BumblesBangerz has been a sports wagering consultant for more than a decade, and will be making picks against the spread all season at Compare.bet. Here are his predictions for Week 1 of the NFL campaign.
Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
John Harbaugh always has his Ravens ready to roll by actually caring about winning the preseason games. The Jets on the other hand are 1-11 in their last 12 September games. Lamar Jackson scored 5 touchdowns last time vs. the Jets and may be playing with a chip on his shoulder with a $200 million contract within his reach. I don’t think Joe Flacco can keep New York in this one. The former Raven has lost his last 7 starts and is facing a coach that knows everything about him. With the line now down to -6.5 from 7, we’ve got a play.
Score prediction: Ravens 35, Jets 17
Pick: Ravens -6.5
San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
In what the oddsmakers, and I, believe will be a low-scoring game… I’m having trouble giving the 49ers a full 7 points in this one. I believe they are the much better team but they will not be without their struggles with Trey Lance behind center who only had two starts last season and a hungry Chicago defense at their throats. Take the Bears to cover the spread.
Score prediction: 49ers 21, Bears 17
Pick: Bears +7
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
Yes, the Bengals are coming off a Super Bowl appearance and will be looking to start hot at home. Yes, the Bengals swept the Steelers last season and outscored them 65-20. I still think this line is a bit too high. Not only is Mike Tomlin 45-23-2 ATS as an underdog in his career, but division dogs are 61-41-2 ATS in Week 1 since 2005. Another fun fact, Super Bowl losers are 4-18 ATS and 9-13 straight up since 2000. Take the Steelers to cover and I would advise buying the hook to get the +7 if the line hasn’t moved there on its own by kickoff.
Score prediction: Bengals 20, Steelers 17
Pick: Steelers +6.5
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
Who doesn’t love a home underdog? The Detroit Lions have a top 5 offensive line in the league and a ton of talented players in the skill position. I can see a scenario where the Eagles cover with their defensive talent, so this is mostly a stay-away game for me, but I love the value on the home Lions and would even consider the money line at +195.
Score prediction: Eagles 28, Lions 24
Pick: Detroit +5
Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
The Cleveland Browns love to lose season openers; they’ve done it an astonishing 17 times in a row. You could say things had been looking up until the Deshaun Watson fiasco. They will now be led by Jacoby Brissett, who is currently ranked as the #2 worst starting QB in the league, and will face their former teammate in Baker Mayfield who has a clear advantage in this one behind center.
Score prediction: Panthers 24, Browns 21
Pick: Panthers PK
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
Davis Mills has looked good and has some talented enough guys surrounding him on offense to keep this game closer than the spread implies. Also, if you like trends, they all point to Texans covering the spread or winning outright.
Score prediction: Colts 28, Texans 23
Pick: Texans +7
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
Miami has beaten the Patriots the last three times they faced each other. Future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick has never dropped four straight games to an opponent in his career so it’s tough for me to bet against him in this spot vs. a “rookie” coach in Mike McDaniel. I think this one could go either way and as much as I would love to hop on the Tua train and back the Dolphins at home, 3.5 points will be enough of an edge for me to take New England.
Score prediction: Dolphins 24, Patriots 21
Pick: Patriots +3.5
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
New Orleans has too much talent on both sides of the football to not win this game. They have also won 4 of their last 4 in Atlanta and I see this trend continuing. The Saints’ defensive front should cause plenty of issues for Marcus Mariota and the Falcons offense.
Score prediction: Saints 24, Falcons 17
Pick: Saints -5.5
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders
Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET
I think we could see a large improvement from Trevor Lawrence with Doug Pederson at the helm. With Chase Young listed out and us getting the key number of a +3 spread, take the Jags to cover.
Score prediction: Jaguars 21, Commanders 20
Pick: Jaguars +3
Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, September 11 at 4:25 p.m. ET
This number has ballooned from -3 to now -6 in favor of Kansas City. It was absolutely a play at -3, I’m a bit weary now but I am still going to put my trust in Patrick Mahomes at this number. I think the Chiefs have an advantage on both sides of the football in this match.
Score prediction: Chiefs 31, Cardinals 24
Pick: Chiefs -6
New York Giants at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, September 11 at 4:25 p.m. ET
This is a different Giants team than the one we saw last season. On the other hand, Tennessee will more than likely run the same game plan on offense which will be centered around Derrick Henry who is coming off his first major injury and will be behind a flimsy offensive line. Take the points on the road underdog.
Score prediction: Titans 21, Giants 17
Pick: Giants +5.5
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
Sunday, September 11 at 4:25 p.m. ET
This should feel like a home game for the Raiders with how many of their fans will be packed into Sofi Stadium. I think this team will be undervalued a lot here as we kick off the regular season. With J.C. Jackson listed as doubtful due to recent ankle surgery and Davante Adams added to Derek Carr’s arsenal, I lean toward the Raiders to cover the spread.
Score prediction: Chargers 28, Raiders 27
Pick: Raiders +3.5
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, September 11 at 4:25 p.m. ET
With Allen Lazard doubtful and Davante Adams shipped off to Las Vegas, Aaron Rodgers could have some trouble finding targets in week one. Add in the fact that their offensive line is in shambles with injuries galore, I like the Vikings to win this one outright behind Kevin O’Connell.
Score prediction: Vikings 24, Packers 21
Pick: Vikings +1.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, September 11 at 8:20 p.m. ET
Similarly to the Packers’ situation, the Bucs’ offense is pretty banged up at the moment between their offensive line and wide receiving corps. I think the Cowboys’ game plan on the defensive side of the football should be to take advantage of this. I would buy the hook to get a +3.
Score prediction: Buccaneers 28, Cowboys 27
Pick: Dallas +2.5
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks
Monday, September 12 at 8:20 p.m. ET
Fading the Seahawks in this one more than I’m backing the Broncos, which will be something I will look to do all season. They have a defense that looks extremely susceptible, the worst quarterback depth chart in the league, and more miles traveled by any team this season by far. I also love the revenge narrative for Russell Wilson, who has the 4th highest career passer rating in primetime games as well as a 29-11 record, which is the best among all active quarterbacks.
Score prediction: Broncos 28, Seahawks 20
Pick: Broncos -6.5
