A new season is upon us. Every year we have players switch teams and new storylines to pay attention to. 15 teams are starting a different quarterback in Week 1 of 2018 than in Week 1 of 2017. That’s a whole lot of turnover for the most important position on the field. Big names changed jerseys this offseason. Khalil Mack is in Chicago. Malcolm Butler is in Tennessee. Le’Veon Bell is … somewhere … doing something.
Injured stars are making their returns. David Johnson is returning in Arizona. Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt are back in Houston. Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers are ready to lead their teams again. They happen every season, but last year’s injuries felt like the worst of them all.
Who’s the best team in the league? It’s hard to say. Minnesota and Philadelphia look primed for another NFC Championship battle. Do the additions to the Rams boost them up to the top? New England’s depth is looking a little shaky, but can you doubt the GOAT? Drew Brees is surrounded with talent between last year’s rookies of the year Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore, and a young star in WR Michael Thomas. Will the Jags continue their rise, or will the loss of receiving threats be too much to overcome?
These questions, of course, won’t be answered until much later in the season. Week 1, however, gives us an idea of what to expect over the next four months of regular season play.
For those who are new to PerSources, more specifically to the picks, I’d like to say welcome. Doing the picks the past two seasons has been one of my favorite parts of the NFL season. It keeps me on top of all of the happenings around the league. I’ve been picking games for as long as I can remember, but the past two seasons are the years I’ve been going with spreads and keeping track of my winning percentage.
Every week, I will give out my Thursday Night pick via my twitter. Then, these will come out every Sunday morning until the end of the regular season. Throughout the year, I’d like to start incorporating some of my fellow NFL writers to get their picks as well. For those interested in more gambling posts, we are bringing on a new writer who will be putting out other weekly gambling pieces. Keep an eye out for that.
Let’s jump right in.
THURSDAY 8:30 PM
Atlanta Falcons (+1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (-1)
I really thought Atlanta could do it. Julio was the only one to do anything. They couldn’t capitalize on some less-than-stellar play from Nick Foles. Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling and the Falcons execution of said plays in the Red Zone was abysmal. This has been a problem for a couple years now, and it needs to be addressed if they want to win. I believed Matt Ryan would be able to take advantage of the poor play we’ve seen from Foles so far this between the preseason and Week 1. Boy, was I wrong.
SUNDAY 1:00 PM
Buffalo Bills (+8) @ Baltimore Ravens (-8)
Houston Texans (+6.5) @ New England Patriots (-6.5)
San Francisco 49ers (+7) @ Minnesota Vikings (-7)
Cincinnati Bengals (+2) @ Indianapolis Colts (-2)
Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) @ New York Giants (+3)
Pittsburgh Steelers (-4) @ Cleveland Browns (+4)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+10) @ New Orleans Saints (-10)
Tennessee Titans (-1) @ Miami Dolphins (+1) LOCK OF THE WEEK
SUNDAY 4:00 – 4:25 PM
Kansas City Chiefs (+3) @ Los Angeles Chargers (-3)
Seattle Seahawks (+3) @ Denver Broncos (-3)
Dallas Cowboys (+3) @ Carolina Panthers (-3)
Washington Redskins (+1.5) @ Arizona Cardinals (-1.5)
SUNDAY 8:30 PM
Chicago Bears (+7) @ Green Bay Packers (-7)
MONDAY 7:10 PM
New York Jets (+7) @ Detroit Lions (-7)
MONDAY 10:20 PM
Los Angeles Rams (-4.5) @ Oakland Raiders (+4.5)