week 1. We know, in our hearts, if you are reading this, you’ve already committed to putting down some cash on Thursday’s action. You will find no shame here for we are with you. This is a safe place.
So let’s do what we’ve waited months on. Let’s bet on a (preseason) NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders.
Here are the five bets we’ve got our eyes on.
Bet on sports with Tipico
1
Under 30.5 (-115)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has already been ruled out for the preseason opener. Backup C.J. Bethard is dealing with a groin injury and won’t see much (if any) action, either. That means it’s Jake Luton time. And it means it’s time to fade him heavily.
Jags tailback Travis Etienne also won’t be on the field. Honestly, you should be ready to say “WHO!?” quite a bit on Thursday.
While the Under has cashed in five of the last six Hall of Fame games, 59 percent of bettors at Tipico are on the over. We’re not buying it. Nope. Not this time.
2
Raiders -2.5 (-115)
We’ve established there won’t be too many points tonight. Nor will there be too many big name players on the field. And still it’s hard not to take a Raiders team many expect to contend in the AFC West against a Jacksonville club that won three games last year.
Six of the last eight Hall of Fame Games have been decided by more than 2.5 points, so this feels like a fair play, but if giving away points in the preseason feels problematic you can take…
3
Raiders Moneyline (-135)
For all the reasons listed above.
We’re not saying the Raiders are a lock, by any means. But there’s only one team worth betting on tonight. And it’s not the one the employed Urban Meyer this time last year.
At Tipico, 62 percent of bettors are on Raiders ML while 70 percent are on Raiders (-2.5).
4
Both teams score 1 or more touchdowns (No, +175)
We’ll be honest. We’re throwing darts with this one. But there’s a tiny bit of evidence to back it up.
It’s not uncommon for at least one team in recent Hall of Fame Games to get completely lost en route to the end zone. Considering how many of the Jags’ starters are out, and this being one of the reasonable plus-money bets on the board, it’s worth a little bit of a sprinkle.
5
Both teams to score 10+ points (No, +130)
As long as we’re rooting for this game to be a beautiful mess, let’s get even weirder with it.
Here’s another plus-money bet and two of the last five games have seen at least one team fail to score 10 points.
Good luck out there tonight. Remember, this is just the smallest of appetizers. The real deal is on the way soon.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
