NFL Picks Week 1: Odds and Over-Under Advice Before Sunday Kick-off

It's finally the start of the NFL regular season, and that means one thing: It's time to start making some money.

Gambling on professional sports has become a billion-dollar industry, and there's no reason why you can't hop on the bandwagon, too. Las Vegas is a town built on winners. It just so happens that the casinos are usually the winners.

But not this year. All you gotta do is get more picks right than you get wrong. It's that simple.

Below is the line and over/under for each of the games this weekend, followed by three teams that warrant some consideration if you're looking to the biggest underdogs.

Matchup	Line	O/U	Prediction
Sunday
Saints at Falcons	NO -1	52	NO, 31-17
Vikings at Rams	STL -3	43	MIN, 20-17
Browns at Steelers	PIT -5	41.5	PIT, 21-14
Jaguars at Eagles	PHI -11.5	51.5	PHI, 34-24
Raiders at Jets	NYJ -4.5	40.5	OAK, 23-20
Bengals at Ravens	BAL -1	42.5	CIN, 24-20
Bills at Bears	CHI -4.5	47	CHI, 28-14
Redskins at Texans	Even	44.5	HOU, 21-17
Titans at Chiefs	KC -5.5	44	KC, 30-20
Patriots at Dolphins	NE -1.5	46	NE, 24-21
Panthers at Buccaneers	CAR -3	37.5	TB, 17-14
49ers at Cowboys	SF -2.5	51	SF, 30-14
Colts at Broncos	DEN -6	55	DEN, 35-24
Monday
Giants at Lions	DET -3.5	47	NYG, 30-27
Chargers at Cardinals	ARI -3	46	ARI, 24-21

Note: Betting lines and over/unders are courtesy of Odds Shark.

Riskiest Underdogs

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders have had too many false dawns to count over the last decade or so. Maybe getting excited about Derek Carr is a fool's errand.

However, the rookie looked very strong in preseason. In three games, he completed 30-of-45 passes for 326 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He'll get the start in Week 1, and as CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora posited, why not throw him out there?

When it comes to this week's matchup, he's at least Geno Smith's equal. With what should be a rejuvenated Maurice Jones-Drew in the backfield, the Raiders offense should hold its own against a tough New York Jets defense.

Oakland won't need to score 30 points to win this game.

The Raiders defense improved with the additions of Khalil Mack, Lamarr Woodley, Antonio Smith and Justin Tuck. It's not going be the liability that it was last year. The Jets will struggle to move the ball.

Oakland will be lucky to eclipse .500 this year, but the Raiders will have weeks where they look like a strong team.

A 4.5-point spread for this game also leaves you a little bit of wiggle room. A lot of people are backing the Jets in this one, so it's understandable if you're going with New York, too.

However, don't be surprised when the Raiders are much more competitive than expected.

Minnesota Vikings

One of the best ways to neutralize a great pass rush is with a strong running game. When the Minnesota Vikings last met the St. Louis Rams, Adrian Peterson ran for 212 yards and a touchdown. Christian Ponder only had 131 yards through the air, but it didn't matter as the Vikings walked away with a 36-22 win.

ESPN.com's Ben Goessling wrote that Minnesota's most important objective will be minimizing the impact of the Rams' front seven:

"

The tallest task the Minnesota Vikings are likely to face in the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday is a Rams pass rush that features three former first-round draft picks on the defensive line and posted 53 sacks last season. Protecting quarterback Matt Cassel, and developing a passing game that allows Cassel to unload the ball quickly, will be an important key to handling the Rams' pressure.

"

The Vikings did have some trouble in pass protection last year, finishing 23rd according to Football Outsiders. Pro Football Focus was much higher on the unit, placing it sixth in the league in 2013.

Between the guys on the O-line and Peterson in the backfield, Minnesota should give Matt Cassel enough of a window to succeed.

On the other side, Shaun Hill is a bit of a question mark. In the last season (2010) he started a chunk of the regular season, he averaged 259.8 yards, 1.6 touchdowns and 1.1 interceptions a game over his 10 starts. Now at 34 years old, who knows if he can keep up a pace like that?

Hill will likely be motivated given his history with the Vikings, per Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis:

Even with that added incentive for Hill, Mike Zimmer demonstrated his defensive acumen during his time as a coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals. He'll have a plan in store for how to deal with the veteran.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Given the strength of the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defenses, points will come at a premium in this game.

The Bucs don't have a great offense, but it should improve from last year. Doug Martin is back healthy, and Tampa has a much steadier hand at QB with Josh McCown.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times wrote that the veteran signal-caller has the full faith and trust of head coach Lovie Smith:

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He also backed Cutler and Kyle Orton. But no one has earned Smith's seal of approval like McCown, who in 2010 turned down a job offer from Smith because he felt he needed to honor his commitment to the now-defunct United Football League.

'It's just the situations I've seen him in,' Smith said. 'Most of the quarterbacks who came in, like Rex, were the starter. Jay was the starter (as was) Kyle Orton. But I've seen (McCown). I've recruited him (and) not gotten him. Eventually, we work him out and get him. He's a No. 3 guy. He's a No. 2 guy. He's a No. 1 guy having to play. … We're both from east Texas. I know his DNA. You know how athletic he is.'

"

McCown, Martin and Vincent Jackson won't light it up against the Panthers defense, but they won't need to. As good as Cam Newton is, he has one of the worst group of receivers in the league. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart isn't exactly a dynamic duo in the backfield, either.

In a low-scoring, defensive struggle, the Buccaneers have a puncher's chance.

If recent history is any indicator, then don't discount the Buccaneers' chances. The last time the Panthers won in Week 1 was 2008. For whatever reason, Carolina takes a little while to get going in the regular season.