The long offseason wait is finally behind us and now there is nothing but football as far as the eye can see. There are 13 NFL games this Sunday with the Bears facing the Vikings Monday night as a cherry on top. There are always lots of unknowns heading into week 1 of the NFL season and this year is no different. I’ll provide you with detailed insights and analysis from every game to make the best bets and keep you informed.
Buccaneers @ Falcons
A late season collapse by the Falcons last year coupled with Baker Mayfield’s exceptional play led to a 4th consecutive NFC South title for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield and the Bucs travel to Atlanta to face Michael Penix and the Falcons. Penix had an inconsistent debut season last year after he replaced Kirk Cousins. Both teams will have playoff hopes although Atlanta certainly has more question marks on offense. Bijan Robinson and Drake London form a deadly skill position combo for Penix that should help him improve on his previous seasons’ performances. I like the over of 47 points in this one with an established Mayfield and an improved Penix tossing touchdowns early and often. Also look out for wide receiver Mike Evans to have a big game, the veteran is looking to become the first player in NFL history to post 12 straight seasons with 1,000 yards receiving.
Best Bets: Over 47 (-110)
Player Props: Mike Evans Over 69.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
Bengals @ Browns
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals travel across the state of Ohio to face a rebuilding Cleveland Browns. For all the drama surrounding rookie quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, it will be the 40 year old vet Joe Flacco who starts under center for the Browns. A lack of any type of running game mixed with a defense that is simply Myles Garrett or bust is not a recipe for success. The Browns will be one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2025 and I think this is a great opportunity for Burrow and Zac Taylor to end their streak of 3 straight losses in season openers.
Best Bet: Bengals -4.5 (-110)
Dolphins @ Colts
The Miami Dolphins travel to face Daniel Jones and the new look Indianapolis Colts. Jones won the job over last year’s starter Anthony Richardson and will be the 8th different starter for the Colts in their last 9 openers. There will be plenty of speculation on both quarterbacks in this game as Tua Tagovailoa has dealt with serious head injuries and his protection will be essential to the Dolphins’ success. Veteran receiver Tyreek Hill is coming off a poor year by his lofty standards that saw him total less than 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2019. This will be the healthiest that the Dolphins will be all year and if the defense is able to capitalize on Daniel Jones’ decision making then I foresee a win by the visiting Dolphins.
Best Bet: Dolphins ML (-105)
Raiders @ Patriots
Pete Carroll and Geno Smith make their debuts for the Oakland Raiders against Drake Maye and another veteran 1st year coach in Mike Vrabel. The Patriots brought in receiver Stefon Diggs in the offseason to provide much needed explosiveness although he is returning from a torn achilles last year. They also added some protection for Maye by drafting left tackle Will Campbell with the 4th overall pick. The Raiders used their 6th overall pick to draft last year’s Heisman runner up Ashton Jeanty. With the additions of Smith and Jeanty to an offense that already has one of the NFL’s most electric young players in tight end Brock Bowers, the Raiders will have a much improved offense. Vrabel and the Patriots will improve more gradually as the young Maye struggles early and Diggs works his way back to full health. Star cornerback Christian Gonzalez has also been ruled out of this contest which is a huge miss for the Patriots.
Best Bet: Raiders ML (+120)
Cardinals @ Saints
Following an abysmal 2024 the New Orleans Saints and new head coach Kellen Moore host the Cardinals. Still in search of a solid replacement for Drew Brees, the Saints have turned to Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough to lead the charge this season. This is an even worse idea than starting Joe Flacco at quarterback in 2025. Rattler looked like a back up at best last season and throwing a rookie into this offense week 1 is sure to be disastrous. Moore has chosen to go with Rattler which is the safer option in the long run, but will do them no favors in this game. On the other side the Cardinals have established players returning on offense like Kyler Murray, Trey McBride, and James Conner. Marvin Harrison Jr. had a mixed rookie season that was overshadowed by his peers, but he still has the potential to be one of the league’s best receivers. I like the Cardinals to cover the spread against an unproven Saints team and also look out for Trey McBride to have over 6.5 receptions as he has been an absolute catching machine over the past 2 seasons.
Best Bet: Cardinals -6 (-110)
Player Prop: Trey McBride over 5.5 Receptions (-110)
The Bookie of Eli 
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