He has athleticism. Live coverage of NFL Week 1 games.
We’re not sure why we’re playing the season. The Los Angeles Rams are already crowned champions, thanks to the addition of Myles Garrett and the return of Aaron Donald.
Never forget that their quarterback could be gone at any second. Or a team in their division won the Super Bowl last year and has a lot of great young players. Yes, the Seattle Seahawks get no credit.
But if Rams Don’t do it They marched through the league…and the Seahawks never repeated…then it really looked open. The Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos (I have Jaylen Waddle on every fantasy team), Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers could make a case. However, I fear that the Houston Texans defense will be grumbling about the offense this season.
A lot of teams down the stretch could tank for Arch Manning, and there’s no real new blood at quarterback this season. It’s the first time since 2022 that there hasn’t been a starting quarterback since Week 1.
Then again, when you have Kirk relatives…
Last season’s record: 142-137-8 on the spread, 48-47 on the best bet
All odds are from DraftKings and are locked in when the pick is made. All times are ET.
Can the Seahawks fend off the Rams in the NFC West?
Andrew Destin
New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks (-3) | 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, NBC
The rematch the Patriots have been waiting for. And this time, they won’t have Kenneth Walker III to worry about. This time, with the Patriots adding AJ Brown and having a healthy offensive line, we should be challenged…but we’re not. (Did you know the departed Stefon Diggs had better numbers than Brown — across the board, but especially in EPA/Target: 0.68 to 0.25 — last year?)
Seattle has a better defense than New England, and we think Sam Darnold can improve in his second season with the Seahawks. New game caller And all.
The pick: Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) (Melbourne, Australia) | 8:35 p.m. Thursday, Netflix
Much of the talk about this game has focused on the teams’ opposing travel plans, with the 49ers arriving in Australia six days before the Rams. But this game could come down to the Rams, who have Garrett and new cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
The 49ers have a big hole at left guard, and on the other side of the hole, their pass rush looks suspect. New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris likes to play zone, but he’s playing directly into Matthew Stafford’s hands if there’s no pressure. Stafford ranked among the top four QBs in yards per attempt, explosive passer rate and EPA per drop from the clean pocket last season.
The pick: Rams
Is the Rams’ travel plan a good idea?
Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5) | 1 p.m. Sunday, Fox
This is the safest Survivor pool pick of the week other than the Jaguars. The Falcons took too many snaps on defense, and their quarterback stinks. Meanwhile, this will be a full season for new senior Aaron Rodgers, and the home crowd will be rooting for compatriot Mike McCarthy.
The pick: Steelers
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans (-1.5) | 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Robert Saleh Bowl. The first team to score 20 points between the two teams to be hired by the head coach can be the winner. If you’re positive Cam Ward is so much better than Geno Smith, this is an easy pick. i am not. Give me a brace in the big game.
The pick: the Jets
Buffalo Bills (-1.5) at Houston Texans | 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Remember how much the Texans terrorized Josh Allen last season? What about in 2024, when he goes 9 out of 30 in Houston? I’m sure he remembers.
It will be interesting to see how much impact new receiver DJ Moore has. I doubt he’s had a losing streak in his first two stops, but he looks like Pac-Man at times. Moore ranks fourth in the NFL in catches (3,205) in 2018, and the Bills had the seventh-most YAC last season (2,052). The Texans have allowed the sixth-fewest YAC (1,587).
The choice: Texans
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (-7) | 1 p.m. Sunday, Fox
The Saints are getting some love this season (even from me), but there are levels to it. The Lions have some question marks defensively, but they have plenty of talent and take care of business at home, with Jameson Williams taking another leap as a player.
The choice: Lions
Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) at Indianapolis Colts | 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Did I mention the Ravens are my Super Bowl pick? No? Maybe it’s because I’m not that crazy about it. But… the three NFC West teams are going against each other, and I’m not buying the Bills or the Chiefs this season. Heck, he might throw in another MVP for Lamar Jackson. The Ravens will once again lead the league in carries per carry (5.3 in 2025), and their improved pass rush will make life easier, too.
