Steve Starr
- The Seahawks are 2.5-point home favorites over the Vikings in the first week of the NFL Preseason
- Minnesota and Seattle both have a 8.5-win totals after securing playoff berths in 2022
- Thursday’s NFL Preseason Game kicks off from Lumen Field in Seattle, WA at 10:00pm ET
Football is back! The NFL has a full slate of preseason matchups this week following last Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game between the Jets and Browns. While it’s common for starters to sit out of these early preseason contests, there is money to be made if you stay up to date on who’s suiting up.
Before we check the odds on Seahawks vs Vikings and all the Thursday and Friday action around the league, here’s where you can find the best Super Bowl betting tips and the top betting sites for NFL football in 2023.
Seahawks vs Vikings
 | Spread | Total Points |
| Minnesota Vikings | +2.5 (-110) | Ov 34 (-110) |
| Seattle Seahawks | -2.5 (-110) | Un 34 (-110) |
Seattle vs Minnesota
Seattle is a 2.5-point home favorite over the Vikings on Thursday night. The Seahawks are 26-19-1 against the spread In the preseason under head coach Pete Carroll. However, they were 0-3 last year before making a surprising run to the playoffs. Geno Smith led his club to 9-8 regular-season record before falling to the NFC West rival 49ers 41-23 in the Wild Card.
Minnesota also had an 0-3 preseason record in 2022. They only lost three more games all season, finishing 14-3 before suffering a 31-24 upset defeat to the Giants.
Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings came in at #42 on The NFL Top 100 List.
YOU LIKE THAT!?! 🗣️
Coming off a QB14 fantasy season, will the Jordan Addison addition take Cousins from a QB2 to a QB1?
See the updated NFL Top 💯 here: https://t.co/YPD5DeKzOw pic.twitter.com/zINlzQUnrh
— Sharp Football Analysis (@SharpFBAnalysis) July 31, 2023
Best Bet
Minnesota and Seattle have matching 8.5 win totals this season. Most are expecting regression out of the Vikings while many are picking the Seahawks to contend with San Francisco for the division crown.
Kevin O’Connell showed us that the preseason wasn’t a priority for him last year while Carroll is always stressing competition. We’ll take the Hawks to cover the spread at home.
Other Thursday and Friday Games
| Spread | Total Points |
| Houston Texans | -2.0 (-110) | Ov 39 (-110) |
| New England Patriots | +2.0 (-110) | Un 39 (-110) |
| New York Giants | -2.5 (-110) | Ov 36.5 (-110) |
| Detroit Lions | +2.5 (-110) | Un 36.5 (-110) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | -1.5 (-110) | Ov 39 (-110) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +1.5 (-110) | Un 39 (-110) |
| Green Bay Packers | -1.0 (-110) | Ov 32.5 (-110) |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +1.0 (-110) | Un 32.5 (-110) |
| Atlanta Falcons | -2.5 (-115) | Ov 37.5 (-110) |
| Miami Dolphins | +2.5 (-105) | Un 37.5 (-110) |
| Denver Broncos | -2.5 (-110) | Ov 36.5 (-110) |
| Arizona Cardinals | +2.5 (-110) | Un 36.5 (-110) |
Bet Preseason Unders
While you may have noticed that the totals are between 10 and 15 points lower than what’s commonly seen in the regular season, the under is 265-211-9 over the past nine preseasons. This is likely due to the fact that clubs don’t want to show their hand before the real games start in September. August weather is also scorching and the men behind center are usually second- or third-string quarterbacks.
Bill Belichick shared his very detailed thoughts on Barbie and Oppenheimer.
It went exactly how you would expect. pic.twitter.com/GK6I2dES1R
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 2, 2023
Lions roar to life?
In his first year as the Giants head coach, Brian Daboll went 2-1 in the preseason. Meanwhile, the Lions are 1-5 under Dan Campbell. Still, it’s hard to imagine Detroit’s ultra-intense head coach not trying to win under any circumstance. With a regular-season opener with Kansas City on tap, we’ll take the feisty Lions to cover the +2.5 points at home.
Matt Lafleur is 1-5 over the Packers’ past two preseasons, but could he potentially start Jordan Love to get his new QB some reps? If so, we like Green Bay -1 over the Joe Burrow-less Bengals.
More Preseason Picks
While Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask will likely see heavy action versus the Steelers this Friday, both are terrible QBs. Pittsburgh is also 42-25 straight-up in the preseason under Mike Tomlin. Take the Steelers -1.5.
Sean Payton is 44-41 all-time in the preseason. After taking a blowtorch to Nathaniel Hackett last week, look for the Broncos’ new bench boss to start establishing a winning culture in the Mile High City. Bet Denver -2.5 over the miserable Cardinals.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
