Week 1 NFL Picks: Vegas Odds, Prop Bets and Predictions for Opening Schedule

There is a certain amount of mystery surrounding every team when the NFL's regular season begins, and while that generates plenty of excitement among football fans, it can make things very difficult for bettors.

Those who are picking the games must rely on past performances as well as training camp and preseason reports to get a feel for how certain teams may ultimately fare. There is also plenty of guesswork involved, though, as it is never certain how new acquisitions will fit in and be utilized until games that count are actually played.

With opening weekend of the 2015 NFL regular season finally upon us, here is a full rundown of point spreads and picks for every contest on tap Sunday and Monday.

Week 1 Odds and Predictions

Date	Time (ET)	Away Team	Home Team	Spread	Pick Straight Up	Pick ATS
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Indianapolis Colts	Buffalo Bills	IND (-2.5)	BUF	BUF
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Green Bay Packers	Chicago Bears	GB (-7)	GB	GB
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Kansas City Chiefs	Houston Texans	HOU (-1)	HOU	HOU
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Carolina Panthers	Jacksonville Jaguars	CAR (-3)	JAC	JAC
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Cleveland Browns	New York Jets	NYJ (-3.5)	NYJ	NYJ
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks	St. Louis Rams	SEA (-4)	SEA	STL
Sunday, Sept. 13	1 p.m.	Miami Dolphins	Washington Redskins	MIA (-3)	MIA	MIA
Sunday, Sept. 13	4:05 p.m.	New Orleans Saints	Arizona Cardinals	ARI (-2.5)	ARI	ARI
Sunday, Sept. 13	4:05 p.m.	Detroit Lions	San Diego Chargers	SD (-2.5)	SD	SD
Sunday, Sept. 13	4:25 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens	Denver Broncos	DEN (-4.5)	DEN	BAL
Sunday, Sept. 13	4:25 p.m.	Cincinnati Bengals	Oakland Raiders	CIN (-3)	OAK	OAK
Sunday, Sept. 13	4:25 p.m.	Tennessee Titans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB (-3)	TB	TB
Sunday, Sept. 13	8:30 p.m.	New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys	DAL (-6.5)	DAL	NYG
Monday, Sept. 14	7:10 p.m.	Philadelphia Eagles	Atlanta Falcons	PHI (-2.5)	PHI	PHI
Monday, Sept. 14	10:20 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings	San Francisco 49ers	MIN (-1)	SF	SF

Season Prop Bets

Rank	Team	Odds
1	Green Bay Packers	11-2
2	Seattle Seahawks	13-2
3	Philadelphia Eagles	17-2
4	Indianapolis Colts	17-2
5	New England Patriots	9-1
6	Dallas Cowboys	14-1
7	Denver Broncos	14-1
8	Baltimore Ravens	20-1
9	Pittsburgh Steelers	20-1
10	Miami Dolphins	25-1
11	Minnesota Vikings	28-1
12	Kansas City Chiefs	33-1
13	Arizona Cardinals	40-1
14	Atlanta Falcons	40-1
15	Detroit Lions	40-1
16	New Orleans Saints	40-1
17	San Diego Chargers	40-1
18	Buffalo Bills	50-1
19	Carolina Panthers	50-1
20	Cincinnati Bengals	50-1
21	Houston Texans	50-1
22	New York Giants	50-1
23	St. Louis Rams	66-1
24	San Francisco 49ers	66-1
25	Chicago Bears	75-1
26	Oakland Raiders	75-1
27	Cleveland Browns	100-1
28	New York Jets	100-1
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	100-1
30	Washington Redskins	125-1
31	Jacksonville Jaguars	200-1
32	Tennessee Titans	200-1

Breaking Down Top Week 1 Picks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) vs. Tennessee Titans

Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans struggled mightily last season, but they will engage in one of Week 1's most intriguing matchups as the top two picks in the 2015 NFL draft will go head-to-head.

Quarterback Jameis Winston will lead the way for the Bucs, while Marcus Mariota is at the controls for Tennessee. It is difficult to say how either rookie signal-caller will react to the pressure of his first NFL game, but Mariota is certainly in a more difficult position on the road.

According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is certainly cognizant of the fact that he is lacking experience:

"I feel like a rookie. I get reminded every day by the vets, so you don't forget about that," Mariota said. "But you have to do your best to make the game simple, and if you prepare yourself you'll have that ability."

