NFL Week 1 odds, spreads: Cowboys-Eagles and Vikings-Bears bookend our football premiere

The football scheduling gods decided to deliver a delicious Week 1 platter … or maybe we’re just starved. To a hammer football fan in early September, everything looks like a nail must-watch.

Action starts Thursday with the rivalry fixture between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, a matchup that — depending on your loyalties — is either disappointingly or wonderfully lopsided. The defending Super Bowl champs are 7.5-point favorites against their floundering counterparts from Texas. The Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season in which they missed the playoffs, and they’ve only won a single playoff game in the last six seasons. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, the vibes started off poorly with preseason drama over star defensive end Micah Parsons’ contract, which led to his eventual trade. The spread moved from 7 to 7.5 after Parsons was dealt to Green Bay.

On the other end of the Parsons deal, Green Bay is a 2.5-point favorite against Detroit. The Packers were 1.5-point favorites before the deal. The game in Green Bay will be a litmus test for Detroit, which lost two coordinators and its three-time All-Pro center, Frank Ragnow, and went out in the playoffs against the underdog Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels. The Commanders happen to be 6-point favorites over the Giants this week.

Sunday night’s primetime NBC game sees the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Buffalo Bills in another tight matchup in the odds and between two MVP contenders. Josh Allen and his “Hard Knocks” Bills are 1-point favorites in Highmark Stadium in what should truly be a clash of titans.

Speaking of titans, Tennessee is playing in Denver as 8-point underdogs, yikes. That’s the only spread bigger than a touchdown in Week 1. The Titans are debuting No. 1 pick Cam Ward while the Broncos head into Year 2 with 2024 rookie Bo Nix, who outperformed expectations last year.

Another close matchup, in the eyes of the oddsmakers, is Miami at Indianapolis (-1.5). The Colts are starting Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson.

Bookending the glorious first week of “real” football is another contentious division-rivalry matchup, this one between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. This one isn’t lopsided at all: The Vikings are 1.5-point favorites, but the football world is watching to see if this could be the breakout season for Caleb Williams under his new coach, Ben Johnson, who Chicago snagged from the Detroit Lions coaching staff. Johnson is the betting favorite in Coach of the Year odds right now, too.

NFL Week 1 odds

All games on Sunday unless indicated. Looking for NFL tickets? Find them here.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (Thursday)

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers (Friday)

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints

Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots

Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants at Washington Commanders

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams

Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (Monday)

(Photo of Caleb Williams: Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)

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