NFL Preseason Week 1 Odds, Picks & Predictions (2025)
Week 1 of the NFL Preseason will begin tonight with three games on the menu. At 7:00 pm ET, the Indianapolis Colts will battle the Baltimore Ravens on NFL Network. In addition, the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles will play at 7:30. Finally, the Las Vegas Raiders will take on the Seattle Seahawks at 10:00 in NFL Network’s second game of their preseason doubleheader. I’ve got a best bet for each game and talked about them below. Here are our NFL Preseason Week 1 picks and predictions for Thursday’s slate of games.
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Thursday’s NFL Preseason Bets: Week 1
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Indianapolis Colts will start Anthony Richardson in tonight’s game. Ultimately, the Colts are looking for some consistency from their young quarterback. However, they won’t keep him out there for very long. Richardson is expected to play about a quarter and a half before veteran Daniel Jones takes over.
Richardson and Jones are both currently fighting for the No. 1 quarterback job. The Colts haven’t rushed to a decision and will use the preseason to decide the starter.
Meanwhile, the Ravens will likely use Cooper Rush for a good portion of the game. Rush is currently Baltimore’s backup, but this is his first time with the Ravens. He’ll need to adapt and get as many reps as possible with his new team.
At the end of the day, the Colts are going to use their starting quarterback, while the Ravens won’t. That’s a significant advantage for the Colts, who have also raved about Riley Leonard as the No. 3 quarterback.
Let’s roll with the Colts at -5.5 (-115).
Pick: Indianapolis Colts -5.5 (-115)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles don’t plan on playing starters in tonight’s preseason game. On the other hand, the Cincinnati Bengals are looking to play their starters in the first quarter. Joe Burrow acknowledged that you’ll see him more than ever in this preseason. He believes his absence from preseason contributed to their struggles at the start of last season.
With several Cincinnati starters playing in the first quarter and no Eagles starters playing in the first quarter, let’s take the Bengals at -.5 (-105) in the first quarter.
Pick: Bengals -.5 First Quarter Spread (-105)
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll should get a warm welcome in his return to Lumen Field as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. However, some Seahawks fans might not be happy with him. Carroll plans on playing his starters against the Seahawks early in this football game. He said, “Everyone will be ready to go.”
It doesn’t mean all of the starters will play, but it’s likely the Raiders will use many starters early in the game, similar to the Bengals.
On the flip side, Sam Darnold isn’t expected to start for the Seahawks in Week 1. He could probably use the reps, but the Seahawks are being diligent in that regard. We’ll likely get to see a lot of Jalen Milroe, the former Alabama quarterback. However, many Seahawks reporters and blogs are not very high on Milroe so far.
That said, give me the Raiders at -4.
Pick: Las Vegas Raiders -4 (-115)