NFL Preseason Best Bets for August 22: Touchdowns Will Prove Scarce in Nashville
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Rainman M.
- August 22, 2025
Top-rated sportsbooks have released their NFL odds for tonight’s preseason action.
Both of the nationally televised games, in particular, interest me as worth investing in: Falcons vs. Cowboys and Vikings vs. Titans.
For your preseason best bets, I will recommend wagering on the over in Dallas and the under in Tennessee.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Dallas Cowboys
Friday, August 22, 2025 – 08:00 PM EDT at AT&T Stadium
Atlanta’s Offensive Potential
It is all too easy to lambast unproven quarterbacks and expect a low-scoring game.
Sure, Atlanta’s Easton Stick is awful compared to the top quarterbacks whom you’ll see in the regular season. But, with 322 passing yards plus two touchdowns and an interception, he’s playing great by preseason standards.
Besides insulting Stick as if it were a regular season game, the bettors who erroneously like the “over” tonight fail to recognize how easy the job is for Atlanta’s quarterbacks tonight.
Running back Nathan Carter adds significant value to Atlanta’s preseason offensive potential.
He is an explosive runner who, as he showed in his last game, is capable of big touchdown plays with his impressive speed that has reached 20.70 mph on his touchdown run and 4.37 in a 40-yard dash. He is averaging 6.3 YPC with a rushing touchdown this preseason.
Atlanta didn’t have to do much running in its first game, but Carter was impactful in the last game, indicating the Falcons’ ability to lean on their ground game.
Dallas’ Run Defense
Seeing what Dallas has done so far in this postseason, Cowboys experts express concern about the quality of its depth on defense. Most especially, they worry that the team lacks adequate run defenders.
So far, the Cowboys have given up 31 points to each of their first two opponents. The Rams ran for 181 yards and their last opponent, Baltimore, ran for 148.
Led by Carter, Atlanta will exploit Dallas’ run defense, making work all the easier for Falcons quarterbacks tonight.
Joe Milton
Dallas quarterback Joe Milton will be operative in the high-scoring nature of tonight’s game.
As he’s shown in practice, his big arm allows him to connect with targets downfield for big plays.
When you bet an “over,” you’re (obviously) betting that more points will be scored within a specific timeframe (60 minutes). So, when points happen quickly, then that is great for the “over” because more time remains for more points to be scored.
The big-play potential of Carter for Atlanta and Milton for Dallas is thus significant for the over.
While Dallas only scored 13 points last week — whereas it had scored 21 in its first game — its opponent, Baltimore, played ball-control, keeping the Cowboys from reaching 20 minutes in time of possession.
With more time to operate, the Cowboys offense will score more points — I see both teams exceeding 20 — and help the game go “over.”
Minnesota Vikings vs. Tennessee Titans
Friday, August 22, 2025 – 08:00 PM EDT at Nissan Stadium
Cam Ward
The Titans continue to be favored by oddsmakers while top draft pick Cam Ward continues to start for them.
However, Ward has been struggling in the preseason.
With his 15 pass attempts, he has completed less than half of them and thrown zero touchdowns. He has 109 passing yards.
When the Titans scored 23 points last week, they benefited from a pick-six — which is obviously something so rare that we can never expect it in a game — and a long touchdown run from an Atlanta running back.
Without non-offensive touchdowns, Tennessee — which scored seven points in its preseason opener — is going to struggle against a good Minnesota defense that has allowed three touchdowns through two games.
Minnesota’s Troubling Quarterbacks
The Vikings themselves have scored two touchdowns through two games. They are beset by depth problems at the quarterback position.
Sam Howell was expected to be their backup quarterback this year, but training camp reports indicate that he is really struggling. Rumors are circulating that they are already interested in replacing him with a quarterback from, perhaps, Cleveland.
In his team’s last game, he was 1-for-5 with 13 yards and an interception.
Max Brosmer, who was 15-for-27 with 156 yards and an interception, was not supposed to be pushing Howell for the second-string job, but here we are.
This game will be decided by backups, yet the Vikings right now essentially lack a second-string player at the most important offensive position (quarterback).
It will only get harder for Minnesota quarterbacks tonight, as they face a Titans defense that was top-ranked against the pass last year and that continues to do a good job limiting the passer rating of opposing quarterbacks.
The ineptitude of Minnesota quarterbacks tonight will represent the theme for this game of bad quarterbacks going up against good defenses, ensuring a low-scoring game.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
