As we’ve done in the past, we’ll be collecting all the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine each week and putting it all in one place so you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as and additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine viewing model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more. Are you ready to dive in? Happy New Year! All NFL odds through Caesars Sportsbook. What picks can you make with confidence in Week 1? And which Super Bowl contender is falling hard? Visit SportsLine as its incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and has raised nearly $7,500 for $100 players on top NFL picks since its inception six years ago.
Saints at Falcons
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (try free) Open: Saints -3.5 Current: Saints -5.5 “Atlanta is currently tied for the second-best odds to own the NFL’s worst regular season record at +375. Meanwhile, New Orleans is -130 to surpass its 8.5 win total and is +105 to make the playoffs. With this sizable gap in season prospects, this game spread looks a little low, albeit with the Saints being the road favorite. While Sean Payton doesn’t man aside, this isn’t a completely revamped staff, with Dennis Allen moving up from defensive coordinator, so they shouldn’t have as many problems as some clubs with first-time coaches. “Last year, New Orleans was one of the better bets when they were on the road, covering 66.7 percent of their plays. And that was with a bunch of quarterbacks shuffled around after Jameis Winston’s season-ending knee injury. Now he came back healthy and has a skill position player group that is much improved. “While Marcus Mariota is a capable quarterback and rookie, Drake London and second-year Kyle Pitts are exciting weapons, it’s hard to see Atlanta — a team that has the third-best chance of being the lowest-scoring team in NFL this year — keeping up with the New Orleans unit.” — CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan on why the Saints -5.5 is one of his five Locks of the Week. To read the rest, click here.
49ers at Bears
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (try free) Open: 49ers -6 Current: 49ers -7 “This is Trey Lance’s first game as the starting quarterback for the 49ers. That could lead to a lot of pressure down the road. But the 49ers are clearly the better team. Kyle Shanahan will facilitate Lance. Justin Fields will have problems behind a shaky line for the Bears against a good 49ers defense. 49ers win big.” — CBS Sports senior NFL analyst Pete Prisco on why he’s rooting for the 49ers.
Steelers at Bengals
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Bengals -6 Current: Bengals -6.5 “The Steelers come in as the underdog of the division, which is a role that Mike Tomlin has done well as head coach, going 14-6. There are concerns about the Steelers’ offensive line, which is why that number is inflated. But the Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been dealing with appendicitis throughout the preseason, which may lead to some rust. The Steelers will hang on to it, but the Bengals will earn it late.” — CBS Sports senior NFL analyst Pete Prisco takes the grades with Pittsburgh.
Eagles at Lions
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (try free) Open: Eagles -3.5 Current: Eagles -4.5 “Detroit will rock this weekend as Ford Field is sold out. However, the Eagles have arguably been one of the big winners of the NFL offseason. I believe they are a playoff team, but I’m not completely sold on the quarterback yet. Jalen Hurts, and I want to see if AJ Brown can be durable. With that, the Eagles are a much better team than the Lions, and they actually beat Detroit, 44-6, last year. “I’m excited to see how this Eagles offense looks on Sunday compared to how it operated last year. In 2021, Philly was fourth in the NFL in yards per rush (4.9) and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 25 . Dare I say, two No. 1 wideouts, what is Nick Sirianni going to do differently? Everyone will be watching the Eagles offense on Sunday, but I also think this defense is underrated. With James Bradberry and Darius Slay locking down the wideouts and CJ Gardner-Johnson roaming the second and third levels, this unit could make life difficult for Jared Goff. Give me the Eagles to cover.” — CBS Sports gambling guru Jordan Dajani on why he likes the Eagles -4 in Detroit. Click here to read the rest of his picks.
Patriots at Dolphins
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Dolphins -3 Current: Dolphins -3.5 “I can’t wait for the Dolphins to win by 45 points and after a live offense in my reports. I can actually wait for that, but what I’m looking forward to seeing is how the Patriots offense looks. Directed by Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. It’s probably going to be Bill Belichick with a heavy hand on offense, but the whole setup is sickly intriguing no matter who’s calling the plays.” — Pick Six Podcast host Will Brinson on why he predicts the Patriots will upset the Dolphins, 17-14. To read the rest of his picks, click here.
Ravens at Jets
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Ravens -4 Current: Ravens -6.5 “Ravens star Lamar Jackson is betting on himself this year and has what it takes to find another level of success in 2022. Baltimore’s wide receiver corps doesn’t look good on paper, but this offense relies on Mark Andrews. The ground game. Also keep an eye on rookie Isaiah Likely. “Jets quarterback Joe Flacco is starting over the injured Zach Wilson on Sunday, which I don’t think is even a huge downgrade — especially considering Flacco is probably very ready to face his former team. However, the New York has lost five of the previous six season openers, while Baltimore has won five of the last six season openers. “Look, I think the Jets did a lot of great things in the offseason and that this franchise is on the right track. They’re still not on the same level as the Ravens, though. I’ll put John William Harbaugh up seven points.” — The CBS Sports’ Jordan Dayani on why he scores and plays Baltimore vs. New York.
Jaguars in Commanders
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), streaming on fuboTV (try free) Open: Commanders -4.5 Current: Commanders -2.5 “That’s going to be former Eagles coach Doug Pederson going against former Eagles quarterback in Carson Wentz. The Jaguars beat Wentz and the Colts last year in the finals, so he’s not in Indianapolis anymore. They’re going to beat him again. The Jaguars defense has a chance to be very good and it shows here.” — CBS Sports senior NFL analyst Pete Prisco predicts the Jaguars will upset the Commanders.
Browns at Panthers
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Browns -4.5 Current: PK “With their stout defense and elite rushing attack, the Browns will be quite the matchup in Carolina. Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and Co. will cause a major headache for the Panthers’ revamped offensive line. In what is expected to be a low-scoring game score — the 42.5 total is the second-lowest of the week — getting more than one touchdown is important.” — SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein on why he’s teasing the Browns from +1.5 to +7.5. Of course, this is just one of a handful of teaser options Hartstein has released for Week 1, and it’s not his official home plate game. To get the full breakdown on this official game and the rest of the teaser selection, head over to SportsLine.
Colts in Texas
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Colts -7.5 Current: Colts -7 The Indianapolis Colts will see the debut of veteran quarterback Matt Ryan when they hit the road to face the Texans in Week 1. Since Indy has improved at the game’s most important position and faces one of the worst teams in the NFL in the Texans, this will be a popular Survivor choice. And for good reason! The Colts have owned their AFC South rivals in recent years, winning seven of their last eight meetings against the Texans. Houston has also struggled at home, going 1-7 in its last eight games at NRG Stadium. If you want further analysis before you lock in your pick, check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say about this game.
Giants on the Titans
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (try free) Open: Titans -6.5 Current: Titans -5.5 This week, I’m backing a ‘dog without high expectations after an awful year against a team that could miss the playoffs after earning the No. 1 seed last year: New York Giants +5.5 at Tennessee Titans. “Young coaches have historically done well against the spread in Week 1, except for a brutal stretch in 2018-19, but rather than blindly play, I pick my spots with the young coaches who I believe are the best candidates for long-term stories success. And I certainly feel that way about Brian Daboll, who built one of the league’s best offense in Buffalo and turned a divisive prospect in Josh Allen into a perennial MVP candidate. I don’t think the upside is that high with the offense he’s inheriting in New York, but this should be a franchise on the rise after the front office mistakes and coaching mistakes of the past few years. “The team…
