NFL Preseason Best Bets for August 16: Baltimore's Preseason Dominance Continues
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams
Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium
The Spread
Especially considering that this is a preseason game, I find it absurd that the Chargers are favored this heavily.
Bettors do tend to get excited when they hear of starters playing. Quarterback Justin Herbert will see the field for the Chargers tonight.
However, his head coach has stated that Herbert will see a series or two.
Herbert hasn't seen any action in this preseason, so he could be rusty. In any case, such a limited amount of playing time doesn't justify favoring the Chargers, especially this heavily.
Other Chargers Quarterbacks
When I heard of Chargers backup quarterback Trey Lance's injury this week, I was worried that he wouldn't see the field tonight.
However, his coach said that he will play.
This is great news for Rams backers. Lance did look good against a Lions pass defense that also struggled against Atlanta's journeyman quarterback as well as inaccurate passer Emory Jones.
But then Lance, last week, was 7-for-14 for 55 yards against the Saints.
Taylor Heinicke was 1-for-5 with a five-yard completion. DJ Uiagalelei had one big completion, but he is somebody who only deserves to be the object of pessimism after he struggled significantly against college players last year at Florida State.
Take The Rams
The Rams' defense came on strong at the end of last season and started preseason by limiting Dallas' quarterbacks to a 69.4 passer rating.
While they gave up 21 points to the Cowboys, they were up 24-6 in the fourth quarter and always had the game in hand.
Their offense looked well-rounded with its 31-point output against the Dallas defense and will have no problem scoring enough points against Chargers backups.
Best Bet: Rams +6.5 at +105 with BetOnline
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium
Making Sense of Pittsburgh's Struggles
Reports and player observations indicate that, in their joint practice session, Tampa Bay thrived on offense against Pittsburgh's defense. This success was a clear result of their practice session as a whole, and it was visible in their two-minute drill that featured strong passing from Tampa Bay's offense.
The fact that Pittsburgh's defense was missing some starters alleviates concern about its regular season outlook but strengthens our concern tonight in a preseason game that will foreground backups.
Pittsburgh's defense did allow 25 points in its first preseason game in Jacksonville, with backups like Nick Mullens and Seth Henigan putting up great numbers for the Jaguars.
So, the Steeler defense's performance in practice with the Bucs represents a continuation of the struggle that it experienced against the Jags.
While Pittsburgh's offense scored 31 points against Jacksonville, the Jaguars had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, so it doesn't really mean anything when an offense succeeds against their defense.
In training camp, reports indicate that Pittsburgh's defense has gotten the better of its offense.
Pittsburgh's struggles on defense thus create a negative outlook for its offense.
More Tampa Bay Success
The Bucs won their first preseason game 29-7 against Tennessee.
Their defense displayed good depth in their secondary and deeply promising youth in their front seven.
They have an offense that can put up plenty of points against a defense like Pittsburgh's in its current state.
Best Bet: Buccaneers -3 at +100 with BetOnline
Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys
Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium
Dallas' Run Defense
Last year, run defense was a huge problem for the Cowboys, who allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game.
As with the Chiefs' run defense, we are seeing major problems continue from the end of last year to the start of this one. In Dallas' first preseason game, its opponent (the Rams) amassed 181 rushing yards.
I love Baltimore's offense tonight because the Ravens prioritize running the ball. They have a well-stocked group of running backs that ran for 177 yards in their first preseason game (against the Colts).
They will score a lot of points with Cooper Rush returning to Dallas for a revenge game for which he will be motivated. Sure, it's only preseason, but he's just a backup, anyways. This will be a big game for him to prove that he's a good backup quarterback.
Baltimore's Pass Rush
The Ravens demonstrate that they have a high-quality pass rush, with guys like Adisa Isaac, David Ojabo, and Mike Green making a strong impact in their first preseason game against the Colts.
This pass rush owns a solid outlook against a Dallas offensive line that has elicited concerns over its performance in camp. It is projected by PFF to finish toward the bottom in the regular
season and has been hampered by injuries.
When the Cowboys played the Rams, their quarterback group experienced trouble in the pocket as a result of the opposing pass rush, contributing to their negligible yards per pass attempt average.
Baltimore Is Back
Baltimore's head coach is known for the seriousness with which he takes the preseason.
He lived up to this reputation when his team beat Indianapolis 24-16 in the first preseason game. Expect another strong effort from his team tonight in what is a good matchup for it.
