Week 1 NFL Picks: Predictions, Odds and Over/Under Tips for Season Openers

If the first night of NFL action got you excited Thursday, just wait until the weekend, with 15 more games (including Monday night's two matchups) on deck to help quench your thirst for meaningful football.

As the league's opening night showed us, there is more to the game than just the final score. Rob Gronkowski helped out fantasy owners around the country with three touchdowns, while the Pittsburgh Steelers earned a backdoor cover against the New England Patriots with a score in the final seconds.

Those who look for ways to entertain themselves beyond rooting for their favorite teams have plenty of options in Week 1. Here's a look at some of the top picks available heading into Sunday. 

Note: Spread info courtesy of Odds Shark.

Home	Away	Pick	Pick ATS	Over/Under
St. Louis Rams	Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks	SEA (-4.5)	Under (40.5)
Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	Packers	GB (-3.5)	Under (49)
Houston Texans	Kansas City Chiefs	Texans	HOU (-2.5)	Under (41)
New York Jets	Cleveland Browns	Browns	CLE (+2.5)	Under (39.5)
Washington Redskins	Miami Dolphins	Dolphins	MIA (-1.5)	Over (43.5)
Jacksonville Jaguars	Carolina Panthers	Jaguars	JAX (+2.5)	Under (41)
Buffalo Bills	Indianapolis Colts	Colts	IND (-2.5)	Under (45)
San Diego Chargers	Detroit Lions	Chargers	SD (-2)	Under (46)
Arizona Cardinals	New Orleans Saints	Cardinals	ARI (-3)	Over (48)
Oakland Raiders	Cincinnati Bengals	Bengals	CIN (-3)	Over (43)
Denver Broncos	Baltimore Ravens	Broncos	DEN (-4)	Under (48.5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Tennessee Titans	Buccaneers	TB (-2.5)	Over (41)
Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	Cowboys	NYG (+5)	Over (51.5)
Atlanta Falcons	Philadelphia Eagles	Eagles	PHI (-1)	Over (55)
San Francisco 49ers	Minnesota Vikings	Vikings	MIN (-4.5)	Over (41.5)

Top Bets

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans: Under (41)

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Kansas City Chiefs had one of the top defenses in the NFL last season, ranking second in the league after allowing 281 total points. The potent pass-rushing attack of Justin Houston and Tamba Hali creates a serious challenge for any team, which didn't seem to excite Houston Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey, per Drew Dougherty of HoustonTexans.com:

Finding a way to attack this unit with journeyman Brian Hoyer at quarterback and backup Alfred Blue at running back will not be easy.

Of course, there is also a lot of respect on the other side of the ball, as Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith noted, per BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com:

J.J. Watt is undoubtedly the best in the league at his position (and most other positions) and can cause disruptions on his own. Adding veteran Vince Wilfork and hopefully a healthy Jadeveon Clowney could make this scary unit even tougher to score against.

The Chiefs have more offensive talent than the Texans, but Smith won't have many clean looks down the field. Getting to 20 points on the day will be extremely difficult to do.

No matter which team you think will win this battle, it's hard to imagine the squads combining for more than 40 points.

Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins: Miami (-1.5)

While the Patriots are still the kings of the AFC East, the division will get tougher this year, and it starts with the Miami Dolphins.

The defense—which had problems stopping the run at times last season—added one of the best interior linemen in the game in Ndamukong Suh. He will help clog the middle of the field against the run and free up space for those around him to make plays.

This isn't good for the Washington Redskins on Sunday because most of their game plan will likely feature running plays. The team shouldn't ask for much from Kirk Cousins based on what we saw last season. The Week 1 starting quarterback finished 2014 with a 1-4 record as a starter and a 46.5 total quarterback rating on the year, per ESPN.com. His struggles were mainly due to interceptions (nine).

If Miami stacks the line to slow down running back Alfred Morris, it will be difficult for the Redskins to move the ball at all.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins should have an even bigger advantage when their offense is on the field. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has received high praise since the end of last season, including this comment from Jon Gruden, per Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel:

Tannehill comes into his fourth season as a confident player who also has a wide variety of targets around him. Adding in a healthy Branden Albert to protect his blind side, the Dolphins quarterback could be in for a big year.

Even playing on the road shouldn't prevent Miami from coming away with an easy Week 1 victory.

New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Over (51.5)

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

These two teams went over the 51-point mark twice last season. The Dallas Cowboys won the first matchup against the New York Giants 31-21 before completing the sweep with a 31-28 victory later in the year.

The battle between elite receivers took center stage as both Dez Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr. put on a show. The pair combined for 13 catches, 185 yards and two touchdowns in the first game and then exploded for a total of 17 catches, 232 yards and four touchdowns in the second.

There is no reason to think these two stars won't put up huge numbers this time around with the same quality veteran quarterbacks—Tony Romo and Eli Manning—throwing the ball all over the field.

In fact, the offenses in this matchup could be better this year based on the changes defensively. The Cowboys defense will suffer without cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who tore his ACL and MCL during practice in August. The Giants will have to try to succeed with a lot of new faces on defense, as Art Stapleton of the Record pointed out:

As a result, the offenses will likely air it out even more than we saw last season. This should be an entertaining back-and-forth battle Sunday night that will end with both teams in the 30s.

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