Week 1 NFL Picks: Predictions and Advice for Opening-Season Vegas Odds

The Minnesota Vikings were one of the big stories of the offseason. They had a strong 11-5 regular season in 2015 that saw them win five of their final six games and make the playoffs.

All that stood between them and advancing to the divisional playoffs was a missed chip-shot field goal against the Seattle Seahawks by Blair Walsh.

However, the Mike Zimmer era was off to a brilliant start, as the coach had laid the foundation for an impressive turnaround by building a strong defense. The Vikings had found their quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater, who appeared to be much improved during training camp. 

But less than two weeks before the start of the season, Bridgewater suffered a devastating knee injury that will keep him from playing in 2016. Instead of freezing in their tracks and feeling sorry for themselves, the Vikings swallowed hard and made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to bring in veteran quarterback Sam Bradford.

While Bradford has had injury issues and problems with consistency during his career, he has a chance to keep the Vikings' hopes of a memorable season alive.

There are no guarantees he will be in the lineup in Minnesota's Week 1 game at Tennessee, but he will be in the lineup shortly.

Bringing in Bradford told the coaching staff, players and fans that management still expected big things from the team this season. It was a bold move, and it should be reflected by Minnesota's effort in the season opener.

The Vikings have a powerful defense, the best running back in the game in Adrian Peterson and an emerging crew of young receivers.

The combination of Bradford and backup quarterback Shaun Hill may not be at full speed for this game, but the rest of the team should be.

Look for a top effort from the Vikings, who are listed as 2.5-point favorites by Odds Shark. It should be enough to help the Vikings win by a touchdown or more against second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Titans.

Tennessee may be one of the more improved teams in the league this season, but the Vikings have lofty goals that include an NFC North title and contention for the Super Bowl. They take their first step in Week 1.

Game	Point Spread	Over/Under	Prediction
Carolina at Denver	CAR (-3)	41.5	Carolina; Under
Minnesota at Tennessee	MIN (-2.5)	41	Minnesota; Under
San Diego at Kansas City	KC (-7)	44.5	Kansas City; Under
Chicago at Houston	HOU (-5.5)	44	Chicago: Under
Oakland at New Orleans	NO (-1.5)	51	Oakland; Over
Green Bay at Jacksonville	GB (-4.5)	48	Green Bay; Over
Cincinnati at New York Jets	CIN (-2.5)	41.5	Cincinnati; Under
Cleveland at Philadelphia	PHI (-4)	41	Cleveland; Under
Buffalo at Baltimore	BAL (-3)	44.5	Baltimore; Over
Tampa Bay at Atlanta	ATL (-3)	47.5	Atlanta; Over
Miami at Seattle	SEA (-10)	44	Seattle; Under
New York Giants at Dallas	DAL (-1)	46	New York Giants; Over
Detroit at Indianapolis	IND (-3.5)	51	Indianapolis; Under
New England at Arizona	ARI (-6)	47.5	New England; Over
Pittsburgh at Washington	PIT (-3)	50	Washington; Under
Los Angeles at San Francisco	LA (-2.5)	43.5	San Francisco; Under
All predictions are against the point spread.

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Look for Ravens to get back on track in 2016

The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the league's most successful teams under head coach John Harbaugh. Going into the 2015 season, Harbaugh had led this team to the postseason in six of seven seasons with one Super Bowl title.

More of the same was expected last year, but a series of injuries, bad breaks and poor play in clutch situations turned the Ravens into a 5-11 team.

Don't expect anything like that from them this year. They still have Joe Flacco at quarterback, and he throws one of the best deep balls in the NFL. They get Steve Smith Sr. back after a torn Achilles ruined what was supposed to be his final season. Justin Forsett, who was cut and then re-signed, is a capable running back, while tight end Dennis Pitta is underrated.

While the secondary has some issues, the defense is capable with Timmy Jernigan at defensive tackle and Terrell Suggs at outside linebacker. The special teams always rank with the best (h/t Football Outsiders) in the league, and that was still true during last year's debacle.

The Ravens open the season at home against the Buffalo Bills. The biggest advantage the Ravens may have is at the head coaching position, where Harbaugh is more dependable than the well-meaning-but-something-is-missing Rex Ryan.

The Bills are not a bad team, but they have come up short of the playoffs in every year since last making the postseason in 1999. That trend will continue again this season.

The Ravens are three-point favorites over the Bills. They will set the tone for a strong comeback season with a big win over Buffalo.

Giants will depend on high-powered offense vs. Cowboys

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The New York Giants have experienced a lot of disappointment over the last four seasons. After winning the Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 2011 season, they have sprung enormous leaks that have been visible each year, and they have not made the playoffs.

That's the primary reason why Tom Coughlin is no longer the head coach of the team. The Giants have turned to Ben McAdoo, who served as the offensive coordinator a year ago.

While the Giants had many problems in 2015—their defense was abominable—the offense was productive, and the passing game was spectacular.

Eli Manning threw for 4,432 yards and had an impressive ratio of 35 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He remains a fixture in the lineup.

Odell Beckham Jr. has emerged as perhaps the best receiver in the league besides Antonio Brown. With rookie Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz in supporting roles, the Giants should have an explosive wide receiver corps.

The Giants open the season on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, and the home team will once again be without quarterback Tony Romo. A preseason back injury will keep him out of the lineup, so rookie Dak Prescott gets the start.

While Prescott was impressive this summer, it's a new game once the regular season starts.

Dallas has moved to a one-point favorite, but the Cowboys will not be ready to compete with a rookie quarterback at the helm. The Giants offense will set the tone, and Manning will lead his team to a season-opening win.