NFL 2021 Season: Week 1 Betting Picks

Betting Pick — Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams (-7)

Team
Los Angeles Rams	-7 (-115)	-4.5 (-115)
Chicago Bears	+7 (-105)	+4.5 (-105)

As you can see above, the online sportsbooks are heavily favoring Los Angeles in their first regular-season home game with fans at SoFi Stadium. The seven-point spread is the second-highest of the week, and heck, we're riding it to the bank.

Here's why: Matt Stafford. Seriously, it's that simple. Him under center will not just add a new wrinkle to head coach Sean McVay's offense, it'll completely reinvent it. With Stafford, McVay finally has a thrower that can push the ball downfield — a quality Jared Goff always lacked.

While we expect Stafford and company to pile on the points, we're not as confident in Chicago. Here's a team that's been offensively challenged for years and its new QB1, Andy Dalton, isn't exactly a game-changer. We expect this game to get out of hand in a hurry, especially in front of a riled-up home crowd finally back in the stands.

Betting Pick — Over/Under 50.5 Points: Green Bay Packers "at" New Orleans Saints

Packers-Saints Total
Over	50.5 points (-110)	50 points (-110)
Under	50.5 points (-110)	50 points (-110)

Under normal circumstances, we'd lean with the over. The Superdome in New Orleans is one of the most offensive-friendly fields in the league. You have two gunslinging quarterbacks, one is the reigning MVP (Aaron Rodgers) and the other is, well, Jameis Winston who throws pick-sixes and garbage-time touchdowns better than any signal caller.

But... this game is not under normal circumstances. It's been moved to Jacksonville in the wake of Hurricane Ida. It creates a neutral playing environment with a load of off-field distractions.

Not only that, but we sense Green Bay is due for regression in 2021. A year ago, it had the best-scoring offense in the entire NFL with 31.8 points per game. Rodgers had the best year of his career at age 36 — both his QB rating (121.5) and TD's thrown (48) were personal bests in a single season. Keeping that high-scoring pace will be a tall order, especially with Rodgers seemingly on his way out.

It might not be the "sexy" pick, but we're taking the under here. Some books have it at 50.5 points, while others have it dead set at 50 points. Always shop lines to get the best odds possible, which in this case is BetUS.

Betting Pick — Baltimore Ravens (-4.5) at Las Vegas Raiders

Team
Baltimore Ravens	-4.5 (-110)	-4.5 (-110)
Las Vegas Raiders	+4.5 (-110)	+4.5 (-110)

Since John Gruden returned to the Silver & Black, his team has had one consistent bugaboo — pass defense. In three seasons under Gruden, here's where the Raiders have ranked league-wide in the category: 32, 31, and 26.

And believe us, it's not going to get any better, certainly not in week one. That's because Las Vegas will likely start two rookies in the secondary — nickel cornerback Nate Hobbs and full safety Tre'von Moehrig. Hey, maybe the two newcomers will buck the organization's long-standing trend of scouting defensive backs badly, but if they do, that'll likely be later in the season once they have more experience.

While Lamar Jackson isn't exactly a vaunted passer, we do believe he'll have a field day against the Raiders sieve-like secondary. Don't be surprised if Las Vegas commits to stopping his rushing ways, leaving their rookies on an island against Baltimore's receiving weapons, which are better than they get credit for (Sammy Watkins is a new addition for 2021).

Under the Monday Night spotlight, Jackson will do damage versus Las Vegas with both his legs and arm. The Raiders won't be able to keep up and fail to cover the spread.

How To Bet NFL Week 1

For a complete list of NFL bets for week 1, head to one of the betting sites listed below. You'll find up-to-date betting lines for all 16 matchups, including spreads, moneylines, over/unders, props, and even season-long futures.

We don't need to remind you how long the NFL season runs (through mid-February now thanks to a 17-game schedule rather than 16) and how important building a betting bankroll will be. If you need help building that bankroll, then you should take advantage of the sign-up bonuses many sites are currently offering.

Heck, since the NFL season is back, many sportsbooks are offering their best bonuses of the year right now. Seriously, look at the table below for a list of current deals available for the taking. As you can see, more than $2,500 in free play is available for you!

To earn the bonus — which literally takes a few minutes — just hit one of the "play now" buttons underneath. Free money earned can be used immediately on week one bets so get to it!