The NFL season officially kicks off Thursday night with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. Week 1 also includes a Friday night game featuring the Packers vs the Eagles in Brazil.
In this article, we will look at the live odds for the entire 16-game slate and rank the best survivor picks for the week.
Spread: Bengals +8.5
Total: 40.5 Points
With the worst offense in football and a defense decimated by trades and injuries, we're hunting the Patriots early and often this season. It is hard to trust the 2024 Bengals given Burrow's injury concerns, but we know he'll at least be healthy for this one.
Spread: Seahawks -6
Total: 41.5 Points
Bo Nix and Sean Payton appeared to be headed in the right direction this preseason, but are they ready to win a road opener in Seattle? No chance. Expect a big game from Kenneth Walker, a solid performance out of Mike Macdonald's defense, and a Seattle cover here.
Spread: Buffalo -6.5
Total: 48 Points
The Cardinals may have a top 5-10 offense this season, but there is simply no way Buffalo loses this home opener. Let's assume Arizona's offense comes out on fire and puts up a ton of points in Buffalo. Do we really believe Josh Allen can't answer against a Cardinals defense that, on paper, might be the worst in the NFL?
Spread: New Orleans -4
Total: 41.5 Points
Klint Kubiak may be our favorite under-the-radar hire from this past offseason. Mike McDaniel, Mike Lafleur, Bobby Slowick... the list of offensive coaches that left Kyle Shanahan and found immediate success goes on and on. The Saints will be improved this season and will handle Carolina at home in week 1.
Spread: Texans -2.5
Total: 48.5 Points
Vegas appears to have jumped the gun on Anthony Richardson with this line. An intriguing fantasy quarterback, he has shown little to warrant an implied team total of 23 points against a talented and well-coached Houston defense. The Houston Texans are our favorite road team for NFL Week 1 survivor leagues.
Spread: Bears -4.5
Total: 45 Points
We will admit that we're terrified of betting against Brian Callahan and Will Levis in week 1. That looks like a combo that is going to work out, and this team could be sneaky good if Dennard Wilson has any luck bringing the Ravens system to Tennessee. That said, we trust the Bears' defense to pull out a win in Caleb Williams' home debut.
Spread: Chargers -3
Total: 40.5 Points
We could not be more out on this Raiders team. Interim coaches who get hired as full-time replacements never work out. Neither of these quarterbacks is an NFL starter. Give us Herbert and Harbaugh over Minshew and Pierce every time.
Spread: Lions -3.5
Total: 51 Points
The Lions were 5-1 in primetime games last season, proving that this team is not scared of any opponent or any situation. Returning a top 5 offensive and defensive line, there are zero concerns surrounding the Lions football team. On the other hand, the Rams will be playing without Aaron Donald for the first time in over a decade. We think McVay will figure it out and get the Rams into the playoffs, but give us Detroit at home.
Spread: Chiefs -3
Total: 46.5 Points
The Ravens were picked to pieces this offseason. They lost their defensive coordinator, secondary coach, and multiple pieces on the offensive line. They'll be fine this season, but are just not ready to go into Kansas City and beat the reigning champs. The Chiefs win and cover easily here.
Spread: Eagles -3
Total: 49 Points
The Packers enter this season as everyone's darling and the hype train may go off the rails if they pull off this upset. To us, this game comes down to the Packers' offensive line. Can Green Bay run the ball at all and can they block Philly's defensive line? We lean no and are taking the Eagles at home.
Spread: Dolphins -3
Total: 50 Points
We think Jacksonville will be better than expected this season and think they have a shot at covering their 8.5 win total. That said, winning in Miami, in September, against a healthy Dolphins offense is a big ask.
Spread: 49ers -4
Total: 42.5 Points
If we were to tier out our week 1 picks, this would be the first of the bottom tier. In theory, the 49ers should handle the Jets at home, however, this offseason has been a roller coaster for San Francisco and they may need a week or two (or McCaffrey back) to really get rolling again. Give us San Fran, but we aren't laying 4-points here.
Spread: Falcons -3
Total: 42 Points
We haven't seen Kirk Cousins yet this season, but we have seen Russell Wilson and... yikes. Given the weapons Atlanta has in place, it's hard not to get excited about the offseason additions of Cousins and new OC Zac Robinson. We'll take the Falcons at home but this feels like one of the games Tomlin has found a way to steal in the past.
Spread: Buccaneers -3
Total: 44 Points
This game is nothing but question marks for both teams. Can Jayden Daniels pull off a week 1 upset? How quickly can Dan Quinn turn around the Commanders' defense? What does the Bucs offense look like without Dave Canales? This is a clear stay-away game, but we'd lean toward Tampa Bay simply because we know we can trust the players they return on both sides of the ball.
Spread: Browns-2
Total: 41.5 Points
We know public bettors will be all over Dallas getting points against Deshaun Watson this week, but Vegas got this line right. Cleveland's defense will hold up at home and Kevin Stefanski vs Mike McCarthy is a colossal coaching mismatch. Give us the Browns and we'll lay the points.
Spread: Vikings -1.5
Total: 41.5 Points
If forced to pick this game, we're going against Vegas and taking the Giants at home. We still believe in Brian Daboll and believe the Giants pass catchers and the offensive line will be significantly upgraded over what we saw last season.