Week 1 NFL Picks: Predictions on Vegas' Mid-Week Betting Odds and Lines

The last Sunday that featured a meaningful NFL game was Groundhog Day when the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos squared off for the Super Bowl title.

Ideally, you used all those free weekends to cram in as much extra family time as you could, dutifully attend those summer weddings and build up some capital for football season because it’s time to devote our weekends to pigskin for the foreseeable future.

Of course, there are some fans who take a rooting interest in games that extend beyond those featuring their favorite teams. Oftentimes, those fans, not so coincidentally, have been to the sportsbooks in Las Vegas. 

With that in mind, here is a look at all of the Week 1 NFL odds, according to Odds Shark, as of Tuesday evening. We even mixed in a few predictions for your viewing pleasure.

Home Team	Away Team	Spread	Predicted winner vs. spread
Seattle	Green Bay	SEA -5.5	Seattle
Atlanta Falcons	New Orleans Saints	NO -2.5	New Orleans
Baltimore Ravens	Cincinnati Bengals	Even	Cincinnati
Chicago Bears	Buffalo Bills	CHI -7	Chicago
Houston Texans	Washington Redskins	HOU -2.5	Houston
Kansas City Chiefs	Tennessee Titans	KC -3.5	Kansas City
Miami Dolphins	New England Patriots	NE -5	New England
NY Jets	Oakland Raiders	NY -5.5	New York
Philadelphia Eagles	Jacksonville Jaguars	PHI -11.5	Philadelphia
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	PIT -7	Pittsburgh
St. Louis Rams	Minnesota Vikings	STL -3.5	St. Louis
Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers	SF -4.5	San Francisco
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Carolina Panthers	TB -1	Carolina
Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	DEN -9	Denver
Detroit Lions	New York Giants	DET -5.5	New York
Arizona Cardinals	San Diego Chargers	AZ -3	San Diego

Games to Watch

NFC: Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams

Adrian Peterson likely has fond memories of the St. Louis Rams. The last time “All Day” faced them, he exploded for 212 rushing yards in the victory, including an 82-yard touchdown scamper that contributed to his 2012 MVP season.

Peterson and Rams running back Zac Stacy will play major roles in this contest because this isn’t exactly a showdown between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady at signal-caller.

St. Louis lost quarterback Sam Bradford to injury in the preseason and will turn the reins over to Shaun Hill, while Minnesota settled on Matt Cassel over rookie Teddy Bridgewater.

The key to this game and the reason we picked the Rams against the spread is the defensive line in St. Louis. Stopping the running backs and putting pressure on the vulnerable quarterbacks should help set the tone in this one, and the Rams may have the best defensive line in the league.

Robert Quinn and Chris Long are pass-rushing fiends, and rookie Aaron Donald shores up the middle as a run-stuffer.

Throw in middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, and this defensive front is certainly formidable. It may not be able to completely stop Peterson, but it will at least contain him and put serious pressure on Cassel. Look for Quinn and company to rattle Cassel into at least one interception Sunday as they stuff the box.

What’s more, special teams could be key in a low-scoring affair, and Tavon Austin is more than capable of breaking a game-changing punt return for the Rams. Fox Sports NFL certainly thinks so:

Prediction: Rams 24, Vikings 17

AFC: Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos

The spread may be more than a touchdown in this one, but we still like Peyton Manning and company.

The Indianapolis Colts handed the Denver Broncos their first loss in the seventh game last season and even held a 33-17 lead in the fourth quarter at one point. However, Manning and the Broncos offense will be looking for some revenge Sunday.

There will be some notable names missing on both sides. Wes Welker is reportedly suspended for the Broncos, and Robert Mathis is suspended for the Colts. The loss of Mathis is critical because his absence will allow Manning to sit back in the pocket and operate with the surgeon-like precision he almost always does when given time.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Manning will certainly find a way to put up points even without Welker, using weapons like Demaryius Thomas, Montee Ball and Julius Thomas.

Remember, the Broncos have scored a combined 80 points in Manning’s two openers and feature an improved defense behind DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward, among others.

There also has to be some credence to the idea that the Broncos are looking to remove the lingering bad taste from the Super Bowl that has festered during the entire offseason. Unfortunately for the Colts, that may just mean plenty of Denver points Sunday night. 

There is also a strange dynamic with Manning facing off against his former team. Reggie Wayne discussed it, via Phil Richards of USA Today: "I want to beat him every time. Once the whistle blows, you're their enemy. When the fourth quarter comes and it's all zeroes on there, now we can laugh and talk about whatever it is. That's just the attitude of a football player."

Denver is motivated and talented, and Indianapolis’ best chance at slowing down Manning will be on the sidelines for this one. That’s not a great combination for the Colts.

Prediction: Broncos 34, Colts 23

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