The NFL season is finally here! The first week of the season is chock full of intriguing games and storylines, including several teams who are going to be debuting brand new quarterbacks. As many as three rookies will be starting for their teams under center. On top of that, there are two legitimately potential Super Bowl previews in the primetime slots in Week 1.
NFL Week 1 Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Panthers ( 41.5 ) at Broncos ( +3 )
Bengals ( 41.5 ) at Jets ( +2.5 )
Browns ( 43 ) at Eagles ( -5.5 )
Raiders ( 51 ) at Saints ( -1 )
Vikings ( 41 ) at Titans ( +1 )
Buccaneers ( 47.5 ) at Falcons ( -3 )
Bills ( 44.5 ) at Ravens ( -3 )
Bears ( 44 ) at Texans ( -6 )
Chargers ( 44.5 ) at Chiefs ( -7 )
Packers ( 48 ) at Jaguars ( +4.5 )
Dolphins ( 44 ) at Seahawks ( -10.5 )
Lions ( 50.5 ) at Colts ( -4 )
Giants ( 46 ) at Cowboys ( PK )
Patriots ( 47.5 ) at Cardinals ( -6 )
Steelers ( 50 ) at Redskins ( +3 )
Rams ( 44 ) at 49ers ( +2.5 )
Games of the Week
Broncos at Panthers – Thursday 8:30 p.m. ET
Where else could we possibly start than with the rematch of the Super Bowl? Neither one of these teams though, are quite what they were a season ago, and it's hard to argue that either one is as good as it was at the end of last season.
The Panthers enter 2016 with most believing that they'll take a step backwards offensively from a year in which they averaged over 31 points per game. On top of that, Josh Norman was allowed to walk in the offseason, and without him, this defense surely can't be as good.
The Broncos are all sorts of different now. Peyton Manning is gone, and rather than being able to count on Brock Osweiler, he wasn't resigned in offseason, leaving Trevor Siemian as the shocking starter. Siemian legitimately won this job in the preseason to the point that Mark Sanchez was cut though, and Gary Kubiak obviously thinks enough of him to tie his season's hopes to the Northwestern product.
Denver, of course, won the Super Bowl last year with its defense, and most of that unit is back from a year ago. Von Miller is one of the best pass rushers in the league, and if Cam Newton can't figure out how to get past him and keep this offense moving, this could end up being another frustrating game for a team that only lost one game in the regular season a year ago.
Patriots at Cardinals – Sunday 8:30 p.m. ET
The argument could be made that this is the most likely of the Super Bowl previews in Week 1. The Patriots are always in the discussion as the top teams in the league, and there aren't a lot of clubs out there that can challenge them for the top of the charts in the AFC. The Cardinals fell in the NFC Championship Game last year, and they look to be every bit as good this year as they were a season ago.
The elephant in the room though, is the fact that Tom Brady isn't going to be in Glendale. This is going to be the first game with Jimmy Garoppolo under center, and it's a tough task for sure. Arizona had a great defense last season, and adding former Patriot Chandler Jones to that mix is only going to make this unit better.
When the Week 1 odds came out late in the Spring, this game was lined at a dead pick 'em, but once Brady's suspension was installed again in the courts, the line shot up to -4.5. All of the action since then has been on the Cardinals, and they've already steamed to -6 and could rise. That's a lot of pressure to be putting on Arizona in the first week of the season against a team which is still a Super Bowl contender even without Brady in the fold.
