The NFL is back, baby!
Are there more beautiful words in the English language?
Before we get down to business here, a very quick
introduction: My name is John Frascella and I am a published sports author who
has been covering the NFL for 18 years. You may have seen some of my work over
the years on Bleacher Report, Rotowire, Yahoo Sports, Aaron Torres Online, CBS
Sports, NBA.com and the UConn Daily Campus. Follow me on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things football throughout this highly-anticipated
NFL season!
It's my great pleasure to be back to cover the NFL again this
season! Without further ado, let’s get right down to business…
** EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was written on Sunday, September 4th. Some items are subject to minor changes. **
NFL Week 1 Betting Matchup Previews
Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams
Vegas Line: Bills are -2.5
Buffalo’s storyline: I recently predicted that the Bills
would win the Super Bowl this season, and you can see why when you consider the overall landscape
of the NFL right now. The Packers lost Davante Adams, the Chiefs lost Tyreek
Hill, the Bucs lost Ryan Jensen and Matthew Stafford is dealing with right
elbow tendinitis for the defending-champion Rams. In Week 1, it’s anybody’s
guess – two of the best in the game going head-to-head in a Thursday Night
Football showdown.
Los Angeles’ storyline: Key running backs Cam Akers and Darrell
Henderson have both been given the green light to play, so the Rams are mostly
at full strength. Let’s keep an eye on the team’s wide receiver transition from
Robert Woods/Odell Beckham to fellow veteran Allen Robinson.
Baltimore Ravens @ New York Jets
Vegas Line: Ravens are -7
Baltimore’s storyline: Lamar Jackson is back at full strength
and his Ravens are a “hype” team heading into this season. They could blow the
Jets out of the water; they only have to worry about one thing…
New York’s storyline: Joe Flacco stinks at this point in his lengthy
career, but what if he’s extra focused in a season opener against his old team?
If this were a Week 3 or 4 matchup, I’d probably take Baltimore in a blowout.
But with the Flacco X-factor out the gate? Hard to say right now.
Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans
Vegas Line: Colts are -8
Indianapolis’ storyline: Carson Wentz is out of the way, and
“Matty Ice” has arrived to calm things down in Indy. Jonathan Taylor is the
consensus No. 1 overall pick in fantasy, and superstar defender Darius Leonard
has changed his name to “Shaquille”.
Houston’s storyline: It’s a new management regime in Houston,
but it’s simply too soon for them to turn things around with the likes of Davis
Mills, Dameon Pierce and Nico Collins. Maybe next season, though.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Vegas Line: Bengals are -6.5
Pittsburgh’s storyline: “Big Ben” finally retired, and Mike
Tomlin’s starting QB battle is coming down to the wire. Will it be promising
rookie Kenny Pickett or underrated former Pro Bowler Mitch Trubisky? Either
way, Pitt needs both Najee Harris and Diontae Johnson fully healthy.
Cincinnati’s storyline: Joe Burrow is back, but his
“emergency appendectomy” still worries me. What if he takes a hard shot in the
wrong area? Still, the kid is a warrior and Cincy’s offense remains stacked
with explosive talent.
San Francisco 49ers @ Chicago Bears
Vegas Line: 49ers are -7
San Fran’s storyline: It’s time for sophomore Trey Lance to
take the reins from crafty vet Jimmy Garoppolo, but that won’t matter much in
this game anyway. Ultimately, this one comes down to Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and
their fiery defense against a shaky second-year quarterback from Chicago.
Chicago’s storyline: The Ryan Pace/Matt Nagy era is over, but
I don’t see much changing in year 1 of a new regime. Justin Fields isn’t quite
ready to protect possessions, yet.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Detroit Lions
Vegas Line: Eagles are -4
Philly’s storyline: Can Jalen Hurts take “The Leap” this
season? Either way, this is a Philly squad that is surprisingly loaded with
talent on both sides of the ball. Weak division, as well.
Detroit’s storyline: Dan Campbell was the star of Hard
Knocks, but can he be a star head coach in this league? I do think Detroit
will improve. Week 1 is usually the week to catch the opposition off balance,
too.
New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
Vegas Line: Saints are -5.5
New Orleans’ storyline: Top-tier head coach Sean Payton is
gone, and I’m far from sure that Dennis Allen can repeat his predecessor’s
success. Jameis Winston never inspires much faith from me, either.
