NFL Week 1 Betting Cheat Sheet

Miami at Atlanta -4

The big question here is whether or not the Dolphins can slow down all the playmakers the Falcons on offense. Miami’s defense is solid but Atlanta has Michael Turner, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and Matt Ryan under center. Also, can the young Atlanta defense that was embarrassed in their playoff loss against the Cardinals keep the Miami rushing attack in check. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams possess a very powerful 1-2 punch in the Miami backfield. See NFL Expert Picks

Kansas City at Baltimore -13

Matt Cassell is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game and Baltimore’s defense will be looking to tee off on Brodie Coyle. The question is can Baltimore cover the big number? The Ravens have a solid running game with Ray Rice, Leron McClain, and Willis McGahee. Joe Flacco enters his second season and should only get better. Kansas City also has injuries on their offensive line. It could be a long day for Croyle and company but Baltimore is laying a big number. See NFL Expert Picks

Philadelphia -1 at Carolina

Philly is thinking Super Bowl but can they slow down the rushing attack of Carolina led by DeAngelo Williams? That will be the key to this game and if the Eagles can stop the run, they should be able to win this ball game. It will also be interesting to see how Carolina responds after being absolutely embarrassed in the playoffs against the Arizona Cardinals in a game where they were 10 point favorites. This is one of the most interesting games of the week and should tell us a lot about these two teams. See NFL Expert Picks

Denver at Cincinnati -4½

Kyle Orton makes his Denver debut in Cincy and it appears Brandon Marshall will play. Rookie running back Knowshon Moreno is listed as questionable and the Broncos will have to get a running game going to take pressure off of Orton. Carson Palmer is looking to bounce back after a horrible 2009 and the big question mark is whether or not Chad Ochocinco can return to being an elite wide receiver. The winner of this game will probably be determined by who plays better on defense. Neither team is strong on the defensive side of the ball so it should be interesting to see which group rises to the occasion. See NFL Expert Picks

Minnesota -4 at Cleveland

Brett Favre makes his Minnesota debut in a very winnable game. Cleveland is in my opinion one of the worst teams in football and might have their hands full with all of Minnesota’s playmakers. Bernard Berrian is listed as questionable and his absence could give Cleveland some hope to cover this game. However, with Adrian Peterson pounding the rock and Brady Quinn getting pressured by a great front four, I think Minnesota wins and covers. See NFL Expert Picks

New York at Houston -4½

Quarterback Matt Schaub is listed as probable for Sunday’s opener against the Jets. Mark Sanchez makes his first career NFL start against a team that has high expectations. The Jets will have to protect Sanchez in order to be successful as the Texans have a very solid front four led by Mario Williams. The big key will be whether or not the Jets can slow down all the offensive firepower that the Texans have. Steve Slaton will be pounding the rock while Schaub will look to Andre Johnson for big plays down the field. Rex Ryan’s 3-4 will miss Shaun Ellis due to suspension so there might be more pressure on Sanchez to put points on the board. See NFL Expert Picks

Jacksonville at Indianapolis -7

The Jaguars are coming off a very disappointing 2008 season and things won’t get any easier facing Indy in week 1. Can the anemic offense of the Jags muster enough points against the Colts defense to keep them in this game? That’s the big question and key to this game. Maurice Jones-Drew is a great back but the Jaguars need a threat of a passing game to keep the Colts from stacking the box with 8 or 9 guys to stop the run. On the flip side, the Jaguars will have to slow down Peyton Manning and company. Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, and Dallas Clarke might give the Jacksonville secondary fits in this one. See NFL Expert Picks

Detroit at New Orleans -13

Matthew Stafford has been named the starter for the Lions and the rookie will be making his debut on the road. I expect the Lions to struggle on offense with a rookie QB and a shaky offensive line. However, the big question mark for the Saints this off-season has been their defense. They’ll have to step up in order to cover this big number. On the contrary, the Saints have one of the most explosive offenses in football. I don’t see a poor Detroit defense slowing down Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Marcus Colston. See NFL Expert Picks

Dallas -5½ at Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay has fired their offensive coordinator and there are question marks up and down the line up on the offensive side of the ball. This could be a long season for the Bucs with Byron Leftwich being named the starting quarterback without a big play receiver to throw to. Dallas begins life without T.O. Roy Williams will try to step into the big shoes left by Owens and be Tony Romo’s number one target. I expect Dallas to be more balanced with two good running backs in Marion Barber and Felix Jones. The Dallas defense also needs to step up and play well in order to cover the road chalk. See NFL Expert Picks

San Francisco at Arizona -6

San Francisco almost beat Arizona in Arizona last year on Monday night. Can they do it again? All the weapons on offense are back for the Cardinals in Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals used their first round draft pick on a running back in Chris “Beanie” Wells so they are looking to be more balanced. Head Coach Mike Singletary has brought toughness to San Francisco but quarterback Shaun Hill will have to play well in order to keep up with this Arizona club. The 49ers lack big playmakers which could be the difference in this game. See NFL Expert Picks

Washington at New York Giants -6½

The New York Giants’ defense is 100% healthy and rearing to go. The Giants won both meetings last year and the favorite is 7-2 against the spread the last nine meetings. There is a lot of heat on Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell and he needs to prove that he is a legitimate starting quarterback in this league. For the Giants, someone needs to step up and take Plaxico Burress’ spot as the go to guy on offense. The Giants faltered down the stretch without Burress and desperately need Domenik Hixon to up his game. Look for both teams to play great defense and run the football which are the strengths of both teams. See NFL Expert Picks

St. Louis at Seattle -9

Everyone is picking Seattle to have a surprise year that will put them back in the playoffs. They are heavy favorites in this one largely because Matt Hasselbeck is healthy and he has a new number one receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh. The Seahawks have also added Edgerrin James to jumpstart the running game. It looks to be another long season for the Rams and this is a difficult spot for them. The Rams are 1-7-1 ATS in Week 1 the last nine years and 1-7 ATS in their last 8 against the NFC West. Donnie Avery and Marc Bulger are expected to play and they’ll have to develop a rapport right away to keep the Seahawks from just keying in on Steven Jackson. Jackson is the man on this offense and if he can find holes, he could help keep this game close. See NFL Expert Picks

Chicago at Green Bay -4

This has the potential to be a shootout. Green Bay’s offense has looked unstoppable in the pre-season. Aaron Rodgers has a great playmaker in Greg Jennings to throw to down the field and Donald Driver is a great possession receiver. The Bears’ secondary is a huge question mark and they are not healthy on the front four. If they can’t pressure Rodgers, it could be a long day. However, we can’t forget that Jay Cutler is making his Bears debut and looks to give new life to the Bears offense. The Packers defense is also a concern for Green Bay fans so Cutler could have a big day throwing as well. Look for the Bears to be balanced with Matt Forte running the ball as well. See NFL Expert Picks