NFL Picks Week 1: Home Teams That Will Cover Spread in Season Openers

The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys officially kicked off the new NFL season last night, and fans around the country rejoiced. The next five months will be dominated by football talk as the league's popularity continues to skyrocket.

Even though it's only the first week, the games are still important as teams look to get off to a promising start. That's especially true for favorites attempting to defend home-field advantage. Getting upset at home in Week 1 would be a major disappointment.

Here's a look at three teams that will avoid that fate and cover the spread in the process. All odds are courtesy of SBGGlobal.com

New Orleans Saints (-7)

There are a lot of factors causing the line to remain within one score between the Saints and the Washington Redskins. The biggest one being how New Orleans will respond to a crazy offseason and how Robert Griffin III performs in his regular season debut.

The Saints have two keys working in their favor that should allow them to cover the spread. Drew Brees wants to live up to his massive new contract and the Redskins secondary has question marks. And the Saints didn't lose a single game at home last season.

Overall, the New Orleans is a more talented team and should have more than enough offensive firepower to win by more than seven. They should pull away in the second half.

Detroit Lions (-7)

This line almost seems too good to be true. One of the most explosive offenses in the league against a St. Louis Rams squad that lacks weapons? Even with Detroit's issues on defense, it should handle the Rams relatively easily.

The dynamic duo of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are gearing up for another huge season, but the key will be Titus Young. Expect the second-year wide receiver to take a big step forward to become a reliable second target for Stafford.

Although the Rams aren't as bad as their 2-14 record from last season would lead people to believe, they still won't be able to keep up with the Lions' high-powered offense for four quarters.

Denver Broncos (-1)

How will Peyton Manning perform? That's the biggest question of Week 1, and everybody will find out together since the Broncos face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first nationally televised Sunday Night Football game of the season.

If Manning is anywhere close to the quarterback he was with the Colts, and nothing in the preseason suggested he wouldn't be, the Broncos are an AFC contender. It would bring the team's passing game on par with its rushing attack and improved defense.

The Steelers have an aging defense and their best offensive playmaker, Mike Wallace, missed a lot of practice time due to a holdout. Manning and Co. should being the new era with a win.