Atlanta’s storyline: Arthur Smith comes into this season as
one of the more underrated head coaches in the game right now, but Atlanta is
teetering on the border of a “tank” season. If it goes south early, they fold
up. I think they will absolutely come to play in Week 1, though.
Cleveland Browns @ Carolina Panthers
Vegas Line: Panthers are -2.5
Cleveland’s storyline: Deshaun Watson has been their
storyline throughout the NFL’s offseason, but he obviously won’t be out there
on the field in the opener. Jacoby Brissett steps in and ya know what? Don’t
sleep on him against a pretty terrible Carolina team.
Carolina’s storyline: Speaking of the Browns… enter Baker
Mayfield. Baker’s all alone on an island at the quarterback position for the
Panthers, as rookie Matt Corral and the enigmatic Sam Darnold are both on the
injury shelf.
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
Vegas Line: Dolphins are -3
New England’s storyline: Everybody is talking about the
nightmarish combination of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia running this
underwhelming offense. And guess what? They absolutely should be worried
about that combo.
Miami’s storyline: Plain and simple… can Tua raise his game
with help from Tyreek Hill, Chase Edmonds and other impact additions? Well, at
the very least, they certainly won’t hurt.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Washington Commanders
Vegas Line: Commanders are -3
Jacksonville’s storyline: The Urban Meyer nightmare is over,
and calm Doug Pederson patrols the Jacksonville sideline, now. Still, I doubt
they start hot, right out the gate.
Washington’s storyline: Carson Wentz isn’t good. I certainly
wouldn’t call myself a “Carson Wentz Guy”. But he’s also not as bad as people
are saying – this isn’t Christian Hackenberg here, folks. We wish youngster
Brian Robinson a speedy recovery after a shocking and scary robbery and attempt
on his life.
New York Giants @ Tennessee Titans
Vegas Line: Titans are -5.5
New York’s storyline: I love the reshaping of their front
office, but I don’t love Daniel Jones as a starting quarterback in the NFL. If
the first 3-5 weeks look ugly, this squad is going right in the “tank”.
Tennessee’s storyline: No AJ Brown. No Julio Jones. Corey Davis
lost the season before. This all adds up to veteran Robert Woods having to be a
huge overall factor for this team.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Arizona Cardinals
Vegas Line: Chiefs are -4.5
KC’s storyline: Obviously, the transition to a universe
without Tyreek Hill. How much can Marquez Valdes-Scantling, JuJu Smith-Schuster
and Skyy Moore combine to produce as a questionable receiving trio?
Arizona’s storyline: Not having “Nuk” Hopkins out the gate is
trouble. Rondale Moore has to get healthy, and quickly. Kyler’s going to be
doing a lot of running around in the early going of this pivotal season for the
Cardinals’ franchise.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Vegas Line: Chargers are -3.5
Las Vegas’ storyline: MASSIVE additions in Davante Adams,
Chandler Jones and Josh McDaniels. Ultimately, will they combine to have the
desired effect on this team’s fortunes?
Los Angeles’ storyline: Justin Herbert was one of the most
talked about players this offseason. Can he go from non-playoff QB to Super
Bowl champion in just one season?
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Vegas Line: Packers are -1.5
Green Bay’s storyline: Life without Davante Adams. How much
can veterans Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb do in the early going of the
season? Later on, they’ll need Christian Watson and Robert Tonyan to step up in
major ways.
Minnesota’s storyline: Justin Jefferson. The most talked
about wide receiver of the offseason. Now going as early as No. 2 overall in
fantasy drafts!
Tampa Bay Bucs @ Dallas Cowboys
Vegas Line: Bucs are -1.5
Tampa Bay’s storyline: Is Gisele gonna force TB12 to quit
midseason? What a tabloid story developing, there. The real story here is the
devastating loss of all-world Center, Ryan Jensen.
Dallas’ storyline: Amari Cooper is now in Cleveland, James
Washington is down and Michael Gallup is always a weekly injury concern. Lot of
heavy lifting for CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz!
Denver Broncos @ Seattle Seahawks
Vegas Line: Broncos are -6.5
Denver’s storyline: Welcome Russell Wilson, of course! And…
opening against your old team? That’s fun. Should be a blast.
Seattle’s storyline: One of the ugliest quarterback
competitions of all time. Geno gets the ball in the opener and… well… yikes.
Enjoy Week 1 and make some money out there!
John Frascella is a published sports author and NFL writer
for 18 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7
for all things football throughout this highly-anticipated season.
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