We recently looked at the QB Power Rankings, now take a look at the NFL Week 1 Odds and matchups between these key players that you should consider for your bets.
The National Football League has been a pass-first league for a long time now. The impact of such dominant tailbacks as Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders has faded into the stuff of tradition.
Tailback position becoming interchangeable as teams focus on quarterbacks throwing downfield and receivers making big catches consistently.
Some of this is due to changes in the rules that make it harder for defensive backs to slow down receivers, and some of it is due to changes in athletes in today’s generation.
Wide receivers and quarterbacks have become bigger, stronger, and faster, making accurate deep throws more common. This shifts the game’s tempo, placing greater importance on quarterbacks’ decision-making and confidence.
Today, it’s not enough to have the confidence and field smarts to be the leader of the offense.
Now, you have to be able to throw through a tight window while on the run from edge rushers that are significantly faster than their counterparts from a decade or two ago.
As you plan your NFL betting for Week 1 of the 2024 campaign, check out our thoughts on the first week’s quarterback matchups.
NFL Week 1 Odds & Betting Analysis for the Quarterback Matchups
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
Thursday, September 5 | Lamar Jackson – last year’s regular-season MVP – takes on Patrick Mahomes – last year’s Super Bowl MVP.
Mahomes was less of a problem for the Ravens than the Chiefs’ defense was in these two teams’ most recent meeting – an AFC Championship win for the Chiefs in Baltimore.
Jackson now has Derrick Henry carrying the ball while Mahomes will be adjusting to life without Rashee Rice, at least for a while. Edge: Jackson
^Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles (in Rio de Janeiro)
Friday, September 6 | Jordan Love took the Packers to the divisional round of the playoffs and was a quarter away from the NFC Championship.
Jalen Hurts led the Eagles to a 10-1 start but has a lot to prove after a late collapse saw Philadelphia finish 11-6 and then get completely undressed in Tampa Bay in the playoffs.
Hurts has more to prove in this game, but he will also enter this season with a new offensive coordinator. Edge: Love.
^Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, September 8 | C.J. Stroud was the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Anthony Richardson started four games but failed to finish any of them due to injury. Edge: Stroud.
^NFL Week 1 Odds & Betting Lines to Win
Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins
Sunday, September 8 | Trevor Lawrence had a collapse last year with the Jaguars, but all signs from minicamp show that he seems to be back.
Tua Tagovailoa has two exciting and elite receivers in Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill – but he also lacks the arm strength to unlock their deep-ball potential fully.
Even so, with the surrounding players, Tua has put together a solid offense. Edge: Tagovailoa
^Minnesota Vikings at N.Y. Giants
Sunday, September 8 | The Vikings will likely start Sam Darnold. The Giants will likely start Daniel Jones.
It’s really hard to pick here, because Darnold’s never really had consistent coaching from one offensive voice, and Jones has basically had one decent season – his contract year. Edge: Neither.
^New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, September 8 | What will we see from Drake Maye in New England? Or will Joe Milton III and his cannon arm swipe the job? Or will Jacoby Brissett drive the bus until one of the kids is ready?
It’s still too early to say. On the other side of the field, Joe Burrow won a national championship at LSU and, in his two healthy seasons, has taken the Bengals to a Super Bowl and an AFC Championship. Edge: Burrow.
^Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, September 8 | Russell Wilson is now wearing the black and yellow of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On the other side of the field is Kirk Cousins, who has put up gaudy numbers in his time, but who also has a really hard time closing out marquee wins.
Cousins has looked slightly better than Wilson the last three years, though. Edge: Cousins.
^NFL Week 1 Odds & Betting Lines to Win
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, September 8 | Bryce Young enters his second season, with slightly better skill players around him than the garage sale he had around him in 2023.
Derek Carr brings a dizzyingly high ceiling, but also a penchant for unraveling at the wrong time. Edge: Carr.
^Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears
Sunday, September 8 | Will Levis threw four touchdown passes in his first NFL start before having the league’s defenses catch up with him in Tennessee.
Levis knows what the speed of NFL defenses bring – which is a huge advantage for a season opener.
Caleb Williams won a Heisman Trophy two years ago at USC and has Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze running routes for him. Edge: Levis.
^Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills
Sunday, September 8 | Kyler Murray has a lot of questions to answer about his ability to lead an offense.
His mobility and arm strength are not questioned. Josh Allen has a lot of questions to answer about those backbreaking turnovers.
His mobility and arm strength are not questioned. Both can lead epic drives to come back and win games. Both are dealing with new receivers. Edge: Even.
^NFL Week 1 Odds & Betting Lines to Win
Las Vegas Raiders at L.A. Chargers
Sunday, September 8 | Justin Herbert is a terrific quarterback who just lost his two best wide receivers.
Gardner Minshew almost led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs as a backup.
If Jim Harbaugh has installed a system that will let Herbert play to his strengths, this could be a fun season for Chargers fans. Edge: Herbert.
^Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, September 8 | Bo Nix is likely to be the Broncos’ starter as a rookie out of Oregon.
Geno Smith is still looking to establish himself as a franchise quarterback at the age of 33.
So, lots of questions from quarterbacks on either side of the NFL learning curve. Edge: Smith.
^Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, September 8 | Dak Prescott finished second in MVP voting last year.
Deshaun Watson hasn’t looked like an MVP since about a season before his massage therapist scandal exploded in Houston. Edge: Prescott.
^NFL Week 1 Odds & Betting Lines to Win
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, September 8 | Jayden Daniels brings his Heisman Trophy to the nation’s capital and is likely to start as a rookie for the Commanders in Dan Quinn’s debut as the team’s head coach.
They will take on a Baker Mayfield who may have figured things out, as he showed in his last month and a half in Tampa Bay, or who may have unraveled over the off-season. Edge: Mayfield.
^L.A. Rams at Detroit Lions
Sunday, September 8 | Matthew Stafford returns to Detroit again. Jared Goff takes the field for the first time since that collapse in the second half of an NFC Championship that his Lions led by 17.
Where are both of these quarterbacks on their timeline as far as durability is concerned? Edge: Goff.
^N.Y. Jets at San Francisco 49ers
Monday, September 9 | Aaron Rodgers vs Brock Purdy. Rodgers has made headlines by taking big fines and skipping minicamp.
Purdy has kept his head down and focused on getting the 49ers ready.
Rodgers is more of the gunslinger variety who gets his team big wins at the end, while Purdy is the steady hand who can also deliver accurately down the field. Edge: Purdy.
^😏 Il n’y a pas que les Quarterbacks qui lancent des Touchdowns !
— NFL France (@NFLFrance) June 27, 2024
Quel joueur a fait la meilleure passe la saison dernière selon vous ? pic.twitter.com/S4svLYTNuX
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