With the recent release of the 2020 NFL schedule, BetMGM posted lines for Week 1. Here are five of the best bets – vs. the spread – to make for Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.
Sep 12, 2020 NFL Week 1 picks against the spread, best bets. Share this article 32 shares share tweet text email link Jess Root. September 12, 2020 10:31 pm. The NFL is back and one game is already in the. Despite doubts that it would happen, it seems that the NFL has handled the COVID-19 crisis well and with the kickoff game already in the books, it’s time to look at the rest of the Week 1 games. The first week of the season is always the hardest one to gauge, especially when it comes to betting, but we’re here to show you the best bets.
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Sunday, May 10 at 1:50 a.m. ET.
Best bet 1: Miami Dolphins (+6.5) at New England Patriots
Sunday, Sept. 13 (1 p.m. ET)
The Dolphins went out in the offseason and spent a bunch of money in free agency and also added talent in the draft. They still have a productive veteran starting quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick, while the Pats have lost many key players; most importantly, QB Tom Brady. The Dolphins aren’t as bad as they were a year ago and the Pats are not going to be as good.
Best bet 2: Arizona Cardinals (+8.5) at San Francisco 49ers
Sunday, Sept. 13 (4:25 p.m. ET)
Best Nfl Bets Week 1
The 49ers lost a key offensive weapon in WR Emmanuel Sanders and traded away DL DeForest Buckner. Even in their 13-3 season a year ago, they failed to cover the spread in both games vs. the Cardinals. Arizona added WR DeAndre Hopkins and upgraded its 31st-ranked defense from 2019.
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Best bet 3: New Orleans Saints (-4.5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, Sept. 13 (4:25 p.m. ET)
The Bucs might have Brady at QB, but with a shortened offseason and a new offense that traditionally takes a few games for quarterbacks to adjust to, expect New Orleans to come out on fire. The Saints added another big weapon in the passing game in WR Sanders, while they still have QB Drew Brees, RB Alvin Kamara and WR Michael Thomas.
Best bet 4: Tennessee Titans (+2.5) at Denver Broncos
Monday, Sept. 14 (10:10 p.m. ET)
The Broncos added young receivers in the draft but the Titans were one of the hottest teams in the NFL after Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback. Tannehill returns as does RB Derrick Henry. Tennessee will beat Denver, especially with Drew Lock at QB for the Broncos.
Best bet 5: Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5) at New York Giants
Monday, Sept. 14 (7:15 p.m. ET)
The Steelers get QB Ben Roethlisberger back. The Giants still have questions around their defense. New York QB Daniel Jones has more protection, but the lack of an offseason with a new head coach will show in Week 1.
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The first week of the 2020 NFL season has snuck up on some of us. It has everything to do with a global pandemic that has robbed us of our usual NFL preseason games, as well as a regular training camp.
But as everyone has done in the world of COVID-19, we must adjust to the current state of things. And if we can use it to our advantage when betting on the NFL in week one, we should certainly do so.
Bettors will be looking for any edge they can find going into the first week, and I’ve come to help my favorite week 1 NFL locks.
These are by far, in this writer’s opinion, the best bets to target in week one of the 2020 NFL season.
How does this game not total 54 or more points? Seriously, have you seen the past results for when these two teams locked horns?
The game totals have been 82, 55, and 76 in the last three meetings. Our own Michael Wynn suggests that the week one NFL kickoff game tends to be a bit of a snoozer, which he detailed in his Texans vs. Chiefs week 1 betting pick.
I get the logic, and without preseason games, one or both of these teams could come in rusty. But that applies to their defenses, too, and you’re talking about insane star power, as well as endless speed.
Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes headline this game, while explosive weapons like Tyreek Hill and Will Fuller play into the theatrics of it all. There is going to be a lot of offense in the week one NFL opener, and you should probably bet on the Over here.
Washington is a team in total disarray. They have a new head coach, a terrible owner, and a sea of dirty laundry to work their way through as 2020 approaches.
That, and they just canned their starting running back.
A surprise: The Washington Football Team is releasing legendary RB Adrian Peterson, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 4, 2020
The team kicked Adrian Peterson to the curb not too long after losing Derrius Guice for the year, too. Washington goes into a brutal week one showdown with the hated Eagles on life support, and we’re supposed to act like the Eagles at -6.5 isn’t a gift from the football betting gods?
I won’t ignore it. Yes, the Eagles have been hurt by injuries on their offensive line, but Doug Pederson still calls the shots for an extremely deep and competitive bunch.
A healthy Carson Wentz alone keeps the Eagles exciting, while Philly should be able to thrive against a defense they hung 69 points on in two meetings last year.
