The NFL is back! The first game of the season takes place on Thursday night (Friday morning UK time) as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers begin the defence of their Super Bowl title against the Dallas Cowboys at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. That is just the first of 16 games across the opening week of fixtures, in which there are some cracking games to enjoy including the Steelers facing the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Cleveland Browns. Of course, the start of the NFL season is always a very popular one with betting fans all over the world and we don’t expect this weekend’s games to be any different! If you have used our bet365 bonus code to claim your starter offer with bet365 Sport, then you will be ready to enjoy a massive range of bets across the course of the season with the site, with hundreds of markets to pick from for each game across pre-match and Live In Play betting. If you are based in the United States, then remember you can enjoy a wide range of bets available on the BetRivers Sportsbook site, which offers a massive selection of bets available from each weeks games across a number of different states. With so many games to get through, let’s crack on with our run down of the first week of action in the NFL. All odds shown below were correct with bet365 Sport as of Wednesday 8^th September 2021 and are Money Line odds.

NFL Week One

Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s going to be interesting to see how the Cowboys talented offense performs against the Bucs defense in this season opener. However, I feel the Bucs all round strength, especially with Tom Brady calling the shots on offense means they are the clear favourites to win this one. To Win – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 10/39

Arizona Cardinals @ Tennessee Titans

This looks likely to be a shootout in terms of point scoring with the qualify of offense on show. Arizona have some quality players in Murray and Hopkins but the Titans quadruple threat offense with home advantage means I feel they just have the edge in this one. To Win – Tennessee Titans – 20/31

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a team in total disarray and in big need of a complete rebuild which they have not been able to do as yet. The Jags have started that process and while they are not much better than the Texans, I still feel Trevor Lawrence leads his team to a win in this opener. To Win – Jacksonville Jaguars – 20/29

Los Angeles Chargers @ Washington Football Team

This is a very tough one to call. The Washington defence is one of the best in the NFL, but I do like the moves the Chargers made to give Justin Herbert some protection and support and I think he will lead this team to a narrow win on the opening weekend. To Win – Los Angeles Chargers – 20/23

Minnesota Vikings @ Cincinnati Bengals

I don’t think either of these teams are going to have stellar campaigns this year, but I think Dalvin Cook does give the Vikings the edge here given his dual threat as a runner and receiver. The Bengals will improve as the season goes by, but I feel they will lose this opener. To Win – Minnesota Vikings – 5/9

New York Jets @ Carolina Panthers

I like what the Jets have done this off-season but I am not quite sure it is enough for them to become contenders in their division. The Panthers will welcome back their key man Christian McCaffrey and I think that may well be enough for them to secure a win on home field on the opening weekend. To Win – Carolina Panthers – 5/12

Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons

I think both these teams better days are behind them but while the Falcons are still pretty competitive, I think this will be a long season for Eagles fans given their issues on and off the field. As such, I think MattRyan will lead his team to a very comfortable victory in this one. To Win – Atlanta Falcons – 20/33

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills

For me, the Bills are going to be one of the strongest teams in the AFC this season and will be real challengers for the Super Bowl. I am not convinced the Steelers are as good as their record last season suggests and I am confident that the Bills will end up with the win here. To Win – Buffalo Bills – 4/11

Seattle Seahawks @ Indianapolis Colts

The Seahawks are always a dangerous team and this is a tough opener for both teams as I feel they are pretty even. However, I feel the Colts have a lovely balance in their team and as such, I am going for them to take the win in a narrow and hard fought contest. To Win – Indianapolis Colts – 5/4

San Francisco 49ers @ Detroit Lions

I can’t see any hope for the Lions here. Having started a new era after trading away Matt Stafford to the Rams, the Lions are rebuilding, yet again, and they look set for a long hard season. The 49ers are Super Bowl contenders for many and they should win this game very comfortably indeed and score a few touchdowns in the process too. To Win – San Francisco 49ers – 5/18

Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs

For me this is the most exciting game of the weekend as two teams with outstanding players on offense clash. The Chiefs just have that extra edge for me at the moment though and while I think Cleveland are playoff material, I can’t see them beating the Chiefs in Arrowhead. To Win – Kansas City Chiefs – 10/27

Denver Broncos @ New York Giants

I am not quite sure what to make of both these teams. I feel both are not going to be the heaviest scorers on offense and I think that could be their main issue this season. I’ve gone for Denver here based on their top quality defense which I think will stymie the Giants efforts to put up points. To Win – Denver Broncos – 5/8

Green Bay Packers @ New Orleans Saints

This game has the potential to be a real shootout between two teams that are usually involved in the playoffs. The Saints have a new QB after Drew Brees retired in Jameis Winston and I think that will take them a bit longer to get used to, hence I am going for the Packers to win a narrow one here. To Win – Green Bay Packers – 10/21

Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots

I think the games between the Dolphins and Patriots may well determine who finishes second to the Bills in this division and with home advantage and a newly built offense led by Mac Jones, I am going for the Patriots to do just enough to claim a narrow win here. To Win – New England Patriots – 4/6

Chicago Bears @ Los Angeles Rams

With Matt Stafford at quarterback, the Rams should be set to make a charge for the Super Bowl this season, while the Bears have Justin Fields ready should they decide to go with the rookie. Both teams have strong defenses but I feel that the Rams have enough quality to win this one. To Win – Los Angeles Rams – 5/18

Baltimore Ravens @ Las Vegas Raiders

Lamarr Jackson now has some passing options open to him to go with a very solid running game and that spells problems for a Raiders side who have made some improvements in the off-season but who I still feel are some way behind the top teams in the NFL at the moment. To Win – Baltimore Ravens – 5/11  

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