In an effort to make NFL preseason football more interesting to fans, and more useful for teams, the league decreased the amount of exhibitions from four games to three, and increased the time between the final one and Week 1 of the regular season. 

The strategy seems to have worked. We have to sit through one fewer preseason game (replaced by another regular season one) and more teams aer opting to play their starters in the finale. 

So many of the major players we'll see when the 2023 NFL betting season officially gets under way, will get action this week in the final tuneup. 

What we won't see is yet-another Baltimore Ravens undefeated preseason. The Washington Commanders ended the Ravens' 23-game preseason win streak last Sunday. Only six of the 32 teams are 2-0 heading into preseason Week 3, and only five teams are at 0-2. Parity is a thing in the NFL, even when the results don't matter!   

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Best Bets For NFL Preseason Week 3

Bookies.com NFL expert handicapper Adam Thompson, who has hit on 62-64% of his NFL pickss in each of the last three seasons, reveals his top picks for NFL Preseason Week 2. 

We went 3-0 in Week 2 preseason action, including picking the Commanders over the Ravens. 

First off, never bet the bank on any NFL preseason action. Winning takes a backseat to grading and scouting personnel so the team will have the best 53 players on the roster come Week 1 of the regular season. That said, teams and coaches approach preseason differently, and that's where edges can be found on betting apps.

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Giants (+6) over Jets

The G-Men have no interest in rolling over for the now-worth-talking-about Jets. Aaron Rodgers and perhaps Dalvin Cook will make their debuts in the green-and-white. One could argue they could care less about making a good first impression; they’ve been around long enough to know it’s about when the games count. The Jets likely won’t use their two big offensive acquisitions much. 

All Giants QBs have looked great this preseason, and the team has played two competitive games so far, losing by 4 to the Lions and winning by 4 to the Jets. This is a lot of points to hand Rodgers, who may suit up for just a couple of drives, or any preseason team for that matter. 

Chargers-49ers Over 37.5

Justin Herbert hasn’t taken a preseason snap but should do so here in the finale. He wants to come out strong after inking his massive five-year extension in July. So, too, do all the 49ers QBs. Brock Purdy wants to prove he still has hit, while Sam Darnold wants to show he was the right choice for the No. 2 spot, and Trey Lance can improve, or crater, his trade chances with his effort here. 

In other words, both offenses have reason to push. So far, the two Chargers preseason games have totaled 51 and 39 points without Herbert, and Niners games have both finished at 41 points. At worst, expect similar scores. 

Saints (-3) over Texans

C.J. Stroud has looked bad and the entire Texans team hasn’t looked sharp under brand-new head coach DeMeco Ryans, smashed a combined 48-12 by the Patriots and Dolphins. The Saints have looked focused with wins over the Chiefs and Chargers. 

New Orleans has far more depth at this point, and Derek Carr and Jameis Winston each have reason to show a little something in the preseason. After the preseason they’ve had, there’s no interest in finishing it off with a home loss to the lowly Texans. 

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