Table of Contents
By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast
Fans Find Meaning In Meaningless Games
Thank our lucky stars that we’re at this spot in the calendar. In what will be the first of several similar declarations from now until September 7th, NFL football is very much BACK and the first slate of preseason games begin this Thursday. Seeing the training camp fields and fights in practice is the harbinger for what we know is coming – real-life football. While the stats don’t count and the result doesn’t mean a thing for the regular season, it’s live-action which means there are lines to be digested. Without further ado, let’s scrape at the bottom of the barrel and find some leans for week one’s sixteen-game preseason slate.
Slate SparkNotes: Preseason Week One
Thursday
Houston Texans (-1.5) at New England Patriots, 7 p.m. – The Texans have a bit more to sort out a QB in game one between C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills, and on the Pats side the early word is Mac Jones should play at least a few series despite not playing in the 2022 preseason opener.
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks (-2.5), 10 p.m. – It seems unlikely Kirk Cousins plays Thursday night, but chances are there for Geno Smith to take first team snaps in the first quarter. Pete Carroll seems to be a bit more aggressive in leaning starters into action.
Friday
Green Bay Packers (-2.5) at Cincinnati Bengals, 7 p.m. – The Pack now live in a post Aaron Rodgers world – will Jordan Love get reps to unofficially begin his reign? If he does I like the pack as Burrow and the Bengals starters should be sidelined all night. They know what they have there.
Pittsburgh Steelers (-1.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7 p.m. – It was a year ago in this same spot where we all fell in love with Kenny Pickett off of preseason resp, then reality hit in-season. As for Tampa Bay, I like Baker Mayfield to go for gold here in week one to lock up his starting spot over Kyle Trask (yuck).
New York Giants (-3) at Detroit Lions, 7 p.m. – The Lions begin their prep for the opening night slaughter they’ll receive in Kansas City, while the Giants and Brian Daboll have shown the propensity to bench starters in this spot before. The line shows lots of respect to the Giants backups led by QB Tyrod Taylor.
Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) at Miami Dolphins, 7 p.m. – The Falcons enter year two with Desomnd Ridder as their QB, and teammates say he’s taking the reins of the offense. It will be interesting to see how the staff mixes his preseason reps, but early word is there won’t be many so I like the Dolphins depth on defense here at home.
Washington Commanders at Cleveland Browns (-1), 7:30 p.m. – We’ve already seen the Brows in action, so there’s a tiny bit of context here. They fought surprisingly hard with their second and third units to win last week, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see another strong effort from them, this time at home in Cleveland.
Denver Broncos (-3.5) at Arizona Cardinals, 10 p.m. – The Broncos are one of the biggest favorites commanding a lot of action for a meaningless game, and it’s entirely due to the news that Russell WIlson and the starters will get a solid chunk of playing time in this and every preseason game. After a slow 2022 start Broncos country is looking to come out firing.
Saturday
Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears (-3.5), 1 p.m. – Mike Vrabel is notoriously careful in the preseason with his starters, and the Bears are still looking to fully develop Justin Fields’ game. Fields and the starters are vaguely getting “some” playing time for the Saturday matinee, and it’s anyone’s guess how long that ends up being. I would surmise about one quarter of action.
Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. – This could be that make or break moment that determines Anthony Richardson’s rookie season trajectory, as he’s sharing reps with Gardner Minshew. His highlight tape in camp is already the stuff of legends, now we watch to see if it translates against a legit Bills defense.
New York Jets (-2.5) at Carolina Panthers, 4 p.m. – Let’s get this out of the way – Aaron Rodgers won’t play. He might see limited time in the preseason finale but it’s unlikely, so it’s a healthy dose of Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle against a good defensive Panthers unit. I expect Carolina to win the matchups at the line of scrimmage regardless of units in play.
Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) at Dallas Cowboys, 5 p.m. – Trevor Lawrence and the starters will indeed take the field in the preseason opener in Dallas which will be nice to see, while the Cowboys are widely being precautious with Dak Prescott. In reality this will be three quarters of Cooper rush versus C.J. Beathard – breathtaking.
Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens (-3.5), 7 p.m. – Despite his recent mega payday to stay a Raven, that doesn’t necessarily mean you get him in any preseason action. Past years have indicated he won’t lace it up Saturday night, but it never affects the Ravens. They’re 23-0 in their last 23 exhibition games and 20-3 against the spread. The August lock you’ve been looking for but never knew existed.
Los Angeles Chargers (-1.5) at Los Angeles Rams, 9 p.m. – Keeping it in the same stadium, it’s a double home game to start the preseason in L.A. Sean McVay is keeping us guessing with what he calls a “very different” preseason approach as opposed to sitting his starters throughout. I’m intrigued enough to take the Rams against Chargers squad that never plays Justin Herbert in preseason.
Sunday
Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints (-1.5), 1 p.m. – The defending world champs are back and on the road in the Big Easy. Their starters should be on full rest, while on the other Derek Carr will enthusiastically make his Saints debut and should play a good amount to get used to his new surroundings.
San Francisco 49ers (-4) at Las Vegas Raiders, 4 p.m. – Week one preseason finished off with an intriguing west coast matchup in Vegas. The 49ers QB camp is a fascinating scenario with Brock Purdy sidelined, and Jimmy Garoppolo immediately faces his former team that swept him out the door.
Alex’s Plays
Bucs +1.5 – A motivated Baker Mayfield playing for his starting job.
Dolphins +2.5 – Top to bottom a deeper roster that should win at home
Browns -1 – The only team we’ve got good film on with all units, they’ll be more ready to play against their inferior opponent the Commanders.
Broncos -3.5 – Russell Wilson needs to show well early, even in August
Panthers +2.5 – More invested in defensive progress this week, and din;t see much from the Jets offense last week
Ravens – 3.5 – If there’s such thing as a preseason NFL lock, this is it
Rams +1.5 – Chargers won’t be playing starters and the Rams have a mystery plan. Sign me up!
NFL FAQs
How do you play football survival pool?
Players pick one team each week they think will win the game outright. They may only pick a team ONCE per season, meaning you can't pick the same team twice in one season. If their pick is correct, the player survives another week and continues to play. An incorrect pick eliminates the player from the contest entirely. This is sometimes called an elimination or suicide pool. The last person standing wins.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is a football survivor pool?
In a Football Survivor Pool, players choose one team weekly they think will win. Usually, a team can be picked one time per season. Picks are made "straight up," no spreads necessary. If a pick is correct, members survive another week. An incorrect pick eliminates the player, unless a mulligan is used.
How does a football pool work?
Football pools are games of skill played among a group of people. There are a variety of pool types to fit every players needs, from casual to competitive. Pool commissioners can set up pools manually, or use a hosting service like RunYourPool whiel still customizing your own settings. Some examples include NFL Squares, NFL Survivor, NFL Pick 'Em, and Playoff Brackets.
What is an NFL pickem pool?
In an NFL pick’em pool, simply pick the outcome of each NFL game throughout the season. You can pick straight up winners or losers, or pick each game against the spread.
How to play a football pool?
The way one plays a football pool varies on the game type. For example, in Survivor, you pick one team to win each week and can't pick that team again. Guess wrong and you lose. Another example is Pick'em Pools in which you simply pick every game each week.
How does a fantasy football pool work?
Fantasy football pools don’t involve a traditional fantasy football draft. You can have as many members in your pool as you’d like, meaning no more 12 or 14 team limits! You pick a new lineup of players each week, and once you use a player once, you can’t use them again for the rest of the season.
What is a fantasy football pool?
A fantasy football pool is similar to a traditional fantasy football league but without the draft. Pick a new lineup each week, and once you use a player, you can’t use them for the rest of the season. Your players will receive points based on their in-game stats, and the member with the most points at the end of the season is the winner.
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How do football pool squares work?
