We’re a little over a month away from the start of the 2020 regular season in the National Football League, and the sports betting public is no doubt ready for a normal season to return. Baseball, soccer, basketball and hockey have all opened again under radically different circumstances, but the NFL has worked hard to keep matters the same, at least as far as scheduling goes. Some teams are pushing season ticket offers from 2020 to the 2021 season to minimize the number of fans in the stands this year, but for now the schedule looks to be normal — although there won’t be any preseason games, so the first few weeks of the season could be a little rougher as team figure out their own schemes. Take a look at our thoughts about the first week of NFL betting action.
NFL News: Early Betting Guide for Week 1
Tampa Bay (+4) at New Orleans
This will definitely be the “must watch” game in the season’s first week — and when is the last time the Buccaneers were in a contest like that? Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will be suiting up for the Buccaneers, and they join a young, talented defense and a group of solid receivers and a decent O-line. Can they upset New Orleans? The Buccaneers won in New Orleans in Week 1 a year ago.
Prediction:
I’m taking Tampa Bay to cover.
Miami (+7.5) at New England
In Week 17 of 2019, Miami completed a fourth-quarter comeback that dropped the Patriots from the bye week to a wild-card home game against Tennessee….and we know how that turned out. Will Tua Tagovailoa start for the Dolphins, or will he be Ryan Fitzpatrick’s understudy? Either way, I’m not sure the Pats can cover this spread with either Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham at the helm.
Prediction:
Dolphins to cover.
Green Bay (+3.5) at Minnesota
Can Kirk Cousins outduel Aaron Rodgers? What will the Viking offense look like without Stefon Diggs? After seeing how the Packers went on cruise control to the NFC Championship, I’m not sure I see the Vikings as the favorite here.
Prediction:
Packers to cover.
Pittsburgh (-3) at N.Y. Giants
Yes, Big Ben is back for the Steelers. The Giants are stuck in rebuilding mode, but where are the Steelers? In decline, or on the way to redemption? I expect Big Ben to show plenty of rust, but the Steelers’ defense should be able to keep the Giants from doing much damage.
Prediction:
Steelers to win and cover.
NY Jets (+6.5) at Buffalo
Josh Allen appears to be ahead of Sam Darnold at this point in the battle of third-year NFL quarterbacks. Buffalo added Stefon Diggs via trade and should be ready to take over the AFC East, starting by a smackdown of the Jets.
Prediction:
Bills to win and cover.
Philadelphia (-5) at Washington
The Eagles made an intriguing decision to draft Jalen Hurts. Will he take on a role like Taysom Hill has in New Orleans, adding a wild card to the offense? Or will Hurts put the pressure on Carson Wentz? Washington has Chase Young in the defense now — and a new head coach — but they haven’t really had a chance to mesh yet.
Prediction:
Eagles to win and cover.
Chicago (+1) at Detroit
This is a matchup of two teams at a crossroads, as the Bears have brought in Nick Foles to run the offense, and the Lions really need to see more out of head coach Matt Patricia and quarterback Matthew Stafford. It will be interesting to see if we get the Nick Foles who led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl (winning the MVP) or if we get the Nick Foles who has underperformed everywhere else.
Prediction:
Detroit to win and cover.
Houston (+9.5) at Kansas City
Houston sent away DeAndre Hopkins in a trade that really did not net them much of anything. They had a double-digit lead on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the playoffs…and then lost by 20 points. Can Kansas City really deliver a rout in Week 1? The better question is, how will the Texans stop them?
Prediction:
Chiefs to win and cover.
LA Chargers (-2.5) at Cincinnati
The Joe Burrow era begins in Cincinnati, as Andy Dalton is now the backup in Dallas, so Burrow has the keys to the franchise. The Chargers have Justin Herbert but may start Tyrod Taylor at quarterback and let Herbert learn the game slowly. How will the Chargers look without Philip Rivers? I like Burrow to lead the Bengals to a big home win here.
Prediction:
Bengals to cover.
Las Vegas (-1) at Carolina
Derek Carr against Teddy Bridgewater in an intriguing quarterback matchup. Carr led the Raiders to an AFC West title, but that seems like it happened a decade ago. Bridgewater is ready to get his first starting shot since he blew out a knee in Minnesota (after leading the Vikings to an NFC North title), and I like his game management style more than I like Carr’s.
Prediction:
Panthers to cover.
Tennessee (+1.5) at Denver
The Broncos have second-year quarterback Drew Lock, and they added wideout Jerry Jeudy and tailback Melvin Gordon, so they should score points. However, they didn’t have the summer to build chemistry. The Titans rolled to an AFC title game and still have Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry to pace the offense, along with a solid defense.
Prediction:
Titans to cover.
Cleveland (+7.5) at Baltimore
The Browns beat the Ravens by 15 points in Baltimore last season, and then the Ravens didn’t lose again until the AFC divisional playoff. The Ravens have had a long time to think about that frustration, and now the Browns are the first opponent. Cleveland did make upgrades on both sides of the ball, with the most important improvements coming on their offensive line.
Prediction:
Browns to cover.
Indianapolis (-6.5) at Jacksonville
Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II is out of COVID-19 protocol, but it still seems like Jacksonville is looking to next year, as the “Tank for Trevor” campaign is already beginning. Indianapolis has a solid offensive line — and they’ve added Philip Rivers at quarterback. Will he shine? Or will he throw those same backbreaking interceptions that soured the Chargers on him?
Prediction:
Colts to win and cover.
Dallas (-2.5) at L.A. Rams
The Cowboys have a new coach in Mike McCarthy and an offense that seems to have all the pieces, now that Dak Prescott has signed the franchise tag. Wideouts Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb, along with tailback Ezekiel Elliott, should be able to stack up the points. But can the Ram coaching staff make the Cowboys look silly once again?
Prediction:
Rams to cover.
Arizona (+8.5) at San Francisco
San Francisco didn’t beat the Cardinals by more than eight points in either of their meetings last year, and Kyler Murray returns for his sophomore season running the Cardinal offense with even more confidence — and with DeAndre Hopkins catching passes. I like the Niners to go heavy on the run, which means a grinding pace.
Prediction:
Cardinals to cover.
Seattle (-1) at Atlanta
The Seahawks have to travel across three time zones and play in the early afternoon slot. The Falcons added tailback Todd Gurley II to their roster. Can he join Matt Ryan and Julio Jones to make the Atlanta offense high-flying? The Seahawks rolled to the NFC divisional round last year; will they have the same hunger?
Prediction:
Seahawks to win and cover.
