Phil Agius
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The favorites covered comfortably in the first game of NFL Week 1, but there will surely be upsets on Sunday’s slate and in this article we’ll try to point the way towards three underdogs that could defy the odds.
Our NFL team has high hopes for a number of underdog squads — on the spread at least — in the first set of games, and there are two in our Week 1 NFL mega parlay for a start.
We’ve identified three other games in which the team getting points could have a better chance than the odd suggest. Let’s take a look at our best underdog bets for Week 1 of the NFL season.
Jacksonville Jaguars +2.5 (+100) vs Washington Commanders
Odds available at PointsBet Sportsbook at time of publishing
The Jaguars were the victims of an upset in Week 1 last season, when they lost 37-21 to the Texans in Urban Meyer’s first game as head coach. Doug Pederson’s Jacksonville debut should go much better as the Super Bowl-winning coach looks to turn around a roster that has acquired some serious young talent.
Players such as quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and pass-rusher Travon Walker were able to be signed only because the Jaguars have been so bad in recent years but they should be capable of producing results a lot closer to their potential than they did for most of last season.
It’s a clue in itself that the Jags are such small underdogs for a road game, as the Commanders have just as many issues to deal with. Carson Wentz makes his first start for Washington and the Jaguars are probably the last team he would want to see after the Jaguars’ 26-11 Week 18 win that knocked the Colts out of the playoffs and soon led to his departure from Indianapolis. With playmakers on both sides of the ball, the Jaguars have a chance to show they are a more serious proposition under Pederson this season.
We have NFL picks for every game on the Week 1 slate.
New York Giants +5.5 (-107) vs Tennessee Titans
Odds available at PointsBet Sportsbook at time of publishing
Siding with a Giants team who lost their last 6 games of last season on the road against the 2021 AFC #1 seeds might not be for everyone, but they’re getting a handy start on the spread and there are reasons to fade the Titans at this stage of the season at least.
Tennessee has lost Julio Jones and AJ Brown from its receiving corps this season, with the pressure on rookie Treylon Burks to pick up the slack, and more pointedly on QB Ryan Tannehill to deliver the ball to him. With rookie Malik Willis waiting in the wings after some promising preseason performances, the veteran passer starts the season in the hot seat.
Those losses the Giants sustained at the end of last season, dropping them from 4-7 to a miserable final record of 4-13, came with Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm at quarterback, and whatever you think of Daniel Jones as a QB, there’s no denying he’s an upgrade on that pair. The Giants have recruited well in the offseason and new head coach Brian Daboll will expect his team to be at least competitive in his first game.
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Dallas Cowboys +2.5 (-105) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
Dallas has come in for plenty of flak for some of its offseason moves, such as trading away top receiver Amari Cooper, leaving a questionable group behind, but no one could claim the Buccaneers have had an ideal preparation either.
QB Tom Brady has had limited time on the practice field in recent weeks after taking time off for personal reasons and the Bucs’ offensive line has suffered a number of hits in recent weeks — that could lead to the same happening to Brady. It won’t be an easy mission for the Cowboys as they head out on the road for their opener, but they’re not without a shot of a notable victory.
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