2020 NFL Week 1 odds: Tom Brady opens Bucs career at Saints as very rare underdog
The 2020 NFL schedule was released Thursday night, and William Hill sportsbook didn't waste any team also putting out Week 1 odds.
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It's still unknown on what date the Major League Baseball season will begin or when the NHL and NBA will pick up their seasons or start their playoffs. However, assuming the coronavirus permits, the 2020 NFL regular season will begin on Thursday, Sept. 10, in Kansas City with the schedule released on Thursday. William Hill sportsbook has put out Week 1 spreads – obviously very subject to change over the next four months. Games are Sunday, Sept. 13, unless noted. Also check out season highlights and Top 10 notable games from SportsLine.
Texans at Chiefs (-10.5, 56.5): Kickoff Game on Sept. 10. Deshaun Watson vs. Patrick Mahomes! Bit of a surprising number considering Houston won in K.C. last regular season and was up at Arrowhead Stadium 24-0 in the Divisional Round before losing 51-31.
Dolphins at Patriots: (-6.5, 43.5): Jarrett Stidham, presumably, steps into the very big shoes of Tom Brady for his first NFL start. New England's streak of being favored in 78 straight regular-season games grows by one for at least one more week. Will Tua Tagovailoa be Miami's starting QB?
Browns at Ravens (-8.5, 49): Cleveland is an astonishingly bad 1-19-1 straight up in Week 1 games since returning to the NFL in 1999 and a not-much-better 6-15 against the spread. Baltimore's last loss in the 2019 regular season? Week 4 at home to the Browns, 40-25.
Jets at Bills (-5.5, 40): Matchup of Top 7 picks in the 2018 NFL Draft in Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (No. 3) and Bills counterpart Josh Allen (No. 7). The teams split two very low-scoring games last year (1-1 ATS), each winning on the road – Buffalo had nothing to play for in its Week 17 loss and rested starters. This will be the third time in four years the Jets have opened the season against the Bills.
Raiders at Panthers (pick'em, 46.5): The Silver and Black's Las Vegas debut will have to wait until Week 2 (vs. Saints). The Raiders have opened a season five times since 1990 in the Eastern Time Zone and lost them all. It's the NFL head coaching debut of Carolina's Matt Rhule, who was given $70 million or so to leave Baylor.
Seahawks at Falcons (+1, 49): One of five trips to the East Coast this season for Seattle, but the Seahawks have won their past eight games there (Eastern Time Zone) and covered in six. Atlanta was a home dog four times last year and went 1-3 SU & 2-2 ATS. All four games went Under the total.
Eagles at Redskins (+6, 45.5): Ron Rivera's coaching debut with Washington. Philly has won six straight in the series and covered the past three in Maryland.
Bears at Lions (-5, 44.5): These teams played in the Motor City on Thanksgiving the past two seasons and Chicago won both (1-1 ATS) by a combined 11 points. The Bears are on a six-game SU losing streak (2-4 ATS) in Week 1, though.
Colts at Jaguars (+8.5, 46.5): Philip Rivers makes his Indianapolis debut against what is expected to be the NFL's worst team – the Jags have an Over-Under win total for this season of just 4.5 at William Hill sportsbook, lowest of any team. Get used to the Jags being more than TD underdogs.
Packers at Vikings (-3.5, 47): Green Bay clinched the NFC North title with a 23-10 win at US Bank Stadium as 4-point underdogs on Monday night in Week 16 last year. Green Bay had been 0-3 in that stadium. Minnesota led 10-9 at the half.
Chargers at Bengals (+3.5, 46.5): It's the NFL debut of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. He's the betting favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Cincinnati also should see the return of top receiver AJ Green, who missed all of last season with an ankle injury. Who starts at QB for the Bolts? Tyrod Taylor or rookie No. 6 overall pick Justin Herbert?
Cardinals at 49ers (-8, 45): DeAndre Hopkins makes his Arizona debut after the Cardinals stole him in trade from Houston. The Niners, meanwhile, take the field for the first time in a game that counts (if there even is a preseason) since blowing that 20-10 fourth-quarter lead in the Super Bowl loss to Kansas City.
Bucs at Saints (-4.5, 49.5): While with the New England Patriots, Tom Brady hadn't been a regular-season underdog since Nov. 30, 2014 (Pats were dogs early in 2016 but Brady was suspended). Yet Brady opens his Buccaneers career as one against Drew Brees in a matchup of the two quarterbacks atop the all-time passing yardage and TD charts (Brees leads in both). Think this will get good TV ratings and take heavy betting action?
Cowboys at Rams (+3, 50): Sunday night. In early April, we wrote there was speculation that the NFL wanted to christen that $5 billion-plus SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles with a marquee matchup of Cowboys-Rams, and that has proven to be true despite some worries about construction delays due to the coronavirus.
Steelers at Giants (+3.5, 48.5): First game of the Monday night doubleheader and presumably the return to action of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 last year. Of course, he was selected in the first round of the 2004 draft … just like former Giants QB Eli Manning was. This is the first time that Big Blue starts a season without the retired Eli since, although he had lost his job last season to Daniel Jones. Might the team induct Eli into its Ring of Honor in this one?
Titans at Broncos (-3, 42): This is the nightcap of the Monday night Week 1 doubleheader. Denver has surrounded young QB Drew Lock with some good young talent this offseason in free agent running back Melvin Gordon and selecting receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler with its first two draft picks. The Broncos beat the visiting Titans 16-0 last year – that was the last game Marcus Mariota started at QB for Tennessee as he was replaced going forward (and in that game) by Ryan Tannehill.
Which teams sail past their projected win totals? What is the SportsLine model's stunning Packers prediction? And how many wins will every NFL team have this season? ... See every projected win total, including the shocking prediction for the Packers, all from an uncanny computer model that crushed its NFL win total picks last year!