Week 2 of the 2025 NFL preseason rolls on this Saturday with an 11-game slate, including a marquee matchup in Los Angeles between the Chargers vs. Rams. We'll preview that game in detail while looking at our favorite NFL preseason bets for today's games.
Chargers vs. Rams NFL Preseason Betting Preview
It's the Battle of Los Angeles as the Chargers take on the Rams at beautiful SoFi Stadium. The Chargers are a 6.5-point favorite and are 2-0 this preseason under Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers will look for another strong outing against Sean McVay's Rams, who won a 31-21 game over Dallas last week.
This might be hard to believe, but quarterback Justin Herbert is expected to play in his first-ever preseason game for the Chargers. When he was drafted in 2020, COVID-19 eliminated the NFL preseason that year, so with Herbert established as the team's franchise starter in 2021, his coaches have always felt it was unnecessary to get him some action in August. But Harbaugh is breaking off the training wheels and giving Herbert a shot at his first game action since he threw a career-high four interceptions in a wild-card playoff loss in Houston.
It's unclear how long Herbert and Keenan Allen will play. The Chargers just re-signed the longtime receiver after a year with Chicago.
Meanwhile, the Rams wouldn't normally look to play quarterback Matthew Stafford, as Sean McVay is opposed to playing starters in preseason. However, things are getting dicier by the day with reports of Stafford's back disc injury causing him to miss practice. The fact that McVay has also ruled out veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo for the preseason is not a great sign for Stafford's health as we get closer to Week 1 of the regular season. That means you'll probably see former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett go the distance for the Rams this Saturday as he did last week in a win over Dallas.
- Chargers O/U regular season win total for 2025: 9.5
- Rams O/U regular season win total for 2025: 9.5
The Chargers are moving Joe Alt to left tackle after Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending injury. They'll probably want to get a look at that this week, but with the way the Chargers have been playing on defense and the way the Rams are unlikely to play any of their best players, it makes sense why this is one of the biggest spreads of the week, with the Chargers favored by a touchdown.
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Other NFL Preseason Games to Bet On Today
With so many NFL preseason betting opportunities with 11 games on Saturday alone, let's look at the other games today with our favorite bets (remember to check out top NFL betting promos).
1:00 PM ET | Miami Dolphins vs. Detroit Lions (+2, O/U 37)
Miami coach Mike McDaniel has been getting grilled by the media and a Detroit player this training camp for his team's practice methods. But he got a tie out of his squad in Chicago last week, so we'll see if the effort will be there in Detroit against a Lions team playing its third preseason game already after losing the Hall of Fame Game badly to the Chargers.
1:00 PM ET | Carolina Panthers vs. Houston Texans (-2.5, O/U 38.5)
The Panthers were rocked by Shedeur Sanders and the Browns last week, while Houston didn't show much in a 20-10 loss in Minnesota. It's unclear if we'll see C.J. Stroud play in this game, but Bryce Young, who threw a touchdown last week, is likely to see some more action for Carolina.
1:00 PM ET | Cleveland Browns vs. Philadelphia Eagles (-4, O/U 37)
While everyone wanted to see Shedeur Sanders make his NFL debut last week, an oblique injury is going to keep him out of this game Saturday. In fact, the Browns have most of their quarterbacks injured right now and Joe Flacco won't play either. Meanwhile, Philadelphia backup Tanner McKee lit up the Bengals last week and has been very good when called upon.
1:00 PM ET | Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts (-6, O/U 39.5)
The Packers were underwhelming in last week's 30-10 loss to the Jets, doing nothing on offense with Jordan Love and allowing Justin Fields to rush for a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Colts are starting Daniel Jones in this quarterback battle with Anthony Richardson, who was injured last week.
1:00 PM ET | New England Patriots vs. Minnesota Vikings (+1.5, O/U 38.5)
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is sitting this one out as he looks to stay healthy for Week 1. The Vikings will start Sam Howell, who will have to contend with a New England defense that smacked around Washington last week in a blowout win for new coach Mike Vrabel.
4:00 PM ET | San Francisco 49ers vs. Las Vegas Raiders (-4.5, O/U 40.5)
The 49ers were blown out 30-9 last week, as Kyle Shanahan will prioritize health over anything again. The Raiders got a 23-23 tie in Seattle, Pete Carroll's old stomping grounds. We'll see if Ashton Jeanty can do better after the rookie back only had a 3-yard run as his best highlight in Week 1, as his OROY odds have shrunk already in a tie with Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward.
7:00 PM ET | Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys (+1.5, O/U 36.5)
Don't expect to see Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott suit up for this one, as both teams are expected to bench key starters. The Ravens won 24-16 against the Colts last week while the Cowboys fell 31-21 to the Rams.
7:00 PM ET | New York Jets vs. New York Giants (-3.5, O/U 39)
Both teams were cooking with 30 points on the road as they beat 2024 playoff teams in Week 1. That's how you know it's August football when the Giants and Jets are playing this well. Now they'll face each other as a usual preseason tradition. Last year's game ended 10-6, but that was the last preseason game. Look for more effort in this one from both sides.
7:00 PM ET | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (+3, O/U 38.5)
The Steelers are in Pittsburgh this week, but Aaron Rodgers reportedly won't play in this game either. Pittsburgh had a surprisingly high-scoring 31-25 win in Jacksonville last week, while the Buccaneers dominated Tennessee 29-7 in Cam Ward's debut.
9:30 PM ET | Arizona Cardinals vs. Denver Broncos (-3, O/U 38.5)
The Cardinals came back to beat the Chiefs 20-17 last week, while the Broncos won big (30-9) against the 49ers. Look for Sean Payton to play some more starters at Mile High, while the Cardinals may not see much from Kyler Murray and company.
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