NFL Picks for Week 1: Patriots vs. Dolphins & Chiefs vs. Cardinals Lead Top Betting Model Predictions

NFL Picks for Week 1: Patriots vs. Dolphins & Chiefs vs. Cardinals Lead Top Betting Model Predictions article feature image
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Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid

  • NFL picks for Sunday's Week 1 slate are top of mind for football bettors, who are plowing through live odds ahead of today's season-opening slate.
  • In order to pinpoint today's smartest NFL picks for Week 1, we can leverage the Action Network's football betting model which quickly identifies the biggest edges across an entire slate.
  • And based on our NFL betting model picks, Patriots vs. Dolphins, Jaguars vs. Commanders and Chiefs vs. Cardinals lead Sunday's best football bets.

Examining NFL betting predictions for Week 1 is different from every other week of the regular season.

Of course you have the excitement that professional football is returning, but from an NFL betting perspective, Week 1 odds have been available since May at most sportsbooks.

Obviously this won't be the case again going forward once the season is officially underway.

This affects NFL Week 1 predictions as well because odds have so much time to move and adjust based on a multitude of factors, like injuries, suspensions, betting action, etc.

Long story, short: It's hard to peg exactly what is behind many NFL Week 1 line moves over the course of four months.

With this in mind, accurate NFL predictions, which are always extremely valuable, can be even more useful in Week 1 as they already take into account all of the player news from the summer to power rate each team, then compare them to live odds for the top available edges.

And based on the Action Network's NFL betting model predictions, three matchups come to the forefront as the biggest Week 1 edges.

NFL Predictions for Week 1

*NFL odds as of Sunday morning

Patriots vs. Dolphins Prediction

1 p.m. ET | CBS

When we think of consistently underrated teams, the New England Patriots don't come to mind, but that's exactly the case for their Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.