NFL Preseason Picks and Predictions (8/8): Friday Night Lights

We had plenty of action last night on the gridiron, but tonight we have three more matchups in the NFL Preseason. Let’s dive in and find our favorite picks.

Tonight in the NFL we have:

Check out the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks. Plus, take some time to check out our NFL Divisional Previews below.

Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons NFL Picks

Hendon Hooker leads the Lions in their second preseason game

Best Bet: Lions 1H -2.5 (-115) BetOnline

We aren’t going to see Jared Goff, Michael Penix Jr., or even Kirk Cousins in this game tonight. The Lions will trot out Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen, while Easton Stick and Emory Jones should see the majority of the workload for the hosts.

This is the Lions second preseason game, making me side with them a bit, especially after the stinker they put up in the Hall of Fame Game. Look for Detroit to put some points on the board as early as they can.

I’ll back the Lions for the first half of this contest, expecting them to add some electricity to the offense that wasn’t seen last week. As for the Falcons, I expect them to come out a little rusty in their first preseason contest.

Cleveland Browns vs. Carolina Panthers NFL Picks

Adam Thielen is a veteran amongst a young group of wide receivers in Carolina

Best Bet: CLE/CAR Over 33 (-105) BetOnline

We went with all unders last night and got destroyed, so tonight we will back points between two very bad teams.

The Panthers have indicated starters will at least play a little bit, so we will get to see Bryce Young with his new wide receiving corps for a drive or two. Plus, backups such as Andy Dalton and Rico Dowdle are capable of producing some solid offense.

On the Browns side, it’s going to be all eyes on Shedeur Sanders as he starts this game for Cleveland. He has apparently looked good in practice this week in preparation for this game, so I’m willing to back some scoring from both sidelines.

Washington Commanders vs. New England Patriots NFL Picks

Drake Maye will play a little bit of tonight’s matchup

Slight Lean: Patriots -6.5 (-120) BetOnline

Drake Maye will embrace the hype tonight for at least a drive but probably not much more. Regardless, Josh Dobbs will see a majority of the action, and we know what he can do on the football field. We aren’t going to see Jayden Daniels, but we will get to see a pair of quarterbacks in Josh Johnson and Sam Hartman, neither of whom bring much confidence to the table.

Mike Vrabel takes over as Head Coach of the Patriots, and Dan Quinn likely won’t play most (if any) of his starters. I think the Patriots might be slightly deeper than the Commanders in this contest tonight, which makes me lean their direction if anything, but I don’t need all kinds of action before the real season begins.

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