Philly’s run defense should force Dwayne Haskins to try to win this thing, and we can all agree that isn’t very likely to end well. Ultimately, the Eagles should win by a touchdown, if not a heck of a lot more.
Earlier this offseason I offered my Eagles vs. Washington week one prediction and said the Over was the preferred play. That’s a secondary pick for me now, as I like Philly to cover here more.
Joe Burrow makes his NFL debut in week one. It could go horribly if you look at the simple fact that he’s played zero preseason games, but he also was a stud at LSU and has a lot of weapons at his disposal.
Even if Burrow struggles early on, there is reason to believe he’ll eventually find his footing and have some success against the Chargers. The main reason, of course, being that L.A. has to try to stop him without top safety, Derwin James.
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Derwin James Injury Update:
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 2, 2020
Derwin James underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.
James is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of the 2021 season.
He will be placed on Injured Reserve.
The Chargers still have a solid defense even with James on the shelf, but their 2019 numbers aren’t very scary. Joey Bosa heads a capable pass rush, but one that still finished with the fifth-fewest quarterback takedowns a year ago.
L.A. was very stingy in terms of passing yardage allowed, but they only picked off 11 passes, and opposing quarterbacks posted the 10th best passer rating in the league.
None of this is to suggest the Chargers can’t destroy Burrow, but the cool and collected star is set up pretty nicely for his first game. On the other side, the Chargers have a stacked offense going up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
Cincy finished last year with the worst record in football, largely thanks to an atrocious run defense that ranked dead last in rushing yards allowed.
What does all of this tell us? That the Chargers will probably have their way in this one, and Burrow will take it to the air to try to keep up. In the end, we’ll get enough points to take us past the Over.
Is anyone more hyped than the Cowboys these days? It’s warranted, to be sure, as an already stacked roster brought in a steady head coach in Mike McCarthy, and then proceeded to wreck the 2020 NFL Draft.
McCarthy figures to be a better leader and game-planner than the now exiled Jason Garrett, but the talent on this team alone makes the Cowboys dangerous.
In week one, they do go out on the road to battle the Los Angeles Rams, but Dallas completely dismantled the Rams in Big D last year, and these teams appear to be headed in very opposite directions.
Dallas needs to send the message early that they’re the real deal, and taking out the Rams on the road is a pretty great way to do that. Dak Prescott is the leader of this team and has yet to be financially compensated, so he can start the action, and you better believe his guys will rally behind him.
My Cowboys vs. Rams betting preview liked the total in this game, but going into week one, I’m in love with Dallas at this price.
L.A. isn’t some trash team, but the Cowboys should win and bettors are honestly getting a pretty nice discount when you look at their -145 moneyline.
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One of the final NFL games of week one has the Pittsburgh Steelers waging war with the New York Giants. Ben Roethlisberger makes his long-awaited return after missing 14 games in 2019, and the hype around the Steelers is only growing.
On paper, Pittsburgh has terrific coaching, a fantastic defense, and a balanced offense loaded with potential. Big Ben is the conductor that can make the latter hum, and he’s the driving force behind our Steelers vs. Giants week 1 pick pegging Pittsburgh as the team to beat.
The top football sportsbooks have since moved the line of this game, however, so while betting on the Steelers to win is probably safe, it’s now less profitable.
You can still do that (they’re -215 favorites at Sportsbetting.ag), but at this point, it makes much more sense to just take them to cover a pretty mild 4-point spread.
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Big Ben is a big reason why I have no qualms with this bet, as the Steelers have historically done quite well with him running the show. Pittsburgh showed serious grit as a team after he went down last year, too, as they went 9-7 against the spread.
This isn’t just about the Steelers, though.
New York still isn’t to be trusted, as they have a bunch of young guys on offense, a suspect defense, and a rookie head coach. Pittsburgh is the veteran team that should get things started on the right foot and covering here shouldn’t be an issue.
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Nothing is guaranteed in the world of sports betting. Anyone can upset anyone, injuries can totally change the way a game plays out, and so many other variables can rise up and mess up NFL picks.
That said, the NFL picks above feel like some of the safest week one NFL bets to target. Some game totals feel way too low, some favorites are being somewhat shortchanged, and pricing on one site can make a bet much more attractive than it is everywhere else.
Shopping NFL lines is pretty key every week, but it may be most important during the first week of pro football action. The bets listed above are safe and offer the most value you’ll find at the time of this writing.
As always, do your own research and hunt around at the top NFL sportsbooks before finalizing your wagers. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with your week one NFL bets!