NFL Predictions Week 1: Picks and Projections for Top Upsets on the Schedule

Tom Brady hasn't often been an underdog in his career. But in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season, his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are currently betting underdogs for their opener against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

It's a tough matchup, for sure. The Saints have won the NFC South each of the past three years, and their high-powered offense has shown no signs of slowing down, with quarterback Drew Brees, running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Michael Thomas all back. They may even be better after adding receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the mix.

The Bucs' offense is no slouch, either. Along with Brady, Tampa Bay added tight end Rob Gronkowski to give the 43-year-old a familiar target alongside a pair of top-tier receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Tampa Bay also signed Leonard Fournette last week and will add him to a backfield mix that already includes Ronald Jones and LeSean McCoy.

There could be a lot of points scored in this season-opening matchup, but can the Bucs begin the Brady era with a win despite the Saints being favored?

Here are predictions for each of the 16 Week 1 contests, followed by several upsets to consider picking to open the season.

Week 1 Picks

Thursday, Sept. 10

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs (-9): Chiefs 35-24

Sunday, Sept. 13

Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) at Atlanta Falcons: Seahawks 27-20

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-6.5): Bills 17-10

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-3): Bears 21-17

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5): Vikings 34-31

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-6.5): Patriots 21-13

Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5) at Washington Football Team: Eagles 28-10

Las Vegas Raiders (-3.5) at Carolina Panthers: Panthers 24-21

Indianapolis Colts (-8) at Jacksonville Jaguars: Colts 31-21

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-8): Ravens 31-28

Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals: Chargers 27-21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (-3.5): Buccaneers 40-34

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (-7): 49ers 24-18

Dallas Cowboys (-3) at Los Angeles Rams: Cowboys 30-21

Monday, Sept. 14

Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5) at New York Giants: Steelers 19-14

Tennessee Titans (-2.5) at Denver Broncos: Titans 21-18

Odds obtained via DraftKings

Potential Upsets to Watch

Brady's Bucs Edge Saints for Impressive Debut

The Buccaneers haven't been to the playoffs since the 2007 season and haven't notched a postseason victory since winning Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 campaign. But they have brought in a six-time Super Bowl champion to try to change that.

Brady may now be 43, but he's still capable of playing at a high level. Last season, he passed for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions over 16 games in his 20th season with the Patriots. And he certainly didn't have offensive weapons like the ones he's going to have with the Bucs.

It's time for the veteran to make a statement in his first game with a team other than New England, and despite being 3.5-point underdogs, the Bucs will pull out a close season-opening road win at New Orleans.

Brady has had no trouble beating the Saints in the past, as he's 4-1 in his career against them, passing for 1,433 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in those contests. The last time he faced them at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, he went 30-for-39 for 447 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Patriots to a 36-20 win on Sept. 17, 2017.

New Orleans has a solid secondary, but it's going to get off to a slow start against Brady, who will be sure to distribute the wealth among his many targets.

It should be a competitive game between two teams that are both likely to make the playoffs, but Brady will begin his Buccaneers career 1-0.

Bears' Defense Leads Them Past NFC North Rival

Dylan Buell/Associated Press

If the Bears are going to win games, it's going to be because of their defense. That should sound familiar, because it's frequently been the way Chicago's teams have operated in the recent past.

However, the Bears' offense shouldn't be as bad as it was last year, when they ranked 29th in the NFL with 296.8 yards per game. Perhaps quarterback Mitchell Trubisky can take steps forward after Chicago added a pair of tight ends (veteran Jimmy Graham and rookie Cole Kmet) to play alongside a solid receiving corps that includes Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller.

Still, the Chicago defense will be what leads it to victories. And in Week 1, that unit should get off to a strong start against the Lions on the road.

Although quarterback Matthew Stafford is now healthy, he missed Detroit's final eight games last season and may need a game or two to get back into a rhythm, especially without a preseason.

Because of that, Chicago can pull out a close victory despite being a 3-point underdog for the matchup. Expect one of its top defensive playmakers, such as linebacker Khalil Mack, to make a key play that helps the Bears get off to a strong start while looking to bounce back from last year's lackluster 8-8 campaign.

Bridgewater, Panthers Open With Win Over Raiders

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

The Panthers have their new head coach (Matt Rhule), their new offensive coordinator (Joe Brady) and their new starting quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater). Oh, and they still have running back Christian McCaffrey, one of the best players in the NFL.

So it will be intriguing to see how this offense operates in 2020, especially considering how the 30-year-old Brady rejuvenated LSU's offense last season.

Despite opening at home, Carolina is a 3.5-point underdog as it hosts Las Vegas. But this seems like a matchup that could go either way, as both teams look to move on from losing 2019 seasons and start this year on a strong note.

There are some question marks regarding the Panthers' defense, which no longer has Luke Kuechly after the linebacker retired after last season. There are some young players who will need to fill key roles on that side of the ball, so there could be some struggles early.

However, Carolina's offense should be strong enough to help offset that, which will be the case in Week 1.

Since the end of the 2015 season, Bridgewater has started only six games, but five of those came last year while filling in for Drew Brees with the Saints, and he was quite impressive.

Now that a team has committed to making the 27-year-old its starter, he'll get off to a strong start and prove it was the right decision by leading a Panthers win over the Raiders.