NFL Week 1 best bets: Bears-Packers pick, NFL predictions
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The season is ready to get its opening weekend underway, and we’ve picked our favorite 2023 NFL Week 1 best bets and picks across all 16 matchups.
Here are our NFL Week 1 best bets:
2023 NFL Week 1 best bets and picks
The Kansas City Chiefs stormed their way to the best record in the league and a Super Bowl championship in 2022. They are the 2024 Super Bowl betting odds favorite, but they’re just one of 32 teams that have a blank slate in Week 1.
Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals best bets: Browns ML (+100 or better)
The Browns have won eight of their last 10 meetings with the Bengals and will face them at home to start their season. One of the reasons they have been so successful as of late is because they have consistently given Cincy QB Joe Burrow as much trouble as any other team (251 yards/game, four touchdowns and four interceptions in their last three meetings).
Burrow also may not even play, or, if he does, may be limited by a calf strain he suffered during training camp. Neither one of a less-than-100% Burrow or backup QB Trevor Siemian is a particularly great prospect for Cincy, especially with the consistent running game and line play the Browns are guaranteed to have every year.
2023 NFL Week 1 best bets: Pittsburgh Steelers +3 (-110 or better) vs. San Francisco 49ers
Call us skeptics, but we aren’t high on Mr. Irrelevant (Brock Purdy) bouncing back from a devastating injury to his throwing arm and being ready to take on what could be a top-three defense in Pittsburgh in a matter of months.
The Steelers won eight of 10 games T.J. Watt appeared in last year. With him fully healthy, a few key offseason additions (Allen Robinson, Cole Holcomb, and Joey Porter Jr.), and a year of experience under the belt of QB Kenny Pickett, watch for the Steelers to start the year strong.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers best bets: Bears -2.5 (-110 or better)
Packers QB Jordan Love has been in the NFL for four years and has played in 10 games (most of those in a limited capacity), but this is his real debut. He’ll have to go on the road to Soldier Field to face a Bears organization that is desperate for its get-back following the torture Aaron Rodgers put it through.
The Bears’ roster improvements cannot be overstated. They brought in D.J. Moore to be Justin Fields’ No. 1 wideout, drafted tackle Darnell Wright with a top-10 pick, and signed Tremaine Edmunds in free agency to be the captain of the defense. We have high expectations for the Bears and expect a commanding performance.
NFL Week 1 predictions: Jacksonville Jaguars -3.5 (-115 or better) vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Jaguars have a legitimate chance to secure the number-one seed in the AFC, and one of the main reasons for that is because of how weak the AFC South is. Trevor Lawrence showed rapid development and won seven of his last nine games last year, including a 27-0 comeback in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Jags’ offense should be even more explosive this year thanks to the addition of Calvin Ridley, who made the second-team All-Pro his last full season. Anthony Richardson has been named the Colts’ Week 1 starter and has the physical tools to make highlight plays but is also incredibly raw as a passer and decision-maker. Expect the Jags to win and win big.
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Grant Mitchell is a sports and sports betting journalist for Catena Media. A member of Virginia Tech's 2021 graduating class and former NCAA Track & Field athlete, he specializes in basketball, football and soccer coverage.
