Latest NFL Regular Season Week 1 Preview, Odds & Predictions

The 2024 NFL regular season is almost upon us. Week 1 will kick off with Thursday Night Football between the Baltimore Ravens and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. As the new season gets underway, there are a whole host of intriguing matchups on a busy schedule.

Let’s break down some of the best Week 1 games and discuss the top best bets to make. 

NFL Week 1 preview: Houston Texans -2.5 (-110) at Indianapolis Colts +2.5 (-110) 

The AFC South will not waste time offering a crucial contest, as the Houston Texans will visit the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. 

Both teams have realistic division-title aspirations; the Texans may have even bigger things on their mind. Expectations are sky-high in Houston after this team won the division with a 10-7 record in 2023. The Texans are favored to go back-to-back in 2024, albeit not in overwhelming fashion. There is a lot to like about head coach Demeco Ryans’ club. The Texans hit a home run with quarterback C.J. Stroud as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and now Stroud has even more weapons to work with than he did during his first year as a professional. Houston acquired both receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon this past offseason. 

The Colts boast a promising young QB of their own in Anthony Richardson, but he has not played since Week 4 of the 2023 campaign due to a shoulder injury. 

NFL Week 1 Preview: Dallas Cowboys +2.5 (-110) at Cleveland Browns -2.5 (-110) 

No team finds itself more in the headlines on an annual basis than the Dallas Cowboys. Such is the nature of the business. This year is certainly no exception, as Jerry Jones made news by signing wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a massive contract extension. As for quarterback Dak Prescott, who could be a free agent at the end of this season, discussions are still in progress.

Dallas got blown out by Green Bay in the divisional round last season and did not do a whole lot in the offseason to bolster its roster. Thus expectations should be kept in moderation, even if Jones’ are perennially through the roof for his franchise.

Will the Cleveland Browns be able to capitalize at home against an opponent that appears to be solid but unspectacular? It’s possible, but there is also no guarantee about what we will get from the Browns in 2024. They come in with question marks of their own, namely in the form of QB Deshaun Watson. Even if Watson can stay healthy and play a full 17-game slate, it’s hard to know what to expect from a guy who used to be one of the best quarterbacks in football before dealing with issues both on and off the field.

Just about anything could happen in this Sunday afternoon contest. The only certainty is that it will be worth watching. 

NFL Week 1 Preview: Los Angeles Rams +3.5 (-110) at Detroit Lions -3.5 (-110)

This may not be a division-rival game, but it does not get much bigger in Week 1 than a showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions. It is a rematch of the 2023 Wild Card Round of the NFC playoffs, in which Detroit prevailed 24-23 at home. This is also a matchup between two teams that swapped quarterbacks in 2021. Matthew Stafford took his talents from Detroit to Los Angeles and immediately won the Super Bowl in his first season with the Rams. Jared Goff was shipped from the Rams to the Lions in the deal for Stafford, and to say that the former Cal signal-caller has the Detroit franchise going in the right direction would be a gross understatement.

After scraping past Los Angeles in a wild-card thriller, Detroit defeated Tampa Bay in the Divisional Round before losing a heartbreaker to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. Led by Goff, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions are a young squad that only seems to be improving.

The Rams are more of a team in transition now that defensive tackle Aaron Donald has retired, but they cannot be discounted. Los Angeles used each of their first two draft picks on the defensive line, selecting Florida State teammates Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. On the other side of the ball, Stafford has bona fide weapons on his hands in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

This should be a fun one, just as it was during the playoffs in January.

Summary

The best bet to make in Week 1 is for the Texans to cover the -2.5 spread against the Colts. Complementing Stroud in Houston is a talented defense led by recent first-round draft picks in cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and edge Will Anderson. The Texans also bolstered their pass rush with the addition of Danielle Hunter.

With Richardson having missed most of last season, he could be rusty heading into this one – and Houston is not an easy opponent to face right off the bat. Look for the visitors to win and cover a small number. 

Read More:

• NFL Preseason Roundup
• NFL betting odds