The first NFL Sunday of the season is finally here, and we're excited to get you ready for the action. We're already 1/256th of the way through the season after the Chiefs took care of business in the Thursday night opener, reprising their win over the Texans from last season's playoffs. Thirty more teams are hoping to join the Chiefs at 1-0 to start the year, but only half of them (at best) can be successful.
Who will be those teams to pick up the win and, more importantly, who will cover the spread? We're going to cover that right now.
Each week, we'll collect all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine in one place, so you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more.
Enjoy our run-through of Week 1, and good luck in your games! All odds via William Hill Sportsbook.
Which picks can you make with confidence in Week 1? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine to see which NFL teams are winning more than 50 percent of simulations, all from the model that is up over $7,000 on its top-rated picks.
Dolphins at Patriots
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access
Open: Patriots -6.5, O/U 43
Current: Patriots -6.5, O/U 42
"The Dolphins hype is out of control. Lots of smart people who know lots of smart things about football are making a mistake and getting caught up in a tidal wave of ambition for Brian Flores and Ryan Fitzpatrick winning the AFC East. One thing that people seem to be ignoring is Cam Newton and Bill Belichick teaming up. Which seems like pertinent information! If you think the Pats will shrivel into obscurity and Belichick will go back to playing WAR with his dog because Tom Brady left, by all means bet against the Pats. This feels like a hammer spot for Cam and Co. out of the gate for me." -- Will Brinson, who loves the Patriots as a best bet
Brinson like the Pats so much he even went so far to predict a 28-7 final score for Bill Belichick in his first game in the post-Tom Brady era. You can see all of Brinson's picks in his Thursday column.
Browns at Ravens
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access
Open: Ravens -8.5, O/U 48.5
Current: Ravens -7.5, O/U 48
Kenny White: "I cannot play a side in the game. My number's right on ... With no preseason, I think the [Browns] offense will be way behind. I do like the defense they have, so I like the game Under 48. It's a big number."
Will Brinson: "That is a lot of points. If the Browns hang 40, you just have to tip your cap to Kevin Stefanski and eat the pile of you know what."
That's from the Pick Six Podcast, where I join Pete Prisco, Kenny White and Will Brinson every Friday to break down all the games from a gambling perspective and give out best bets. Give it a listen below and subscribe for great NFL content in your feed daily.
Jets at Bills
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access
Open: Bills -6, O/U 40
Current: Bills -6.5, O/U 39.5
"The Bills have a fantastic defense, and now Josh Allen has Stefon Diggs to throw to and Zack Moss in the backfield along with Devin Singletary. The Jets stink. They hate their coach. This number could close higher." -- Hammerin' Hank Goldberg on why the Bills are one of his best bets for Week 1
Goldberg, the legendary Vegas handicapper, closed out last season on an incredible 23-7 run over the final 10 weeks in his best bets column. You can see who else he's taking in Week 1 over at SportsLine.
Raiders at Panthers
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access
Open: Raiders -1.5, O/U 47
Current: Raiders -3, O/U 47.5
"Have a feeling this could be the ugliest game on the Week 1 calendar. More than half of Carolina's roster has been flipped and the young Panthers could field one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Little about the Raiders impresses me." -- NFL insider Jonathan Jones, who ultimately is taking the Raiders to win in Week 1
Jones has long been dialed into the pulse of the Panthers as a former Charlotte Observer reporter. You can check out all of the NFL insider's picks in his Thursday column.
Seahawks at Falcons
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Seahawks -1, O/U 49
Current: Seahawks -2.5, O/U 49
"Maybe I'm the sucker, but I don't think this Falcons team is as bad as people are making it out to be. The defense found its footing in the second half of last season, when the team was able to go on the road and beat both the 49ers and Saints. The offense has a lot of stability coming out of this unique offseason. And while the Seahawks are likely the better team, they've struggled in recent Week 1 matchups. Remember them barely holding off a Bengals team last year that finished with the No. 1 pick? They lost the two years before that and edged out a bad Dolphins team as double-digit favorites in 2016 as well." -- R.J. White on why the Falcons are one of his best bets
I've cashed twice in the Westgate SuperContest, widely considered the toughest sports gambling competition in the world. I've also hit on over 57% of my picks over the past five years combined. You can see all five of my Week 1 picks for the SuperContest by heading to SportsLine, and use promo code WHITE to sign up for $1 for your first month of access to all SportsLine's picks and analysis.
