If Thursday night’s opening is any indication of how Week 1 will go, domestic dogs are in big trouble. Buffalo destroyed the Rams in front of the world, flexing some road chalk muscles to kick off the 2022 NFL season. I’m more inclined to expect a bit more chaos than Thursday, especially when there are so many unknowns with lots of different teams on the road as favourites.
That said, I’m picking a Super Bowl game between two Week 1 road favorites. My pick this year is Ravens over Eagles, the first-ever Birds* matchup we’ve seen in a Super Bowl (*according to John Breech, who certainly didn’t do the research, so let’s not be too aggressive with fact-checking).
People are too low in Baltimore this year, getting a motivated Lamar Jackson and a much healthier roster. John Harbaugh will bring this team all the way back in the hunt for the No. 1 seed.
As for the Eagles, people are oddly against the idea of Jalen Hurts making a leap forward. He’s only 24 – looks like he’s closer to 30 because of his time in the spotlight. Philly is deep on the offensive and defensive lines and has improved a lot at receiver with the AJ Brown trade.
The Bills look like legitimate favorites after the opener, but it’s a long season ahead.
All NFL odds are via Caesars Sportsbook
NFL Week 1 Pick
Crows at the Jets
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
TV: SCS | Flow: Paramount+ (click here)
Latest odds:
New York Jets +6.5
Joe Flacco’s Revenge Game! I didn’t see that coming when we started preparing for the 2022 season. There’s a chance he’ll be an upgrade on Zach Wilson, at the very least for that first game of Week 1 against the Flacco’s former team. Before 2021, Baltimore had a dominant run in Week 1. Even with the overtime loss to the Raiders last year, the Ravens have a +119 point differential in the first weeks since 2018. Lamar Jackson’s lack of contract only helps the Ravens in my opinion. They challenged him to pull a Flacco and bet on himself. Add missing Duane Brown at left tackle and it could get ugly for the Jets if Baltimore is in typical Week 1 form.
The choice : Ravens 35, Jets 13
Accessories, best bets: N / A
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
TV: SCS | Flow: Paramount+ (click here)
Latest odds:
Carolina Panthers PK
Baker Mayfield Revenge Game! I saw that coming with Carolina desperate to upgrade to quarterback. Considering Sam Darnold’s injury, it’s a very good thing they did. It might not be great for the Browns — with Deshaun Watson suspended, it’s now Jacoby Brissett or bust. I’m leaning bust, even though the Browns don’t have a bad roster. The Panthers just have a motivated Baker, a healthy Christian McCaffrey and an improved offensive line and should be good enough from the get-go — like last year — to knock out a Browns team without Watson.
The choice: Panthers 24, Browns 17
Paris: Panthers -1.5
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
TV: SCS | Flow: Paramount+ (click here)
Latest odds:
Houston Texans +7
Outrageous stat from the weekend: The Colts haven’t won a Week 1 game since 2013. That’s multiple coaches, multiple quarterbacks, multiple GMs, everything. Just obscene to go nearly 10 years without winning a Week 1 game. Houston is feeling extremely dashing this year, with a veteran group, and the Colts defense should step back under Gus Bradley with a dodgy secondary. The Texans are likely live to win this game.
The choice: Texans 24, Colts 21
Paris: Houston +7
Jaguars to the artist formerly known as WFT
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
TV: Fox | Flow: fuboTV (click here)
Latest odds:
Washington Commanders -2.5
The last football game Carson Wentz played was the infamous Week 18 loss to the Jaguars in 2021, preventing the Colts from making the playoffs and kickstarting Jim Irsay’s campaign to kick Wentz out of Indy. NFL schedulers are a ruthless bunch — Wentz’s first game of 2022 and his new team (with their terrible new name) hosting Jacksonville. The bounty ? Former Wentz coach Doug Pederson is now in charge of the Jags. This upgrade alone makes me love Jacksonville at this location.
The choice: Jaguars 21, AFKAWFT 17
Paris: Jaguar +2.5
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
TV: SCS | Flow: Paramount+ (click here)
Latest odds:
Miami Dolphins -3.5
I can’t wait for the Dolphins to win by 45 points followed by a full-fledged offense in my endorsements. Actually, I can wait for that, but what I can’t wait to see is what the Patriots offense looks like under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Most likely it will be Bill Belichick with a heavy hand on offense, but the whole setup is morbidly intriguing no matter who calls the plays.
The choice: Patriots 17, Dolphins 14
Paris : Pass
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: BNC | Flow: fuboTV (click here)
Latest odds:
Dallas Cowboys +2.5
It’s unlikely there has been a team more “sold” by the general public in recent weeks than the Cowboys. That’s mostly down to Tyron Smith’s injury – Dallas is set to be without his superstar left tackle until at least December. Dak Prescott has struggled in the past without Smith on the court and it’s not unreasonable to wonder if that causes long-term issues with the offense. In the short term that’s also a problem, but the Cowboys have had enough time to prepare for this Week 1 game and I think they can surprise a Bucs team struggling with their own litany of injuries on the offensive line. Dan Quinn will likely use Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence in multiple places on the court, including inside, to take advantage of Bucs injuries and possible pressure on Tom Brady. Probably best to wait until kickoff to grab the Cowboys, hoping it goes +3.
The choice: Cowboys 31, Buccaneers 27
Paris: Cowboys +2.5
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Latest odds:
Seattle Seahawks +6.5
This is billed as the Russell Wilson Revenge Game, but I think it’s a bigger incentive game for Pete Carroll, who just sent Russ on a trade to the Broncos and would love to let people know that Seattle can still win without Russ in town. It won’t be easy, but none of the Seahawks’ games this year will be “easy” – I’d bet all Carroll wants is to jam every game this season, turning them into low-scoring slogs. Think of the Seahawks games of 2010 and 2011 when you imagine what we’ll get from Seattle this year. The Unders should be of great value at the start of this season for the Seahawks and the offensive machine led by Geno Smith.
The choice: Seahawks 21, Broncos 17
Paris: Less than 44.5
Other sheet music
Saints 24, Falcons 21
Eagles 35, Lions 17
Steelers 24, Bengals 21
49ers 35, Bears 14
Packers 31, Vikings 28
Chiefs 31, Cardinals 24
Chargers 27, Raiders 24
Giants 17, Titans 14
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