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THURSDAY, SEPT. 9

NFL Week 1 odds: Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7.5) – 8:20 p.m. ET

While the line is rather hefty in favor of the defending champions in this season-opening clash, it would have been difficult for the schedule-makers to set the Buccaneers up with any better Week 1 opponent now that Drew Brees is in retirement. The Cowboys won’t jump off the page based on their dismal 2020, but factor in a healthy Dak Prescott into the equation, a dynamic group of receivers and what should be a considerably improved defense, and you’ve got yourself the makings of a team that stands to make one of the biggest season-to-season improvements of any club.

The Bucs not only made good on becoming the first team in NFL history to secure a Super Bowl title in its home stadium, but they followed it up by doing something almost as unprecedented in the salary cap era – they retained each and every key component of that championship squad that had a chance to go elsewhere. That means priceless continuity for Tom Brady, who was clicking in Bruce Arians’ system by season’s end, and who – much to the chagrin of the rest of the league – should have a full command of the playbook right from the jump in 2021.

Full betting preview: Cowboys at Buccaneers

SUNDAY, SEPT. 12

NFL Week 1 odds: Los Angeles Chargers (-1) at Washington Football

The Chargers begin anew this season with Brandon Staley at the top, but their roster remained largely unchanged through free agency. Justin Herbert will therefore be given a chance to continue building his rapport with a group of wideouts that includes stars Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. The one major offseason personnel change for the Bolts was actually a loss, as Hunter Henry departed to the Patriots. LA did a reasonably good job replacing him with an accomplished veteran in Jared Cook and then nabbed a talented prospect in Georgia’s Tre’ McKitty in the third round this spring. The defense also gets a healthy Derwin James back after he suffered a season-ending knee injury for a second straight year in 2020.

The Football Team were the proverbial big fish in the small pond that the NFC East became last season after Prescott went down for the Cowboys. Washington won the division with a 7-9 record, and the team appears to be banking that a handful of offseason additions will be enough to propel them to the appreciably better mark it will likely take to defend that crown in 2021. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the new man under center, while the multi-talented Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries are part of a receiving corps makeover under No. 1 option Terry McLaurin. An already very strong defense didn’t need much tinkering, but the addition of veteran corner William Jackson and 2021 first-round linebacker Jamin Davis could take that unit up yet another level.

Full betting preview: Chargers at Washington

NFL Week 1 odds: Seattle Seahawks (-2.5) at Indianapolis Colts – 1

The Seahawks weathered a storm of offseason turmoil surrounding franchise signal-caller Russell Wilson following an unceremonious Wild Card round upset at the hands of the Rams. That stumble sullied what was an otherwise strong season that featured a 12-4 record and NFC West crown. Seattle returns all its key pieces, with running back Chris Carson somewhat surprisingly brought back to helm the backfield and the Olympics-aspiring DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett once again set to serve as Wilson’s top two targets.

The Colts were dealt a huge blow in training camp when it was learned that new QB Carson Wentz would miss time with a foot injury. While Indy does have other talented players on offense – namely Jonathan Taylor and TY Hilton – having Jacob Eason or Brett Hundley under center is less than ideal. Indianapolis brass expressed some optimism in early August that Wentz could be ready for this game but it’s far from a lock. The Colts had been favored by around 2 points in this one before the injury to Wentz, now Seattle is a slight favorite. Defensively, Indy remained one of the league’s best units in 2020 but figures to have its hands full if Wilson and company arrive healthy for this matchup.

Full betting preview: Seahawks at Colts

NFL Week 1 odds: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills (-6.5) – 1 p.m. ET

The Steelers had what was arguably one of the more unusual seasons in franchise history in 2020, racing out to an 11-0 start before stumbling to a 1-4 mark down the stretch and then quickly getting ousted in the postseason by the Browns in a Wild Card loss at Heinz Field. There was a bit of everything responsible for the fade, including key injuries on both sides of the ball and enough questionable play by Ben Roethlisberger to prompt speculation about his future and a pay cut he had little choice but to accept this offseason. Pittsburgh will look for a bit more stability this season, and it presumably upgraded its lead running back position by an appreciable degree with the swapping out of James Conner for first round pick Najee Harris. But they’ll have a tall order in opening the season at the home of the conference runner-up in 2020. The Bills were 9-1 straight-up in Orchard Park in 2020, including the playoffs, and boasted an average margin of victory of 8.5 points.

The Bills’ significant step forward last season as a team was largely mirrored by the equally impressive strides made by quarterback Josh Allen, who posted career-best marks in every major passing category. Another incremental step forward could vault Buffalo past the Chiefs, especially if Stefon Diggs is able to somehow replicate or exceed last season’s jaw-dropping 127-1,535-8 line. John Brown was swapped out for veteran Emmanuel Sanders this offseason while the rest of the offense largely remained stationary. A talented Buffalo defense largely enjoys continuity as well.