Eagles at Washington
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Eagles -6, O/U 44.5
Current: Eagles -5.5, O/U 42.5
"The Eagles have won the last six games against Washington and the Football Team is coming off a nightmare of an offseason. They were forced to change their name and their uniforms and were blasted in the media for the environment team owner Dan Snyder allegedly fostered behind the scenes. On the other hand, Philly is on the upswing in almost every way. ... Terry McLaurin is not going to catch this team by surprise again -- especially with Darius Slay now in the secondary, so go ahead and take the Eagles to win by more than a touchdown." Jordan Dajani, who has the Eagles winning 30-17
Dajani picks every game each week but highlights his five best bets, which you can check out in his Thursday column.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles (-5.5) at Washington |  | |  | | | | | |
Bears at Lions
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Lions -1.5, O/U 44
Current: Lions -1.5, O/U 42
"2019 was a lost year for the Lions after Matthew Stafford was sidelined after Week 9, but there is considerable sleeper buzz surrounding Detroit as it enters this season. ... Chicago, meanwhile, named Mitchell Trubisky the Week 1 starter over Nick Foles, who it traded for this offseason. I think that has more to do with the pandemic shortened offseason eliminating the opportunity for Foles to more clearly overtake Trubisky than it does the incumbent simply beating him out. That means we'll likely see more of the same inconsistency from Trubisky to start, which gives Detroit a nice starting off point to 2020." -- Tyler Sullivan, who has the Lions winning 24-17
Sullivan hit his ATS pick Thursday night, so he's looking to stay perfect on the season when Sunday kicks off. You can check out all his picks in his Wednesday column.
Colts at Jaguars
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access
Open: Colts -7, O/U 46
Current: Colts -8, O/U 45
The Colts are going to be one of the most popular survivor picks to start the season, as they feature the biggest spread of the weekend in their matchup against the Jaguars. While there's no way I'd lay the eight points, I think they are a relatively safe pick to get the win in Week 1, provided Philip Rivers isn't past his due date and completely flops in the opener. I'm a little more interested in going with a less obvious play in Week 1 and hoping for chaos. For me, that's the Bills, who are favored by nearly a touchdown but playing at home, where I think the gap in talent between them and the Jets will help them come away with a definitive victory.
You can check out another opinion on the top survivor pool plays before locking in your pick by heading over to SportsLine.
Packers at Vikings
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Vikings -3.5, O/U 46.5
Current: Vikings -2.5, O/U 44.5
"These teams have basically been considered even all offseason, and with the line on their Week 1 game moving down a tick off three to Vikings -2.5, the Packers are my best teaser play to open the year. The Vikings lost a lot of key pieces during the offseason, and I don't expect their passing offense to light up the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers should be motivated to prove his doubters wrong (even the ones in the building), and I like his odds of keeping the game close if the Packers are behind in the second half." -- R.J. White in my weekly teasers column
I'll be ranking all the teams I think could be worth teasing this week, as you search for a couple to put together for your Week 1 bets. You can check out my column from Wednesday, though at this point I'd skip over the Broncos at No. 2 and take my third- or fourth-ranked team to pair with the Packers.
Chargers at Bengals
Time: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access
Open: Chargers -3, O/U 44.5
Current: Chargers -3, O/U 41.5
"I understand that the Bengals had the worst record in the NFL last year, which is how they were able to draft Joe Burrow. I also know that this is Joe Burrow's first NFL start. These are all reasons for the Bengals to be home underdogs to start the season. All that being said, are the Chargers a team you're ready to trust as a road favorite? Philip Rivers is in Indianapolis. Melvin Gordon is in Denver. Justin Herbert is on the bench, waiting to take over the starting job. In his place is Tyrod Taylor, who is nothing more than a stopgap option at the position. I'm not in the habit of taking stopgap QBs as road favorites, and you shouldn't be, either." -- Tom Fornelli on why he has Bengals +3.5 as a best bet
Fornelli, who is predicting the Bengals win outright in Joe Burrow's debut, has two more best bets that you can check out in his Thursday column.