The choice: crows
Anything short of an AFC Championship look for the Ravens?
Robert Mays and Derek Klassen
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (-8.5) | 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Apparently, the Browns will start Deshaun Watson only because the first two games are on the road. If by some miracle he shows some semblance of his 2020 (!) form, they’ll know what to do with all the screaming home fans. The thing is, the Browns have a lot of young talent on their roster. Just two weeks doesn’t make any difference. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars roll (they were 8-0 favorites last season, winning by an average of 14.6 points).
The choice: Jaguar
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals (-3.5) | 1 p.m. Sunday, Fox
My mom says most of my average opinions. Current general forecasts They came from Bengals fans just because I wasn’t sold on this new, improved defense (or head coach). Well… the other reason I like the underdogs at 10.5 wins is that they always start the season slow. Since 2020, Joe Burrow has been sacked a league-worst 10 percent of his openers and has lost four, a league-high.
The Buccaneers started 6-2 last season and 3-1 in 2024 and 2023. Todd Bowles at Newly paid Baker Mayfield Mike Evans shot to show he didn’t want to.
Picked: Buccaneers
Chicago Bears (-3) at Carolina Panthers | 1 p.m. Sunday, Fox
We’re all for the Week 1 shenanigans, and the Bears won six games last season with two minutes or less left to play, and we’re calling for an immediate turnaround. The Panthers added pass rusher Jaylan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd, and the Bears are a bit of a shocker at receiver coming out of the gate. Pet dog please
The choice: Panthers
Washington Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5) | 4:25 p.m. Sunday, Fox
This makes no sense to me. Only 5.5 points? The Chiefs don’t have a blocker for Jayden Daniels, and their defense isn’t great. Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Jalen Harts is jumping because they finally got rid of Brown and have a capable play caller. Philadelphia won its sixth straight season opener.
The choice: Eagles
Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders (-3.5) | 4:25 p.m. Sunday, Fox
Go ahead: Name a Dolphins receiver. That’s what happens when you have $182 million in dead cap space. The Kirk Cousins Era begins with an easy win.
The choice: robbers
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers (-9.5) | 4:25 p.m. Sunday, CBS
If you remember, I’m big on the Cardinals over 3.5 wins this season. This is not one of them. The Chargers made a statement in this one, with new play-caller Mike McDaniel allowing Justin Herbert to throw deep and Omarion Hampton getting 25 touchdowns. The biggest reason is the return of offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. The Chargers allowed a 33 percent pass rush rate with them in 2024. That jumped to 43 percent over the past two seasons without them.
The choice: chargers
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) | 4:25 p.m. Sunday, CBS
This spread is the biggest mover of the week, as the favorites open, but people don’t trust Marshawn Lloyd. (The packages may not have much.)
However, when Jayden Reed and Christian Watson were both on the field last season, Jordan Love’s explosive pass rate (21 percent) led the NFL. And it’s a revenge game against fired Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon as the Packers’ new defensive coordinator battles former quarterback Kyrie Murray.
The pick: Packers
Can the Packers claim their first NFC North title since 2021?
Matt Schneidman
Dallas Cowboys (-3) at New York Giants | 8:20 p.m. Sunday, NBC
The Cowboys have improved their defense, giving up a league-worst 6.1 yards per game last season. And their offense is loaded, especially with George Pickins in another contract year. I plan to root for the Giants defense — and professional coaching staff — many times this season, but not in Week 1.
The choice: Cowboys
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) | 8:15 p.m. Monday, ABC/ESPN
This is another head scratcher. Patrick Mahomes is coming off left knee surgery, the left tackle is injured and the Broncos led the NFL 5th with 68 sacks last season. Denver also has an excellent run defense, which will delay Walker’s coming-out party as a fantasy football superstar by a week.
The pick: Broncos
Best bet: Steelers, Ravens, Panthers, Jaguars and Broncos
Upset Special (minimum 3 points distributed) Buccaneers +170
– Courtesy of TruMedia Research Jason Starrett.
