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Best NFL Picks Today: Predictions for Lions vs. Giants and Panthers vs. Patriots in Preseason Week 1

Breaking down the best picks for the NFL preseason matchups on Thursday, Aug. 8.

Peter Dewey

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a week since the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game kicked off the 2024 preseason, but football is back on Thursday night in Week 1 with the Detroit Lions taking on the New York Giants and the New England Patriots facing the Carolina Panthers.

Betting on the preseason can be tough, as there are several key players – especially in Week 1 – that won’t suit up, making it tough to handicap each matchup. 

As of Thursday morning, Daniel Jones, Jared Goff and Bryce Young all aren’t expected to play for their respective teams, but the Patriots are in line to start Jacoby Brissett and play rookie quarterback Drake Maye on Thursday. 

One of the best ways to handicap the preseason is by looking at the straight up and against the spread records of each coach, but even that is tough to do tonight since two first-year head coaches in Jerod Mayo and Dave Canales are facing off. 

Despite all of that, I still have a pick for both of the preseason games tonight, as we can’t get enough football in the lead up to the regular season. Let’s break down each of these matchups.

NFL Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

  • Detroit Lions +3.5 (-112) vs. New York Giants
  • New England Patriots -7 (+100) vs. Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions +3.5 (-112) vs. New York Giants

The Giants aren’t expected to play most of their starters, including Jones and rookie receiver Malik Nabers, which could spell trouble for their chances of covering the 3.5-point spread in this one.

This is the third season for Brian Daboll as a head coach, and the New York leader has gone a horrible 0-6 against the spread despite being 3-3 straight up in those games. 

On the Detroit side, Dan Campbell is just 3-6 straight up, but he’s better against the spread (4-5) in his preseason career. 

I’m not going to tell any bettors that one teams backups are going to outperform the others, but getting the points with the Lions feels like a safe move given the Giants’ ATS struggles in the preseason under Daboll. 

New England Patriots -7 (+100) vs. Carolina Panthers

Both Mayo and Canales are making their preseason coaching debuts, so it’ll be interesting to see how they treat these exhibitions. 

New England still has a little bit of a quarterback competition, although Jacoby Brissett is likely to be named the starter in Week 1, and the veteran is going to get the start tonight.

Carolina is expected to play Jack Plummer with former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young sitting out, and that could spell trouble for the Panthers keeping up in this game. 

Last season, Carolina played Young very sparingly in its preseason opener, and it ended up losing 27-0 against the New York Jets.

With the Patriots set to play all four of their quarterbacks in this game, there are some continuity worries with the offense, but Brissett should show why he’s been in the NFL for several seasons against some of the Panthers backups. 

I’ll lay the points with the Pats since the Carolina offense is likely to struggle with a youngster like Plummer leading the way.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Peter Dewey

PETER DEWEY

Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.

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