NFL Week 1 odds: Minnesota Vikings (-3) at Cincinnati Bengals – 1

The Vikings’ disappointing non-playoff 2020 season included a 7-9 record, but it also had its share of highlights that included the stellar play of rookie receiver Justin Jefferson and a record-setting performance from Dalvin Cook on Christmas Day. Young tight end Irv Smith also made strides, but the defense – long a hallmark of coach Mike Zimmer’s teams – faltered badly while allowing 29.7 points and 393.2 yards per game. Better play on that side of the ball, which did gain multi-time Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson this offseason, will therefore be key to any improvement. As it is, that unit will get a stiff test right from the onset of 2021 in the form of Cincy’s Joe Burrow-led attack, making this first-look spread a potentially exploitable one.

Speaking of last year’s first overall pick, Burrow looked every bit worth the investment before suffering a season-ending knee injury Week 11, ironically, at the hands of No. 2 overall pick Chase Young. Reportedly firmly on the way back to full health this offseason, Burrow will have the opportunity to reunite with former college battery mate and 2021 first-round pick Ja’Marr Chase. Chase, along with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, give the second-year gunslinger a highly potent trio. Running back Joe Mixon is reportedly fully over the foot injury that cost him the last 10 games in 2020 as well.

NFL Week 1 odds: Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5) at Houston Texans – 1 p.m. ET

This season-opening divisional battle wouldn’t garner much attention if one were going strictly by 2020 records. However, these two squads actually should be the subject of plenty of chatter ahead of Week 1, primarily because of the men leading them under center. Top overall pick Trevor Lawrence is fully expected to be a starter from Day 1 and will be joined by another high-profile selection in running back Travis Etienne. He also gets an explosive veteran wideout in Marvin Jones, an offseason addition that will pair with 2020 breakout star DJ Chark and impressive second-year versatile weapon Laviska Shenault.

The Texans’ Deshaun Watson has had a slew of off-field trouble, and it remains to be seen if any of it will keep him from suiting up for this contest and several others. For the moment, he remains slated to helm an air attack that lost Will Fuller in free agency but still sports Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb and offseason arrival Chris Conley, who’ll face his former Jags teammates in this Week 1 game. Phillip Lindsay and Mark Ingram also arrived via free agency to pair with David Johnson, who was serviceable in his first Texans season.

Both teams’ defenses were among the league’s worst last season and there’s a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding Watson’s situation, so the narrow number in favor of Jacksonville isn’t too surprising.

NFL Week 1 odds: New York Jets at Carolina Panthers (-5) – 1 p.m. ET

The Robert Saleh Era begins in the Big Apple, and the good news for the long-time 49ers coordinator is he essentially has nowhere to go but up after New York bottomed out with a 2-14 mark last season. All eyes will be on rookie quarterback Zach Wilson in this matchup as – like Lawrence – he’s expected to lead his team’s offense from Day 1. He will have a talented No. 1 wideout in Corey Davis, an ultra-reliable slot man in Jamison Crowder and an explosive second-year speedster in Denzel Mims.

There’s a big change under center in Carolina as well. Gone is Teddy Bridgewater after one season despite a solid one-and-done season with the Panthers in 2020. Enter Sam Darnold, acquired via trade with the Jets, who like Wentz, is a one-time top 3 quarterback selection looking to establish himself elsewhere this coming season. Darnold gets an upgrade in receivers from what he had in his final campaign in New York, and he goes from working with what was one of the worst rushing attacks in the league to having a now-healthy Christian McCaffrey at his disposal.

The fact that Gang Green will roll out a rookie QB and Darnold gets a crack at his old teammates makes this line another very noteworthy one to potentially jump on, although Carolina was just 2-6 at home straight up and ATS in 2020.

NFL Week 1 odds: San Francisco 49ers (-7) at Detroit Lions – 1 p.m. ET

An avalanche of injuries, especially on the defensive side of the ball, conspired to help do in the 49ers last season in their attempted defense of the 2019 NFC title. San Francisco stumbled to a 6-10 mark, but there’s no doubting there could be a major bounce-back season in store with the blessing of better health. There could be a quarterback controversy with Jimmy Garoppolo now tasked with holding off No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance. Whoever does assume the starting role will have an enviable top trio of targets consisting of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.

The Lions are another team getting a fresh start, with Dan Campbell now the man in charge in Motown. However, his arrival is overshadowed by an even more monumental change under center. The franchise moved on from 2009 first overall pick Matthew Stafford, shipping him to the Rams for more recent first overall selection – Jared Goff. While Detroit gets a younger, less beat-up arm, the move is seen as much more favorable for Stafford from a player standpoint. Goff goes from Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman in terms of his top two wideouts after the Lions saw Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones depart in free agency. They also chose not to bring back Danny Amendola.

It’s worth noting that San Fran was 7-1 straight up and 6-2 ATS on the road with an average margin of victory of 8.4 points and ATS +/- of +6.8 points during its much healthier 2019 campaign, making this line possibly a bit on the smallish side.r last season, but that only got them to 8-8. Entering the fourth year of his second tenure with the franchise, Jon Gruden will once again rely on Derek Carr to helm the offense, even after there were rumblings the team was willing to move on from this offseason. The team certainly has acquired plenty of offensive talent for Carr in recent drafts and also added a pair of veteran pass-catchers in John Brown and Willie Snead this offseason, while the Josh Jacobs-led backfield was bolstered further by the acquisition of Kenyan Drake. However, the defense, which allowed the third-most points per game (29.9) last season, will hope the offseason additions of Yannick Ngakoue and Casey Hayward make a major impact.