There are different kinds of football square pools. Most have a 10x10 grid with one team for the rows and columns. In an attempt to win, participants select a square where they believe the last digit number of each team's score will intersect at the end of each quarter, and the game's end.
How do you play football squares pools?
To play a football squares pool, you're going to want to pick the squares with the best odds. As winners are determined by the point totals at the end of each quarter, try to consider options where scores are most common. Some of the most popular squares include 7-3, 7-0, 7-7, and 0-0. Numbers divisible by seven are good starting points.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
What is a football squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you play football credits pool?
In the credits format, all players start with the same number of credits. Players make picks each week by risking a certain number of credits on games, assigning more credits to the picks with a higher confidence level. Members receive double the credits risked for each win. The member with the most credits at the end of the season wins.
What is a football credits pool?
In Football Credits Pools, players start with the same number of credits. They then make picks each week by risking a number of credits on games, assigning more to the picks they have more confidence in getting right. Members double credits risked for each win. The member with the highest credits at the end of the season wins.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How do you play football confidence pool?
A football confidence pool is played straight up, not with a point spread. Not only do members pick the winning teams, they must back up their picks by giving them a relative confidence ranking. Your score reflects the number of confidence points given to winning teams. So if your confidence for a team winning is '1', then you can only win one point at most. If your confidence for a team winning is '5', then you can win five points for a win. The member with the most credits at the end wins.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning.
How do you play football margin pool?
Margin pools are an NFL pool format that rewards members for picking a winning team each week. Pool commissioners can decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. When a commissioner chooses the point spread option, this format is often referred to as an NFL Underdog Pool.
What is a football margin pool?
In a Football Margin Pool, you are awarded points for picking a winning team. Pool commissioners get to decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. The player with the most points at the end of the season wins.
How do you play football 33 point pool?
The football 33 pool format is a casual pool where members are each assigned an NFL team (these pools are 32 members max, as there are 32 NFL teams). Members win when their team scores 33 points. Options for changing the target score, or having the closest to the target win each week is also available.
What is a football 33 point pool?
In the football 33 pool format, each member is assigned a unique NFL team (32 members max). A member will win when their team scores 33 points. This is a casual pool where you can change the target score or the option to have the closest to the target that week win.
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is an NFL Playoff bracket pool?
NFL Playoff Bracket pools are simple NFL pool formats where members pick every round of the playoffs before they start in an attempt to predict every match up correctly. It's optional to configure a multiplier for each round, or add a tiebreaker option of total points in the Super Bowl.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to set up a football pool?
To set up a football pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.
What is a football power ranking playoff pool?
In a power ranking playoff pool, members rank all 12 NFL teams competing in the playoffs from strongest (12 points) to weakest (1 point). Picks are made only ONCE before any games begin. Members are awarded the number of points assigned to a team when they win. Commissioners can optionally set up a point multiplier for each playoff round.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning. This is similar to the Playoff Pool Power Ranking, just less teams.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
What is a football playoff precision pool?
In a playoff precision pool, members attempt to pick the winner of every playoff game each week. You can decide if it’s straight up or on a point spread picks, but point totals are also added. Points are awarded for correct picks AND for how close to the correct combined point total they were.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
What is a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool?
A Super Bowl Prop Bet Pool is a fun and thrilling way to compete against friends and family during the big game! It's a simple questionaire of prop betting questions revolving around the Super Bowl, and whoever earns the most points based off correct answers wins!
How does a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool work?
Pool members simply fill out a wide range of prop questions, each question worth a different value. Commissioners decide on the point value for each question, along with the amount of questions. Whichever member earns the most points based on corret answers wins the pool.
What is a football Super Bowl Squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
What is a prop bet?
Prop bets are any sort of pick or wager on a game that has nothing to do with the score or the final score outcome. Props can range from game types, to team types and even player types - such as who will score the game's first and last touchdowns? Other props, such as novelty or exotic, feature bets on things such as the coin flip or the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.