The same can be said for Winston, but since he'll be playing within the friendly confines of Raymond James Stadium, things shouldn't be quite as difficult for him in Week 1.

He also seems to have a significant advantage over Mariota when it comes to support from the running game. There is no question that Bucs running back Doug Martin has struggled over the past couple seasons, but after averaging nearly six yards per carry during the preseason, wide receiver Vincent Jackson expects a return to prominence, per SiriusXM NFL Radio:

The Titans allowed over 137 yards per game on the ground last season, which means the Muscle Hamster could be in for a huge day.

Also, there are major question marks surrounding Tennessee's running game, as Bishop Sankey suffered through a disappointing rookie campaign in 2014. Running the ball effectively is huge for a rookie signal-caller, and it is likelier that Winston will have that at his disposal than Mariota.

Although wide receiver Mike Evans' status remains in question due to a hamstring injury, Winston also has better weapons than Mariota with towering targets Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Evans' presence would obviously be a huge help, but the Bucs have enough to get by regardless.

Tampa Bay is a sleeper candidate to make some noise in the wide-open NFC South this season, and it will announce itself as a divisional contender by scoring a much-needed victory in Week 1.

New York Jets (-3.5) vs. Cleveland Browns

The New York Jets made several significant changes during the offseason, and they will have a chance to prove that they were for the better Sunday when they host the Cleveland Browns.

Head coach Todd Bowles will make his regular-season debut for Gang Green, as will quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Also, cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie will make their highly anticipated returns after stints elsewhere.

New York already has a huge advantage before the game even starts, as Cleveland has struggled mightily in season openers of late, according to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini:

Both teams have some uncertainty at quarterback with Fitzpatrick starting for the Jets in place of the injured Geno Smith. The Browns will turn to veteran Josh McCown, who endured a miserable 2014 season with the Bucs.

Neither situation is ideal, but New York has the advantage due to Fitzpatrick's relationship with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. The veteran quarterback played under Gailey with the Buffalo Bills and averaged nearly 24 touchdown passes per season from 2010 through 2012.

Per ClevelandBrowns.com, Browns head coach Mike Pettine is well aware of Gailey's ability to put his offense in a position to be successful:

"

Chan Gailey, we have gone against him a bunch when I was in New York and when he was at Buffalo. He puts a lot of stress on a defense. Spreads it out and gets the ball to his playmakers, gets the ball out very quickly. They look to limit turnovers. He does a very good job of distributing the football.

"

Running the ball will also be hugely important as both teams likely want to rely on ball control so they can keep their talented defenses fresh.

The Jets defense ranked fifth against the run last season, which means it may be tough sledding for Isaiah Crowell and the Browns. Conversely, Cleveland gave up a league-worst 141.6 rushing yards per contest.

According to 1270 The Fan, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News believes New York will rely heavily on Chris Ivory and the running game this season:

The underrated Ivory has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over the course of his career, and he may be in line for a huge day against the Browns' suspect run defense.

Add in the fact that the Jets' strong pass rush is facing a statuesque signal-caller in McCown, and all signs point toward a fairly routine win for New York in Week 1.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+3) vs. Carolina Panthers

In a battle of 1995 NFL expansion teams, there is reason to believe the Jacksonville Jaguars can pull off a big upset over the Carolina Panthers at home.

The Jags haven't won more than five games in a season since 2010, while the Panthers have made consecutive playoff appearances, but the matchup doesn't seem to be a great one for Carolina on paper.

Perhaps the biggest reason is the Panthers' deficiencies on offense. Quarterback Cam Newton is supremely talented, but aside from tight end Greg Olsen, his weapons are limited. Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is out for the season, which means unheralded options Corey Brown and Ted Ginn will start.

They are so weak at receiver, in fact, that the Panthers are considering splitting 250-pound fullback Mike Tolbert out wide, per ESPN.com's David Newton.

Carolina also has questions along the offensive line, and it is facing a Jaguars team that ranked sixth in the NFL in sacks last season. Also, Jags head coach Gus Bradley is skilled at devising schemes to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Quarterback Blake Bortles is entering his second season, and he looked great for Jacksonville during the preseason, completing 65 percent of his passes. The Jaguars also have a chance to have a much better running game in 2015 due to the arrival of rookie T.J. Yeldon.

He is a big, bruising back who may have some open running lanes due to the fact that Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will miss the game with a foot injury. 

Expectations aren't high for the Jaguars nationally since they have been so bad for so long, but they are set up nicely to shock observers in Week 1.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.