The Buffalo Bills took down the Los Angeles Rams to kick off the NFL season on Thursday night, and our experts cashed their best bet on the Bills -2.5. They also previewed the Ravens and Jets matchup here, but they have two more NFL picks for Week 1 this Sunday. Let’s dive into both predictions with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Betting Market | Best bet for Sunday, 9/11 |
---|---|
Money line prediction | Vikings ML (+100) |
Point spread prediction | Steelers +7 (-125) |
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NFL picks for Week 1 highlighted by Vikings ML and Steelers +7
Sunday’s NFL slate includes six different divisional matchups, and both the NFC North and AFC North have matchups that our experts targeted. The Minnesota Vikings will host the Green Bay Packers, while the Pittsburgh Steelers will travel for a road date with the Cincinnati Bengals. Our experts predict that Minnesota will grab a win and Pittsburgh will cover the +7 point spread currently offered by DraftKings.
Let’s explain the reasoning behind our NFL picks for Week 1 this Sunday.
Packers vs. Vikings prediction: MIN Vikings ML (+100 at DraftKings)
The Packers travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in both teams’ opening games, and we predict the hosts can get a win. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers will not have many weapons on Sunday after star WR Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. Minnesota’s secondary isn’t extremely strong, but its front seven should test the Packers’ offensive line.
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Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith (a former Packer) will anchor Minnesota’s defensive line, and we don’t picture Green Bay having much success on the ground. Reports around Minnesota’s training camp stated that new head coach Kevin O’Connell brought renewed energy to the organization. We’re confident QB Kirk Cousins and the entire offense will thrive in front of their home fans, which will cause Rodgers to force the issue in hopes of keeping up.
The Vikings are the only team that carries a better than .500 ATS record against Rodgers and they’re 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams at U.S. Bank Stadium. We’ll ride the Vikings to win outright on Sunday as our first NFL pick for Week 1.
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Steelers vs. Bengals prediction: PIT Steelers +7 (-125 at DraftKings)
Our second best bet for our NFL picks features the Steelers and Bengals matchup. Pittsburgh will begin its journey without QB Ben Roethlisberger, but we think QB Mitchell Trubisky is actually an upgrade compared to a 39-year-old Big Ben. He’ll have plenty of weapons, as Pittsburgh boasts a wide receiving corps of Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and rookie Georgie Pickens to pair with TE Pat Freiermuth and RB Najee Harris.
All eyes will be on the Bengals after they made it to the Super Bowl, but we think the 2021 AFC champs will start slow out of the blocks. There could be a Super Bowl hangover for the team, and although Joe Burrow’s appendectomy in late July was brushed off as a minor procedure, the star QB appears to have lost a few pounds and we don’t think he’ll be 100% in the home opener.
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The Steelers aren’t getting the respect they deserve with this line, mainly because of Cincinnati’s Super Bowl run in 2021. Pittsburgh is 35-15-2 ATS in its last 52 as an underdog and 16-5-2 ATS in its previous 23 away matchups against Cincinnati. Additionally, there is a revenge factor tied to this game after the Bengals destroyed the Steelers 41-10 in Cincinnati last year. Expect head coach Mike Tomlin to have his team ready, so Pittsburgh +7 is our Steelers vs. Bengals best bet.
Week 1 NFL odds and latest lines
DraftKings Sportsbook has betting odds for every NFL Week 1 matchup, and the latest lines can be seen below:
- San Francisco 49ers -7 (-110) vs. Chicago Bears +7 (-110)
- Jacksonville Jaguars +2.5 (-110) vs. Washington Commanders -2.5 (-110)
- Pittsburgh Steelers +6.5 (-110) vs. Cincinnati Bengals -6.5 (-110)
- New Orleans Saints -5.5 (-115) vs. Atlanta Falcons +5.5 (-105)
- Cleveland Browns PK (-110) vs. Carolina Panthers PK (-110)
- Baltimore Ravens -6.5 (-110) vs. New York Jets +6.5 (-110)
- Philadelphia Eagles -4.5 (-110) vs. Detroit Lions +4.5 (-110)
- New England Patriots +3.5 (-115) vs. Miami Dolphins -3.5 (-105)
- Indianapolis Colts -7 (-115) vs. Houston Texans +7 (-105)
- New York Giants +5.5 (-110) vs. Tennessee Titans -5.5 (-110)
- Green Bay Packers -1 (-115) vs. Minnesota Vikings +1 (-105)
- Las Vegas Raiders +3.5 (-110) vs. Los Angeles Chargers -3.5 (-110)
- Kansas City Chiefs -6 (-110) vs. Arizona Cardinals +6 (-110)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5 (-115) vs. Dallas Cowboys +2.5 (-105)
- Denver Broncos -6.5 (-110) vs. Seattle Seahawks +6.5 (-110)
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Gambling Problem? Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 18005224700 (KS), 888-789-7777/visit https://ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or 18885323500 (VA).
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