2011 NFL Week 1 Odds

Posted by Anthony Stalter (09/05/2011 @ 2:09 pm)

Oddsmakers have released the point spreads for Week 1 in the NFL. Along with a complete list of odds, here are a couple of games that jump out at me as we head into the opening week in the NFL.

Saints @ Packers, 8:30PM ET, Thursday
The action gets kicked off this season with a matchup between the 2010 Super Bowl champion Packers and the 2009 Super Bowl champion Saints. I envision a rebound year for Drew Brees and the Saints, who added solid depth on both sides of the ball this offseason and drafted a running back in Mark Ingram that could help restore balance to Sean Payton’s offense. The Packers, meanwhile, are coming off a Super Bowl win and will have tight end Jermichael Finley and running back Ryan Grant back from injury. Aaron Rodgers is an absolute stud and should be talked about among the league’s elite. In terms of the odds, the total is set high for a reason but I see this game falling under. In four of the last five season openers the total has fallen under and even though both of these teams can both light up the scoreboard, I don’t think we’ll see either of the Saints or Packers’ best offensive efforts this Thursday. Don’t forget it was a short offseason in terms of season preparation.
ODDS: PACKERS –4 (47)

Colts @ Texans, 1:00PM ET, Sunday
Personally, I think this is the Texans’ year. They went a long way to improve their horrendous defense by hiring Wade Phillips as coordinator and signing free agent corner Jonathan Joseph. Phillips has a knack for turning teams around quickly and I don’t think Houston will be an aberration. Peyton Manning will likely miss Week 1 and that means Kerry Collins will get the nod. If Manning is healthy the Colts are liable to go 12-4 but without him, they could just as easily fall to 4-12. The Texans usually start off the season on fire before fading in the second half. Maybe this year will be different. I see them getting off to a good start and without Manning, this one could be a blowout.
ODDS: TEXANS –9 (45.5)

Steelers @ Ravens, 1:00PM ET, Sunday
The schedule makers didn’t do fans any favors by making these teams play each other so early in the season. It’s Steelers-Ravens, so the game is going to be physical and exhausting. But the weather is going to be nice, most times these early-season games are sloppy and even though it’s a divisional game, each team still has 15 more to go after this. I would have rather seen these teams play later in the year but nevertheless, get your chinstrap on tight, folks. The Steelers seem like a bargain here, especially seeing as how they’re 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven games against the Ravens and the road team is 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these two teams.
ODDS: RAVENS –1 (36)

Cowboys @ Jets, 8:20PM ET, Sunday
The Sunday night matchup figures to be a good one between two potential playoff teams from separate conferences. I think this is a big opening test for the Cowboys, who are coming off a horrible year and need to prove to the rest of the league that last season is behind them. On the other side, the Jets opened up last season on Monday Night Football and put together an embarrassing display versus the Ravens. Don’t think Rex Ryan isn’t reminding his team of that throughout the week. The Cowboys are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games as an underdog and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall. I see a bounce back year for the ‘Boys, so I like that they’re getting 4.5 points in this one.
ODDS: JETS –4.5 (40.5)

Thursday, September 8, 2011
New Orleans Saints +4 (47)
Green Bay Packers –4

Sunday, September 11, 2011
Pittsburgh Steelers +2.5 (36)
Baltimore Ravens –2.5
Detroit Lions +1 (41)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1
Atlanta Falcons –2.5 (41)
Chicago Bears +2.5
Buffalo Bills +5.5 (40.5)
Kansas City Chiefs –5.5
Indianapolis Colts +9 (45.5)
Houston Texans –9
Philadelphia Eagles –4.5 (43.5)
St. Louis Rams +4.5
Cincinnati Bengals +6.5 (36)
Cleveland Browns –6.5
Tennessee Titans +3 (38.5)
Jacksonville Jaguars –3
New York Giants –3 (38)
Washington Redskins +3
Carolina Panthers +7 (37)
Arizona Cardinals –7
Seattle Seahawks +6 (38)
San Francisco 49ers -6
Minnesota Vikings +9 (40.5)
San Diego Chargers –9
Dallas Cowboys +4.5 (41)
New York Jets –4.5