The NFL regular season has finally returned! Luckily for you, every week during the season, I will share my NFL picks here and over on Pickswise. For Week 1, I’m diving into two key matchups to kick things off, as each of the four teams in this article have plenty of question marks entering the season. Take a look at my top betting angles for the Tennessee Titans vs Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks matchups in NFL Week 1 below.
Tennessee Titans vs Chicago Bears Predictions
Titans vs Bears Point Spread Pick: Tennessee +4.5 (-110)
The Tennessee Titans will head to Chicago to battle the Bears, and all eyes will be on the #1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, QB Caleb Williams. Strong quarterback play isn’t something Bears fans have been used to, but Williams is one of the best QB prospects in recent seasons, and plenty will be expected of him after Chicago decided to ship off Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and go all in on Williams. The front office has done plenty to put talent around him too, as they signed veteran WR Keenan Allen, RB D’Andre Swift and TE Gerald Everett and drafted Rome Odunze with the #9 pick in the NFL Draft. However, the defense still has question marks, especially up front, as they failed to generate pressure last season and were extremely weak at stopping the run.
Meanwhile, the Titans enter the season with Will Levis leading the team, and I’m not very confident he’ll have a successful career in the NFL. However, Tennessee has done a lot to bolster their defense, as they traded for former Chiefs CB CB L’Jarius Sneed and signed former Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie. They now have two elite cornerbacks, who will bolster a secondary that struggled in 2023. RB Derrick Henry is no longer with the team, but they added Tony Pollard and WR Calvin Ridley, so I expect their offense to be slightly better than last year.
I expect Chicago will have a successful season, but much of that success will depend on Williams playing as a top-15 QB. In his debut, he will be facing what could be one of the best secondaries in the league. Additionally, I anticipate that the Titans will be able to take advantage of a Bears front-seven that struggled to stop the run last year,, as they made no significant improvements in the draft or offseason. Therefore, I’ll be backing the visitors with the points as the first pick in my Tennessee Titans vs Chicago Bears predictions.
Titans vs Bears prediction: Titans +4.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing, playable down to +4.
Titans vs Bears Game Total (Over/Under) Pick: Under 45.5 (-110)
The second of my Tennessee Titans vs Chicago Bears predictions goes hand-in-hand with my first, as I’m expecting a low-scoring affair. I simply cannot trust Will Levis to run a competant passing attack, even though Tennessee added Ridley this offseason. Additionally, the Titans will likely be a run-heavy team once again, which leads to fewer possessions for what could be an explosive Chicago offense. I expect the Titans to control the time of possession on Sunday.
For Chicago, I anticipate that Williams will struggle out of the gates, especially if they elect to throw the ball early and often. Both Sneed and Awuzie were the No. 1 CB on their respective teams last season, and even with a loaded skill-position room, I can’t picture the Bears lighting the Titans up via the air. Additionally, Tennessee’s defensive line is extremely strong, as Harold Landry and Arden Key return, who combined for 16.5 sacks last season. The one area where Chicago could take advantage of them is in the LB position, as their current projected starters are Kenneth Murray and Jack Gibbens. However, this will require Williams to take what the defense gives him, which is a rare trait of rookie QBs.
With so much excitement around Williams, this total has ballooned too much. Back the under in Chicago for NFL Week 1, as both offenses will likely struggle to start the season.
Titans vs Bears prediction: Under 45.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing, playable down to 45.
Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks Predictions
Broncos vs Seahawks Point Spread Pick: Seattle -5.5 (-115) – ⭐ ️BEST BET ⭐
The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks face off as one of the four games in the late-afternoon slate for NFL Week 1, and I wouldn’t call this matchup must-watch TV. Denver enters the year with rookie QB Bo Nix at the helm, and I’m not very high on the Oregon standout as an NFL-caliber player. After two seasons with Russell Wilson leading the team, Sean Payton is essentially starting over again at the QB position, and it will likely be rough sledding for Denver this year. In addition to parting ways with Wilson, Denver also lost WR Jerry Jeudy, C Lloyd Cushenberry and LB Josey Jewell, who were all key parts of last year’s squad.
Pete Carroll is no longer in town for Seattle, and I expect some regression from a team that surprised many people last season behind the QB play of Geno Smith. The biggest issue for Seattle in 2023-24 was their defense, specifically their defensive line (31st in EPA last year), as they were last in the NFL against the run. However, rookie Byron Murphy should immediately improve this defense, and going up against a rookie QB to start the season will help improve their chances of starting the year on the right foot. However, they lost their top three linebackers, Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks and Devin Bush, so there are plenty of questions surrounding this unit. On the other hand, I expect this offense to be quite strong, as they added OT George Fant to help on the line, and they still have an elite WR unit with D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to compliment their two-headed rushing attack of Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.
This game is among the ugliest on the NFL Week 1 slate, but I expect Seattle to win easily. Their home advantage isn’t as strong as when the Legion of Boom was leading the defense, but they should still be able to dominate the Broncos on the ground or through the air. Outside of CB Patrick Surtain II and DT Byron Murphy, this Denver defense is void of talent, and I’m not exactly sure how they will scheme an offensive plan outside of giving the ball to RB Javonte Williams. The Broncos were 3-5 on the road last season, and I expect them to be one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2024-25. Back Seattle to win big at home.
Broncos vs Seahawks prediction: Seattle -5.5 (-115) available at the time of publishing, playable down to -6.5
Broncos vs Seahawks Game Total (Over/Under) Pick: Over 41.5 (-110)
I expect Seattle to win by a TD or more, but the lack of talent on both teams’ defenses is too big to ignore, and another one of my Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks predictions is for Sunday’s game to feature 42+ points. As I said in my spread breakdown, neither defense is solid, and I expect Seattle to score 28+ points. Their receiver room is too talented, and Zach Charbonet will cause multiple issues as a receiver out of the backfield. Additionally, George Fant should improve this offensive line, and if they can keep Smith on his feet, they should have no issues running the score up. I’m not sure how much success Seattle will have via the ground game, but that should only lead to them taking a pass-heavy approach.
I’m not expecting Dever to score too many points, but Seattle’s defense will still be one of the worst units in the NFL. Their front-seven has multiple questions, and they have two new safeties after the departures of Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams to go with an entirely new LB core. If the Broncos can control the line of scrimmage, Javonte Williams will be in for a big day, and I expect Denver to be able to put together at least two TD drives. Yes, they have a rookie QB at the helm, but Sean Payton should be able to assemble a gameplan that exposes Seattle’s questionable defense.
Broncos vs Seahawks prediction: Over 41.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing, playable up to 42.