news-engine

Preseason Week 2 begins with five NFL games across Thursday and Friday. Each matchup breakdown below covers what matters, who is playing, where the odds stand and picks for the spread, over/under and moneyline. MORE: College football Week 0 betting picks for all eight games Las Vegas Raiders vs. Houston Texans (LV +5, o/u 40.5, +205/-250) Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak wouldn’t commit to a plan for his starters when he addressed reporters after Tuesday’s joint practice. “We’ll see,” Kubiak told reporters on Tuesday after joint practice with the Texans. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has taken the bulk of the first-team reps in camp, while first overall pick Fernando Mendoza has worked mainly with the second unit. Both quarterbacks played in the Week 1 loss to Arizona. Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed a change in approach after sitting almost all of his starters in Week 1. Ryans said he anticipates everyone healthy and cleared to play will start in the final preseason game at home. That means quarterback C.J. Stroud, edge rusher Will Anderson, and wide receiver Nico Collins are all in line for their first live snaps of the summer. Houston has an offensive line injury bug of its own to monitor after the group played just one series behind center Keylan Rutledge in the opener. Picks: HOU -5, o40.5, HOU -250 San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Chargers (LAC -1.5, o/u 41.5, -125/+105) San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed several starters will see the field, including a possible appearance from quarterback Brock Purdy. When asked if the 49ers’ starting quarterback would play, Shanahan replied, “Haven’t told him yet, but there’s a good chance.” Running back Christian McCaffrey remains out with lower-body tightness that Shanahan called unrelated to any past injury or contract dispute. Tight end George Kittle and edge rusher Nick Bosa are both trending in the right direction but remain sidelined, and receiver Mike Evans left Tuesday’s joint practice early with leg soreness. Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh laid out a clear plan for quarterback Justin Herbert and the rest of the starting offense. “Starters are going to play a series, then they’re going to come out. The backups will play the rest of the game,” Harbaugh said. Herbert didn’t play in the Week 1 win over Houston, so this marks his preseason debut running new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s system with targets Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. Picks: LAC -1.5, u41.5, LAC -125 MORE: NFL offensive line rankings ahead of the 2026 season New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT -3, o/u 37.5, -155/+130) New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has been dealing with a sore left ankle since a joint practice with Tampa Bay last week and sat out the preseason opener as a precaution. Head coach Aaron Glenn declined to say whether Smith will play Friday. “So if it’s playing in this game because he feels up to it and he’s ready to go and he wants to be with the other guys. Let’s go,” Glenn said. “If it’s not playing because we want to continue to be cautious in that situation, we’ll do that.” Rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik started in Smith’s place in Week 1 and led two scoring drives. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is expected to play against his former team for the first time this preseason. New head coach Mike McCarthy asked Rodgers to play in the first two exhibition games, both against clubs Rodgers used to play for. “He (wants me out there for) 30 or 40 plays,” Rodgers said. “I said, ‘Mike, if you want me to play, I’ll play.'” Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and third-round rookie Drew Allar are competing behind him. Picks: PIT -3, u37.5, PIT -155 Carolina Panthers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (JAX -2.5, o/u 40.5, -142/+120) Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and the starting offense are expected to play multiple series for the second straight week under head coach Dave Canales. After playing the majority of the starters last week for a couple of drives, the plan seems to be the same going into this matchup. Wide receiver Xavier Legette has been working back into the mix after a stinger earlier in camp. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen reversed course this week and will play his starters. This is a shift from his original plan to hold them out of every preseason game. Coen said he expects quarterback Trevor Lawrence and others to get “a couple drives, potentially” against the Panthers. The Jaguars are dealing with an offensive line injury crunch. Tackle Walker Little, guard Patrick Mekari, and tackle Chuma Edoga are all banged up. “Unfortunately, we have that bug at the moment,” Coen said. “We just have to get through it.” Picks: JAX -2.5, o40.5, JAX -142 Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos (DEN -3, o/u 40.5, -152/+126) Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is set to play for the second straight week. However, head coach Matt LaFleur hasn’t detailed how long he will stay in the game. “You’re just going to have to watch to find out. So I, I think it’s pretty fluid,” LaFleur said. Love played only the opening series in the Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh. Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix will make his preseason debut after sitting out Week 1 while returning from a fractured right ankle. “Bo won’t play in this game. He’ll play next week,” head coach Sean Payton said before the Falcons game in Week 1. He added that Nix “wants to play” and “he’ll play the next two weeks.” Nix will work behind new play caller Davis Webb for the first time in a live setting. Picks: DEN -3, o40.5, DEN -152 MORE: AFC power rankings for all 16 teams as the 2026 preseason rolls on — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter — Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.