NFL Week 1 Expert Picks & Predictions: Eagles, Vikings, and 49ers Among Consensus Picks

Jalen Hurts Eagles pic
Jalen Hurts Eagles pic

After a long wait, the NFL is back this week for their 104th season. This year, the Kansas City Chiefs will open the season in Week 1 vs. the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.

For the 2023 season, our football experts at Sports Lens will make weekly NFL picks and predictions each week. Check out our Week 1 expert picks and predictions below.

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NFL Picks Week 1 Expert Picks and Predictions

Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season will kick off on Thursday night.

Ahead of the action, our experts made their Week 1 picks and predictions for every NFL game.

Before you place your best NFL bets, check out our NFL Week 1 expert picks below.

Week 1 Anthony Owen Zach
Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs Chiefs -6.5 Chiefs -6.5 Chiefs -6.5
Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons Panthers +3.5 Falcons -3.5 Falcons -3.5
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens Texans +10 Ravens -10 Ravens -10
Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns Bengals -2.5 Browns +2.5 Bengals -2.5
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts Jaguars -4.5 Jaguars -4.5 Jaguars -4.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Minnesota Vikings Vikings -6 Vikings -6 Vikings -6
Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints Titans +3 Saints -3 Titans +3
San Francisco 49ers @ Pittsburgh Steelers 49ers -2.5 49ers -2.5 49ers -2.5
Arizona Cardinals @ Washington Commanders Commanders -7 Commanders -7 Commanders -7
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears Bears -1.5 Packers +1.5 Packers +1.5
Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos Broncos -4 Broncos -4 Broncos -4
Miami Dolphins @ LA Chargers Dolphins +3 Dolphins +3 Chargers -3
Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots Eagles -3.5 Eagles -3.5 Eagles -3.5
LA Rams @ Seattle Seahawks Rams +5.5 Seahawks -5.5 Seahawks -5.5
Dallas Cowboys @ NY Giants Giants +3.5 Cowboys -3.5 Cowboys -3.5
Buffalo Bills @ NY Jets Bills -2.5 Jets +3.5 Jets +3.5
Season Record 0-0 0-0 0-0

NFL Week 1 Consensus Picks

All three of our NFL experts picked these teams to cover the spread in Week 1:

Best NFL Week 1 Bets

Here are our best NFL Week 1 bets to kick off the 2023 season:

Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) @ New England Patriots

Anthony: The Eagles have arguably the most talented roster in the NFL and have aspirations of defending their NFC title and making it back to the Super Bowl in 2024.

The Patriots, on the other hand, have a roster that lacks elite talent and are projected to finish last in the AFC East. New England will be honoring Tom Brady during a half-time ceremony, but don’t expect that to fire up Mac Jones and the boys enough for them to overcome the mighty Eagles.

These two teams will likely be at opposite ends of the standings come season’s end, and a 3.5-point line could be considered generous, even this early in the year.

Jacksonville Jaguars (-4.5) @ Indianapolis Colts

Zach: In his rookie season with the Jags, Trevor Lawrence led the NFL with 17 interceptions thrown. Under a new head coach Doug Pederson and a different offensive game plan, Lawrence turned Jacksonville around in 2022. They made and won a playoff game for the first time since 2017. His 4,113 yards, 28 touchdowns, and (.663) completion percentage were all career-highs. That’s why they are favored heading into their first game on Sunday.

Jacksonville is on the road vs. the Colts and Indianapolis is without All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor. Rookie QB Anthony Richardson will be starting his first regular-season NFL game. All those signs point to the Jaguars covering the 4.5-point spread and winning the game outright. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday.

Washington Commanders (-7) vs Arizona Cardinals 

Owen: The Washington Commanders may not be one of the best teams in the NFL, but they for sure have a really good Week 1 matchup at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Second-year quarterback Sam Howell shined in the preseason albeit against backups. One can argue that he will face more backups in the Arizona Cardinals’ defense. Expect Howell to carve up the Arizona Cardinals secondary with new OC Eric Bieniemy calling plays and rely on the run game with Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson.

The potential loss of Terry McLaurin to a toe injury may cause concern for taking this bet, but think about the offense going up against the very talented Commander’s defensive line. There are just 4 days until both of these teams face off and the Cardinals have yet to announce a starting quarterback. Whether it be rookie Clayton Tune or recently acquired Josh Dobbs, neither will do much moving the offense against this stout defensive front.

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