Betting on the NFL during the preseason has many positives and negatives. For the fan new to NFL betting, you will soon come to realize that the preseason is a poor indicator of how your favorite teams will do during the regular season. Here are a few pros and cons to preseason betting.
Firstly, the most critical argument against preseason betting is the fact that the games don’t count for anything. As a result, betting lines swerve all over because it is unclear how well the teams will perform when it’s just for fun. Secondly and probably the biggest con to preseason betting is that most preseason games are based on the coach’s approach rather than the players on the field
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During the regular season, the coaches implement the strategies and attitude throughout the week leading up to the game. However, once the game begins, the players are responsible for the outcome. Conversely, in preseason, the coach calls all the shots. For instance, for a team that had a poor season the year prior, the new coach may want the team to play extra hard during the preseason in order to eliminate the losing mentality. On the other hand, some coaches are more concerned with implementing new offensive and defensive structures, and look at the outcome of the preseason games as a trial and error period for the methods.
Thirdly, the biggest misconception to the preseason is that a team’s play can carry over to the regular season. In 2008 for instance, the John Kitna led Detroit Lions swept through the preseason winning all four games. Yet during the season they lost every game.
This isn’t to sound all doom and gloom as there are several pros to preseason betting. For example, during the third and fourth weeks of preseason, handicappers will usually be able to wager on regular season starters playing the majority of the game. As a result, better odds are tied to certain games. As a bettor the preseason can work in your favor in the latter weeks since the point spreads and money lines will be almost identical to a regular season game.
