NFL Week 1 Odds: Best Picks to Bet on Sunday's Schedule
Thursday night whetted the appetite of football fans, who had patiently waited all offseason for the return of the NFL. Now, the season is about to kick into high gear.
The Detroit Lions defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 21-20 in Thursday's 2023 season opener. Most of the league's teams will play their first game of the new campaign on Sunday, when 14 contests will be taking place.
With eight games in the 1 p.m. ET window, five more in the 4:25 p.m. ET slot and a Sunday night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, it should be an entertaining day of football. It could also be a profitable day for bettors, who will be looking to make the right picks throughout the full slate.
Here's a look at some of the picks that could be best to bet on this season-opening Sunday. (All lines/odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.)
During the 2022 season, the Vikings had trouble winning by sizable margins. Of their 13 victories, 11 of them were by only eight or fewer points. Seven of them were by five or fewer.
But this is 2023, and it's a new year, one in which Minnesota may not have as much trouble putting away its opponents. It shouldn't have a ton of difficulty in Week 1, when it's set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who no longer have quarterback Tom Brady (retirement).
Instead, Baker Mayfield will be under center for the Bucs, and he won't be quite as much of a challenge for a Vikings defense that could be much improved. Meanwhile, Minnesota's assortment of playmakers (wide receiver Justin Jefferson, tight end T.J. Hockenson and more) will be a tough test for Tampa Bay's defensive unit.
With the Vikings playing at home as a clear favorite, this matchup sure seems likely to go in their favor by at least a touchdown. They're the better of the two teams, and Mayfield's tendency to commit turnovers could turn this into a lopsided affair. So bet on Minnesota to cover this five-point spread.
Before going 7-10 last season, the Titans had won nine or more games every year from 2017-21, making the playoffs four times during that five-season span. So Tennessee may be getting slept on a bit heading into the 2023 campaign.
That's evident from the betting line for the Titans' Week 1 matchup vs. the New Orleans Saints. Although Tennessee is going on the road, there's still a case to be made that it shouldn't be a three-point underdog vs. New Orleans, which has missed the playoffs each of the past two years.
The Saints should be improved with Derek Carr at quarterback, but they'll be without star running back Alvin Kamara for the first three weeks, as he serves a suspension. Meanwhile, the Titans will continue to lean on Derrick Henry, their star RB, while adding DeAndre Hopkins to a receiving corps that should be much more productive with his presence.
Tennessee's defense should be stout, and that could help the Titans pull off an upset win to open the season. At the least, they should keep it within three points, making it wise to bet on them with those extra three.
The NFC North rivalry series between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears is entering a new era: the post-Aaron Rodgers era. The Packers' offense will no longer be led by Rodgers, who is now the quarterback for the New York Jets after spending his first 18 NFL seasons in Green Bay.
Chicago's Justin Fields will be the more experienced of the two QBs on Sunday, when he goes head-to-head with new Green Bay starter Jordan Love. Fields, who took big steps forward during his 2022 sophomore campaign, could be the primary reason why the Bears have greater success this season after going an NFL-worst 3-14 last year.
The Packers have won eight straight meetings with the Bears, but again, they had Rodgers then. Chicago's improved defense could be a challenge for Love, while Fields and a stronger Bears offense should have a strong season debut on the other side.
It's time for the tides to turn a bit in this rivalry, and that will begin Sunday. Bet on Chicago to end its recent woes against Green Bay by opening the 2023 campaign with a home victory.
