By the time the NFL regular season kicks off on September 7, plenty will have changed. Teams should be locked and loaded and ready to hit the ground running. But, being that the lines for Week 1 are already up, there’s no reason to make some early 2017 NFL predictions against the spread to capitalize on the opportunity.
Keep reading to get the lowdown on each game’s betting pick for Week 1.
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots.
Spread: Patriots -8
The Super Bowl Champion Patriots open at home against the Chiefs and they’re looking even more impressive this year.
The Chiefs have a tough defense that could put Tom Brady in hot water, but I don’t see the Pats losing at Gillete Stadium.
Pick: Patriots win but don’t cover. Chiefs +8
Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears
Spread: Falcons -7 -115
Though this game will be played at Soldier Field, it’s hard to see the Bears getting away with a win against the Falcons.
Atlanta’s top offense might suffer from a nasty Super Bowl hangover, but they’re not about to drop the ball again in their first regular season game.
Pick: Falcons win by a landslide. Falcons -7
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
Spread: Redskins -1.5 -115
Divisional games are always tough to call, so predicting how Carson Wentz and the Eagles will fare out against the Kirk Cousins and the Redskins is no easy task.
Nevertheless, I believe the Redskins’ organizational problems will weigh heavy on the team this season. They also lost a key player in DeSean Jackson.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are on the up and up and have taken measures to build up both the offense and defense.
Pick: Eagles pull off an upset. Philadelphia +1.5.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
Spread: Steelers -9 -105
I don’t have a doubt in my mind that the Steelers will make a run for the Super Bowl this year.
And, because they’re facing arguably the worst team in the league last year, it really doesn’t raise any concerns that you should worry about.
The Steelers will win this game easily.
Pick: Steelers win and cover. Pittsburgh -9
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Spread: Bengals -1.5
Yet another difficult prediction to make. The Bengals have the home field advantage, but the Ravens are always a tough opponent.
However, Cinci made some improvements over the offseason and I believe they’ll be better on both sides of the ball this year.
Pick: Bengals win and cover. Bengals -1.5
Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions
Spread: Lions -2.5
It seems odd that the Lions are favorites to win this game. The Cardinals seem to be the better team on both offense and defense.
Though the Lions have the home field advantage, I’m not confident they’ll hit the ground running.
Pick: Cardinals pull the upset. Arizona +2.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins
Spread: Dolphins -2.5
The Bucs will get test its new-look offense when they head down to South Beach to face the Dolphins.
Ryan Tannehill will be coming back for the Dolphins after recovering from his knee injury. Miami looks good this year and is a balanced team.
However, Tampa Bay will get a boost from the newly-acquired DeSean Jackson and tight end O.J. Howard.
Pick: I’m good for the Buccaneers to win. Tampa Bay +2.5
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Spread: Bills -7 -105
There’s no question that the Jets are the big underdogs in this game. It’ll be like that for the entire season for New York.
Buffalo is a much more balanced team with players such as Sammy Watkins, LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor on offense and a strong defense.
Pick: Bills win and cover. Buffalo -7
Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans
Spread: Raiders -1.5
Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota face off in what is sure to be a great battle.
The Titans will have the home field advantage and the Raiders will have to work hard to get a win. But, I believe Oakland has the slightly better team.
Pick: Raiders win and cover. Oakland -1.5
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Spread: Texans -4
The Texans seem poised to make a deep run in the playoffs. With a healthy J.J Watt and a balanced team on both sides of the ball, Houston should be able to notch a win.
However, the Jaguars have acquired Leonard Fournette and he’s bound to make a splash early on. Jacksonville also has a tough defense. But, Blake Bortles doesn’t give me much confidence still.
Pick: Texans win but don’t cover. Jaguars +4
Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Rams
Spread: Colts -3
There’s no comparison between Andrew Luck and Jared Goff. Luck is on a whole other level and shouldn’t have too much problems in leading Indi to a win.
However, herein lies the problem for Indianapolis: Their heavy reliance on Luck. Hopefully, Luck will be, and stay, healthy.
Picks: Colts win and cover. Indianapolis -3
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
Spread: Packers -3
This is probably the toughest of all games in Week 1. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers host the Seahawks in Lambeau Field, which might give Green Bay the edge.
However, the Packers lost a few key players and be hungover from losing the NFC title game last year.
Pick: I predict the Seahawks pull off the upset. Seattle wins, my money is on the Seahawks at +3.
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers
Spread: Panthers -4
Cam Newton will get a shot at righting the Panthers destiny after what turned out to be a horrible campaign last season.
Though Carolina will be on the road, the Niners don’t really have a strong team. Though Kyle Shanahan will work his magic on San Francisco, they’re still far off from getting back into shape.
Pick: Panthers win and cover. Carolina -4.
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
Spread: Vikings -3.5
The Saints travel to Vikings country with the newly-acquired Adrian Peterson having a huge chip on his shoulder.
However, the Vikings defense could rain on Peterson’s parade and Sam Bradford can spell disaster for New Orleans.
Pick: Vikings win but don’t cover. Saints +3.5
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Spread: Cowboys -5
The Cowboys slipped last year in the playoffs but will be looking to get back into the thick of things this year.
Though the Giants have made improvements to both their offense and defense, it’ll be tough to beat the Cowboys on their home field.
Pick: Dallas wins but doesn’t cover. Giants +5.
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
Spread: Broncos -4
The Chargers will be playing in front of their new home crowd in Los Angeles. Both teams are lead by a new head coach.
LA made plenty of changes that could benefit them, but Denver is still the favorite to win. I predict an upset in the making.
Pick: Chargers win. Los Angeles +4.
