NFL 2024 Week 1 Prequel
The agony is over. The waiting is over. The miserable existence known as the NFL offseason is over. Pro football is back, thank God. Here is the NFL 2024 Week 1 Prequel, with point spreads provided by CBS.com and all times Eastern.
Thursday, September 5, 2024, 8pm
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs (-3) — The Chiefs are the two time defending champions, but they were very vulnerable last year. They staggered to a championship. They loses pieces every year but Walrus Andy Reid and Kermit the Frog Patrick Mahomes are still there. John Harbaugh is as solid as ever. Lamar Jackson is a great regular season quarterback but he just can’t seem to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Ravens might be the better team, but go with the trend. Chiefs cover
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (-2 1/2) in Brazil — The very first ever NFL game in Brazil makes for a rare special Friday night football game not involving high school or college. The Eagles were cruising toward their second straight NFC Championship until a late season collapse doomed them. The Packers overachieved and shocked Dallas on the road in the Wildcard playoffs. The Packers now have bruiser Josh Jacobs. Jordan Love just signed a monster contract, but Jalen Hurts is better. Nick Sirianni is already on the hot seat. The Eagles have a chip on their shoulder, especially newly acquired Saquon Barkley. Expect them to rally around their embattled coach, especially early on.Eagles cover
Houston Texans (-2 1/2) at Indianapolis Colts — Last year CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson were two of the newest faces of the NFL. Yet Richardson went down early in the season with a bad concussion and other injuries, delaying this rivalry a year. Stroud established himself as the real deal. Because Richarsdon remains an unknown, so do the Colts. Go with the known commodity who is very good. The Texans knocked the Colts out of the playoffs to win the division last year. Their momentum will continue Texans cover
Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins (-3) — The Jaguars began last year 8-3 before Trevor Lawrence suffered an injured shoulder. The team collapsed. Now Lawrence and Doug Pederson look to build on consecutive nine win seasons with a deep playoff run. The Dolphins also were red hot most of the year before bungling away the division and home field advantage in the playoffs against Buffalo. Tua Tagovailoa took the next step last year. Both of these teams need to right the ship from promising seasons gone wrong. The Dolphins have the better defense. Dolphins cover
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-4) — This year could be the swan song for Dennis Allen and Derek Carr if they don’t get it done. They start against an awful Panthers team that saw top pick Bryce Young overshadowed by other quarterbacks. The Saints swept the Panthers last year. The Saints still have running back Alvin Kamara to ease the pressure on Carr. The Saints have a good defense. Go with the defense and the home field. Saints cover
Minnesota Vikings (-1) at New York Giants — The Vikings lost Kirk Cousins in free agency. They still have Justin Jefferson, but nobody knows if Sam Darnold is washed up. Meanwhile, the Giants are a dumpster fire. Daniel Jones was never that good, and now Saquon Barkley is gone. It will be a long season for Big Blue. Vikings cover
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers (-3 1/2) — Forget the 63 points the Raiders put up on the Chargers late last year. There is a new sheriff in town. If Jim Harbaugh cannot motivate the perpetually underachieving Chargers, nobody can. Antonio Pierce did well enough as an interim coach, but now he has his first season as the true head man. The Raiders have Gardner Minshew starting over the stiff Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders defense has improved. Harbaugh will develop the Chargers into a nasty defense. The question is if the turnaround can begin in his first game. The Raiders looked awful in preseason. Los Angeles is a de facto home game for the Raiders. Zamir White is good enough, but the Raiders will regret losing Josh Jacobs. Going against Harbaugh is foolish. Chargers cover
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks (-5 1/2) — Russell Wilson now plays for neither team. Pete Carroll is gone. Nobody knows what to make of the Seahawks now. Sean Payton found a gem of a quarterback in Bo Nix. The 12th man is not what it was. Go with the experience of Payton in his second season. Upset special, Broncos win outright
Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns (-2 1/2) — Both teams are loaded, but can they finally get it done? The Cowboys kept their star players. The Browns have the better defense. Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat as Jerry Jones declares this season Super Bowl or bust for the umpteenth straight year. The Brows added several wide receivers to compliment their defense. Dan Prescott is overrated, but nobody knows what to make of Deshaun Watson after his long absence. The Cowboys are desperate desperadoes. Go with them in a battle of two hungry teams. Cowboys cover
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) — The Commanders are a mess. The Buccaneers somehow still have Todd Bowles as the head coach. The Buccaneers still have Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, who will put points on the board. The Buccaneers have the better defense. Buccaneers cover
Los Rams at Detroit Lions (-3 1/2) — The Lions went from perennial doormats to a couple fluke plays from the Super Bowl. Sean McVay and Dan Campbell are stud coaches in different ways. They both have the big balls to make the gutsy calls in big situations. The Rams are not what they were, and Jared Goff badly wants to beat the team and coach who gave up on him. Expect Matthew Stafford to do the same against his former team. Expect Campbell to pull out all the stops. This could be a track meet. Lions win but fail to cover
New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers (-4) — If Aaron Rodgers can play more than four snaps, the Jets may have a very good season. Yet Rodgers always struggled against the Green Bay defense. Brock Purdy has come into his own and Christian McCaffrey is a beast. The Jets match up well against the 49ers. Robert Saleh is on the hot seat. Kyle Shanahan should beat his former defensive coordinator by unleashing his own defense on Rodgers. The 49ers were oh so close to winning the Super Bowl last year. They will be as motivated as it gets. 49ers cover