NFL Week 1 Betting Preview, How To Watch, Betting Lines And Picks

The 2022 NFL season officially kicked off Thursday night with a marquee matchup of the Buffalo Bills visiting the Los Angeles Rams. The Bills beat the defending Super Bowl champions 31-10, covering the -2 spread and surprising lots of bettors who backed the underdog home Rams.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Week 1 schedule and the betting odds.

How to Watch: The NFL season will see coverage split between several media rights partners. The 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. games will air on Fox and CBS, owned by Fox Corp FOX and Paramount Global Inc PARAPARAA respectively.

Both channels will air an early game and late game. Coverage will be determined by coverage area, with fans around the country getting shown their local team or the national game of the week.

Many will see the following national games:

1 p.m. Fox: San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears

4:25 p.m. Fox: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

1 p.m. CBS: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

4:25 p.m. CBS: Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals

The Sunday Night Football matchup for week 1 will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 p.m. ET. The game will air on NBC, a unit of Comcast Corporation CMCSA.

Monday Night Football for week 1 will see the Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks in a game starting at 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on ESPN, a unit of The Walt Disney Company DIS.

Betting Odds and Picks: All teams start with a 0-0 record on the 2022 NFL season and are also 0-0 against the spread, making it harder for bettors to handicap the first week of action, especially with new faces in new places. Here is a quick look at the betting odds for Week 1 with odds from DraftKings Inc DKNG and this author’s picks for educational purposes.

Baltimore Ravens -7 at New York Jets: The Jets will be starting Joe Flacco at quarterback with an injury to their heir apparent Zach Wilson. The Ravens meanwhile, will start Lamar Jackson, who has excelled with passing and rushing in recent years. Pick: Ravens -7

Indianapolis Colts -7 at Houston Texans: The Colts went 9-8 last season with Carson Wentz at quarterback. The team now turns to Matt Ryan, who played 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. The Colts also feature one of the most talented running backs and fantasy football stars in the league with Jonathan Taylor. The Texans went 4-13 last year and might not have done enough this offseason to improve. Pick: Colts -7

Philadelphia Eagles -4 at Detroit Lions: The Lions were one of the worst teams in 2021 going 3-13-1. Despite the poor record, bettors will also likely remember that the Lions were one of the best teams against the spread with an 11-6 record, with many games remaining close or seeing the Lions fight back to the end. The Eagles are a popular pick, but the Lions could keep things close and cover the spread of more than a field goal. Pick Lions +4

San Francisco 49ers -7 at Chicago Bears: The 49ers will turn to Trey Lance as their starting quarterback and look to maintain last year’s strong 10-7 record. The Bears went 6-11 last year and are also led by a young quarterback in Justin Fields. This one could be a low scoring affair with two young quarterbacks and rain and wind in the forecast. Pick: 49ers -7

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals -6.5: The Bengals went 10-7 last year and found themselves hot in the NFL Playoffs, making it to the Super Bowl. The team has pieces in place to enjoy another postseason run. The team improved its offensive line in the offseason, which was a concern, and gets a big test against the Steelers in week 1. Pick: Bengals -6.5

New Orleans Saints -5.5 at Atlanta Falcons: Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback for the Falcons, replacing Matt Ryan, who led the team for many years. The Saints have a very capable Jameis Winston who looked good last season before going down with an injury. Pick: Saints -5.5

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers -1.5: One of several week 1 matchups that see quarterbacks going against their former teams is Baker Mayfield starting for the Panthers against his old team. Mayfield will be looking to make a strong statement. Add in the fact that the Browns are 0-16-1 in their last 17 week 1 games, and this looks good on paper. Pick: Panthers -1.5

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins -3.5: The Dolphins made a big splash in the offseason adding WR Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs. In 2021, the Dolphins went 9-8 with an 8-5 record in games that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played in. With Tagovailoa now the starting quarterback and Hill a new weapon, the team could be in for great things. Pick: Dolphins -3.5

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders -2.5: The Jaguars finished 3-14 as the worst team in the NFL last season. The Commanders also struggled, posting a 7-10 record. With Trevor Lawrence more comfortable as an NFL quarterback, the Jaguars look to improve on their three wins and could get one of them in week 1. Pick: Jaguars +2.5

New York Giants at Tennessee Titans -5.5: A week 1 battle of a bottom of the barrel team in the Giants (4-13 last year) and a playoff team in the Titans (12-5 last year). While it’s only week 1, it’s a bit surprising to not see this line higher. Pick: Titans -5.5

Green Bay Packers -1.5 at Minnesota Vikings: Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the NFL MVP trophy in 2021 with a great season. The quarterback finds himself missing several offensive weapons that are on other teams or hurt in week 1. This divisional matchup could be a tough early test for the Packers against a Vikings team looking to rebound from last year’s 8-9 record. Pick: Vikings +1.5

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers -3.5: A matchup of two similarly ranked teams from last year, with the Raiders going 10-7 and the Chargers 9-8. The Raiders add Davante Adams at wide receiver in one of the biggest NFL offseason moves. Getting more than a field goal in an even matchup with a new offensive weapon has many people taking the Raiders and the points. Pick: Raiders +3.5

Kansas City Chiefs -6 at Arizona Cardinals: Both the Chiefs and the Cardinals made the NFL Playoffs last season and look to make it to the postseason again. In a pretty even matchup, we look to the Chiefs winning seven straight week 1 matchups. Pick: Chiefs -6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5 at Dallas Cowboys: He’s Back! Tom Brady came out of retirement to lead the Buccaneers with all eyes on another Super Bowl ring. The Buccaneers and Cowboys were two of the top teams last year, going 13-4 and 12-5 respectively. Brady loves the spotlight and could excel in this Sunday Night Football matchup. Pick: Buccaneers -2.5

Denver Broncos -6.5 at Seattle Seahawks: Longtime Seahawks quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson goes against his former team in a Monday Night Football matchup. Look for Wilson to make a statement against his former team. Pick: Broncos -6.5

Photo: Courtesy of Mike Morbeck on flickr