Best Bet: Ravens -1.5 at -107 with BetOnline
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams
Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium
The Spread
Especially considering that this is a preseason game, I find it absurd that the Chargers are favored this heavily.
Bettors do tend to get excited when they hear of starters playing. Quarterback Justin Herbert will see the field for the Chargers tonight.
However, his head coach has stated that Herbert will see a series or two.
Herbert hasn't seen any action in this preseason, so he could be rusty. In any case, such a limited amount of playing time doesn't justify favoring the Chargers, especially this heavily.
Other Chargers Quarterbacks
When I heard of Chargers backup quarterback Trey Lance's injury this week, I was worried that he wouldn't see the field tonight.
However, his coach said that he will play.
This is great news for Rams backers. Lance did look good against a Lions pass defense that also struggled against Atlanta's journeyman quarterback as well as inaccurate passer Emory Jones.
But then Lance, last week, was 7-for-14 for 55 yards against the Saints.
Taylor Heinicke was 1-for-5 with a five-yard completion. DJ Uiagalelei had one big completion, but he is somebody who only deserves to be the object of pessimism after he struggled significantly against college players last year at Florida State.
Take The Rams
The Rams' defense came on strong at the end of last season and started preseason by limiting Dallas' quarterbacks to a 69.4 passer rating.
While they gave up 21 points to the Cowboys, they were up 24-6 in the fourth quarter and always had the game in hand.
Their offense looked well-rounded with its 31-point output against the Dallas defense and will have no problem scoring enough points against Chargers backups.
Best Bet: Rams +6.5 at +105 with BetOnline
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium
Making Sense of Pittsburgh's Struggles
Reports and player observations indicate that, in their joint practice session, Tampa Bay thrived on offense against Pittsburgh's defense. This success was a clear result of their practice session as a whole, and it was visible in their two-minute drill that featured strong passing from Tampa Bay's offense.
The fact that Pittsburgh's defense was missing some starters alleviates concern about its regular season outlook but strengthens our concern tonight in a preseason game that will foreground backups.
Pittsburgh's defense did allow 25 points in its first preseason game in Jacksonville, with backups like Nick Mullens and Seth Henigan putting up great numbers for the Jaguars.
So, the Steeler defense's performance in practice with the Bucs represents a continuation of the struggle that it experienced against the Jags.
While Pittsburgh's offense scored 31 points against Jacksonville, the Jaguars had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, so it doesn't really mean anything when an offense succeeds against their defense.
In training camp, reports indicate that Pittsburgh's defense has gotten the better of its offense.
Pittsburgh's struggles on defense thus create a negative outlook for its offense.
More Tampa Bay Success
The Bucs won their first preseason game 29-7 against Tennessee.
Their defense displayed good depth in their secondary and deeply promising youth in their front seven.
They have an offense that can put up plenty of points against a defense like Pittsburgh's in its current state.
Best Bet: Buccaneers -3 at +100 with BetOnline
Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys
Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium
Dallas' Run Defense
Last year, run defense was a huge problem for the Cowboys, who allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game.
As with the Chiefs' run defense, we are seeing major problems continue from the end of last year to the start of this one. In Dallas' first preseason game, its opponent (the Rams) amassed 181 rushing yards.
I love Baltimore's offense tonight because the Ravens prioritize running the ball. They have a well-stocked group of running backs that ran for 177 yards in their first preseason game (against the Colts).
They will score a lot of points with Cooper Rush returning to Dallas for a revenge game for which he will be motivated. Sure, it's only preseason, but he's just a backup, anyways. This will be a big game for him to prove that he's a good backup quarterback.
Baltimore's Pass Rush
The Ravens demonstrate that they have a high-quality pass rush, with guys like Adisa Isaac, David Ojabo, and Mike Green making a strong impact in their first preseason game against the Colts.
This pass rush owns a solid outlook against a Dallas offensive line that has elicited concerns over its performance in camp. It is projected by PFF to finish toward the bottom in the regular
season and has been hampered by injuries.
When the Cowboys played the Rams, their quarterback group experienced trouble in the pocket as a result of the opposing pass rush, contributing to their negligible yards per pass attempt average.
Baltimore Is Back
Baltimore's head coach is known for the seriousness with which he takes the preseason.
He lived up to this reputation when his team beat Indianapolis 24-16 in the first preseason game. Expect another strong effort from his team tonight in what is a good matchup for it.
Best Bet: Ravens -1.5 at -107 with BetOnline
but I am just bickering, he gives good sound advice that I made sure to follow today