Cardinals at 49ers
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: 49ers -7.5, O/U 47
Current: 49ers -7, O/U 48
"This is a be-careful game for the defending NFC champions. The 49ers have some injury issues on offense, which could limit them. The Cardinals should be much improved on defense this season, and I think the offense will be explosive. Even so, it's a tough opener. They hang around, but the 49ers win it." -- Pete Prisco on why the Cardinals are one of his best bets this week
Prisco almost nailed the final score in the Thursday night opener, and in this one he has the 49ers winning by three points. You can find his reasoning for all his picks this week in his Wednesday column.
Buccaneers at Saints
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Saints -4, O/U 49.5
Current: Saints -3.5, O/U 47.5
"Due to the pandemic, the NFL canceled practices and OTAs for all 32 teams, which means [Tom] Brady didn't get to officially practice with his team until August. Basically, by the time this game kicks off, Brady is only going to have roughly five weeks of practice under his belt, which means he'll only have had five weeks to get comfortable with everyone on his offense. ... I think the Buccaneers are going to be good this year, but they have too many new players and I don't think everyone is going to be on the same page come Week 1." -- John Breech on why he has the Saints winning but the Bucs covering
Breech is predicting a 27-24 final in this game, and he's already hit on one of his two Week 1 locks. See which team lands the other spot in his locks by heading over to his Tuesday column.
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| Bucs at Saints (-3.5) |  |  | | | | | | |
Cowboys at Rams
Time: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Cowboys -2.5, O/U 50.5
Current: Cowboys -2.5, O/U 51.5
"Even if [Jalen] Ramsey shuts [Amari] Cooper down, Dallas should have major advantages elsewhere in the passing game. [Michael] Gallup was just as good as Cooper last year, and should see a lot of Troy Hill on the outside. Gallup has some pretty big physical advantages in that matchup, and it would not be surprising to see [Dak] Prescott try to connect with him on at least one jump ball down the sideline. [CeeDee] Lamb figures to see David Long in the slot, and Long is just not equipped to handle a receiver of Lamb's caliber, if his play last year is any indication (115.4 passer rating allowed, per Pro Football Focus). Lamb's run-after-catch ability presents problems for the Rams, who allowed 5.1 yards after catch per reception last season." -- Jared Dubin, who has the Cowboys winning 30-24
Dubin took a deep dive into the Sunday Night Football matchup on both sides of the ball, and you can check that out in his Friday column.
Steelers at Giants
Time: Monday, 7:10 p.m. ET (ESPN), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Steelers -3.5, O/U 47.5
Current: Steelers -6, O/U 46
"The Pittsburgh Steelers are legit Super Bowl contenders and justifiably so. The Giants will be competing for the first overall pick. The Steelers get back a Hall of Fame quarterback, they have one of the top defenses in the NFL that has play-makers at every level and a pass rush that won't quit. They are a turnover machine and they're facing a quarterback who fumbles seemingly every other snap and who has a weak offensive line in front of him and has a defense that has been a failure for years. Big Ben will be out to put on a show on "Monday Night Football" to show that he is back, and the Giants will put up almost no resistance. Getting this game at less than a touchdown is extreme value to me. Once we get a few weeks into the season, if these teams were to meet again this is definitely a double-digit spread." -- NFL insider Jason La Canfora on why the Steelers are one of his best bets
La Canfora is throwing a curveball by taking a teaser as one of his three best bets this week. You can check out all of his best bets in his Friday column.
Titans at Broncos
Time: Monday, 10:20 p.m. ET (ESPN), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Open: Broncos -2, O/U 42
Current: Titans -2, O/U 41
SportsLine's all-time No. 1 expert Mike Tierney returned more than $2,400 to $100 bettors last season. A national sportswriter whose work appears in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He prefers to evaluate each game from the underdog's point of view and has used that philosophy to dominate the NFL, going 66-44 against the spread in 2019 and 63-46 in 2018.
Tierney has had a sharp eye for the tendencies of the these teams, posting a 16-8 record on against-the-spread picks for or against Tennessee or Denver. He's jumped on one side of this spread, and you can see which over at SportsLine.
Thanks for checking us out, and good luck with your picks!
