The 2018 NFL season finally gets underway as the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles take on the Atlanta Falcons at 8:20 p.m. ET from Lincoln Financial Field. It's a matchup of the last two NFC representatives in the Super Bowl and features one of the biggest line movements of any Week 1 NFL game. The Eagles opened as four-point favorites, but with Carson Wentz (ACL) and Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) both sidelined, the game is now a pick'em, which means neither side is favored. The over-under for total points scored is 44.5, down two from the opener. The Eagles, led by Super Bowl hero Nick Foles at QB, knocked off the Falcons in the NFL Playoffs last season on their way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Before you lock in any Falcons vs. Eagles picks, you need to hear from SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White. The CBS Sports NFL editor finished in the top 1 percent of the Las Vegas SuperContest last season, tying for 18th out of a record 2,748 competitors. It was no fluke, either, as he also cashed big-time in the 2015 SuperContest.

If you had placed $100 on each of White's NFL picks last season, you would have won nearly $2,000. Smart bettors tail him.

Now, White has analyzed all the key factors for the Falcons-Eagles NFL Kickoff and come up with a confident pick against the spread, which he's sharing over at SportsLine. And you definitely want to hear what he has to say since he's an incredible 16-6 on picks involving the Falcons.

White knows the Eagles lost LeGarrette Blount in free agency, but still have one of the deepest RB groups in the league with Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement and Darren Sproles. They also added a starting WR in free agency in Mike Wallace, who will be leaned on Thursday with Jeffery sidelined. Jeffery led Philadelphia in receiving touchdowns last year with nine.

Wentz also won't play as he continues to recover from an ACL injury suffered late in 2017, but no team is better prepared for such an issue than the Eagles. Foles is back under center, seven months removed from leading Philly through the NFL Playoffs before passing for 373 yards and three TDs in earning Super Bowl MVP honors in a win over the Patriots. Foles did look rough in the Week 3 preseason dress rehearsal, tossing two picks and getting sacked three times. He also lost a fumble. 

The defense is expected to again be a force. The unit ranked fourth in both points and yards allowed, then added several likely contributors, including Pro Bowl DE Michael Bennett.

Just because the Eagles boast a stellar defense doesn't mean they'll win Thursday. White also knows the Falcons' expectations are just as high as the Eagles' thanks to an offense that produced record-breaking numbers in 2016, and a stronger level of comfort and confidence in OC Steve Sarkisian, who is in his second season. 

Atlanta averaged a whopping 33.8 points per game in 2016, but that number plummeted to just 22.1 last season with most of the same cast. Two-time All-Pro WR Julio Jones and two-time Pro Bowl RB Devonta Freeman accounted for 44 percent of the team's offense last year. Neither played during the NFL preseason, but both are healthy and ready to go. Matt Ryan regressed mightily last season, tossing just 20 touchdowns, but had almost double that total in 2016. His ceiling is sky-high.

Atlanta's defense should also be solid, with nine starters returning from a unit that ranked eighth in points allowed (19.7 ppg) and ninth in yards per game (318.4). It was the first time since 1998 the Falcons ranked in the top 10 in both.

We can tell you White is leaning toward the under, but he has uncovered a critical x-factor that will determine the outcome of this game. He's only sharing it over at SportsLine.

Who wins Falcons-Eagles? And what critical x-factor determines the outcome? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the SuperContest guru who's an incredible 16-6 on Falcons games.