Odds, Spread, Betting Line, Picks And Predictions For Thursday Night Games

The final week of the 2022 NFL preseason begins tonight when the Green Bay Packers clash with the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers take on the Houston Texans.

Both exciting games are scheduled for primetime. The Chiefs vs. Packers gets started at 8 p.m. ET and can be watched on the NFL Network, while the Texans vs. 49ers matchup kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET and will air on Amazon Prime Video.

Bookmakers are projecting each of Thursday evening’s games to be relatively evenly matched, although the road teams each have an edge right now. Green Bay is currently a narrow, 1.5-point favorite over host Kansas City and Houston is getting 3.5 points against a visiting San Francisco squad.

The odds suggest the Chiefs-Packers contest will be a low-scoring affair, with the over-under set at just 35.5 points. The Texans-49ers game has a higher total than most traditional exhibition matchups, however, with the line currently sitting at 41.5 points.

With that in mind, here’s a look at a complete viewing guide and betting information for both of tonight’s NFL Week 3 preseason games.

NFL Preseason Week 3 Schedule: Thursday, Aug. 25

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: NFL Network

Live Stream: NFL.com

Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO

San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

TV: N/A

Live: Prime Video

Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

NFL Preseason Week 3 Odds: Thursday, Aug. 25

NFL odds courtesy of FanDuel

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

Spread: Packers -1.5

After opening as a two-point underdog, the Packers quickly flipped to favorites in their preseason finale. The betting line went as high as GB -3 earlier in the week but has since settled at GB -1.5 with kickoff rapidly approaching.

The casual betting public is fading the Packers tonight, evidenced by only 43 percent of wagers coming in on the side. Sharper bettors like Green Bay in this one, however, with a whopping 88 percent of the handle coming in on the visitors.

Total: Over-Under 35.5 Points

The total on this game has been as volatile as the point spread. It opened at 39.5 points but has since been bet down to just 35.5.

It seems just about everyone is hammering the over now that the total has been deflated. 86 percent of all tickets and a near-unanimous 96 percent of the money staked is for the over as of Thursday morning.

Moneyline: GB -120, KC +100

At -120 moneyline odds bettors will need to put up $1.20 to win $1 on the Packers winning this evening. Those odds imply a 54.6 percent probability that Green Bay is victorious by any margin.

Kansas City is even money right now, returning $1 for each $1 risked on a mild upset. This implies an even 50-50 chance that the Chiefs will be the winning side to close out their preseason schedule.

It’s worth noting that the implied probability percentages eclipse 100 percent due to the vig, or the cut a bookmaker takes for facilitating bets.

Trend to Know: This will be the 20^th all-time meeting between Packers and Chiefs during the preseason. The visiting team has not won a game in this exhibition series since 1998. Green Bay hasn’t won a road preseason contest in five years either, dropping six straight heading into this matchup.

Pick: Chiefs +1.5

It’s still unclear if Patrick Mahomes will see the field for Kansas City tonight.

If he does, expect more fireworks after the star quarterback has lit up opposing defenses this preseason. Mahomes has led scoring drives on all three possessions he’s been out there for, racking up 222 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-26 passing.

Should Mahomes get the nod, taking the points at home would be a no-brain decision. Even if he is kept on the sidelines, the Chiefs still have a real chance to outscore a Jordan Love-led Packers offense.

Love has only completed 52.1 percent of his passes and has as many touchdowns as interceptions (three) during the 2022 preseason. This slumping offense will struggle to get much going at Arrowhead.

Prediction: Chiefs 17 – Packers 14

San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans

Spread: 49ers -3.5

San Francisco opened as a heavy favorite and has remained as such throughout the week. The road team was bet down a half-point from the four-point opening mark but has held steady as 3.5-point chalk for the past few days.

The casual betting public likes the Niners at this number—64 percent of all bets are on the squad—but the sharper bettors are making a contrarian play tonight. The big bets have mostly been on Houston, which has generated 76 percent of the handle in this matchup.

Total: Over-Under 41.5 Points

The public is expecting plenty of offense in this Texans-49ers bout. After the over-under went up on the board at 39 points, bettors wasted little time pushing the line up to the 41.5-point mark it currently stands at.

With 80 percent of wagers and 81 percent of the handle on the over, it’s readily apparent that a great majority of bettors are rooting for a high-scoring affair tonight.

Moneyline: SF -185, HOU +150

San Francisco is a -185 moneyline favorite tonight, meaning one would need to risk $1.85 to win $1 on the team winning by any margin. These odds imply a 64.9 percent probability that the Niners notch a “W” against Houston.

At +150, the Texans will pay out $1.50 for each $1 wagered on an upset. The implied probability of that outcome is only 40 percent, however.

Trend to Know: The Texans have historically performed quite poorly on Thursday nights. The team is just 3-10 against the spread over its last 13 games held on a Thursday.

Pick: Texans +3.5

It’s hardly a shock that the 49ers are a sizable favorite in this game after head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Trey Lance would get up to a full half of action to close out the preseason.

San Francisco could struggle once Lance heads to the pine though. Direct backup Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t likely to see any snaps as the club attempts to keep the expensive signal-caller healthy and trade-ready. That will leave third-stringer Nate Sudfeld as the primary QB for much of the contest.

Sudfeld looked sharp in limited exhibition this year, but will be facing much tougher competition against a Texans foe that still has some positional battles to sort out and roster cuts to prepare for.

With one of the weakest lineups in the league, Houston could be keeping potential starters on both sides of the field out there for an extended stretch. They may not be on their way to becoming a force during the regular season, but the Texans have won each of their exhibition matchups thus far and should make it a perfect 3-0 with a narrow upset this evening.

Prediction: Texans 22 – 49ers 20