In the last few seasons, the NFL Picks have proved to be productive with a number of winning years put together.
Again, I will have more words about that in the Week 2 thread, which will be posted next Wednesday, but this is a thread that will be trying to get this season off to a strong start.
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles Pick: The defending Super Bowl Champions look to have returned a very strong roster capable of repeating next February, although none of that talk is allowed inside the locker room.
Instead the focus in Week 1 of the 2025 season is making sure the Philadelphia Eagles are locked in on rivals Dallas Cowboys and not on the banner being raised.
Things will be starting afresh on Thursday Night Football and the Eagles will be looking to make an early statement.
Landon Dickerson is hoping to be available and that will mean the Eagles have an Offensive Line that can set the early tempo. Last season they were very important to Saquon Barkley's highly impressive year, and there is every chance that Philadelphia will be able to come out and run the ball very efficiently against this Cowboys Defensive Line.
That powerful Offensive Line will give Jalen Hurts time to throw the ball too and that should be especially the case on Thursday Night Football after the Dallas Cowboys made a huge decision to trade away Micah Parsons. This is a move that is going to overshadow much of the season in Dallas and will be judged in each passing week, but it looks like it will be difficult for the Cowboys to stop the Eagles having a balanced Offensive output.
This is a big spread for a first game of the season- in recent years defending Champions have not always been able to dominate in Week 1, but the Eagles should be doubly focused with this being a Divisional game.
Dak Prescott is back for the Dallas Cowboys and this is a Quarter Back who has enjoyed playing the Eagles in his career and he does have some quality skill players to pick up his passes.
However, the biggest test for the Cowboys is finding a way to run the ball and not put their Quarter Back in obvious passing down and distance.
The Dallas Offensive Line is not as strong as it has been in recent years, and it feels like it is going to be a challenge to run the ball against this Philadelphia Defensive Line. If they are forcing Dak Prescott to complete from third and long, there will be moments that the Quarter Back will have success, but it is also going to lead to potentially dangerous situations and turnovers could be key to the outcome of the opening game.
The Cowboys have to be motivated by the two blowout losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and they are unlikely to be manhandled early in this one.
Dak Prescott has two Wide Receivers that can keep the team ticking over early, but being one-dimensional against this Philadelphia Defensive unit is not going to lead to a lot of success.
The Eagles are 4-1-1 against the spread in the last six against the Dallas Cowboys and they may make some late plays to push past this line set for the kickoff game.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Jets Pick: Revenge games can be big motivators for players and Coaches, but both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets will be led into this game by Quarter Backs who have something to prove.
Aaron Rodgers spent two years with the New York Jets, but it was not nearly as effective as the home fans would have hoped and a new Head Coach and General Manager decided they would move on from the veteran.
Suffice to say Rodgers has not been very happy with some of the decision making, while also taking offence to the fact that he had to pay for travel to a meeting he feels could have been done on the telephone. He has since signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers would love to open the season with a win on the road.
At the same time, he is replacing Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in the Pittsburgh Quarter Back room and the latter is in New York hoping to finally prove that he can be the face of a franchise having failed to hold down the job with the Chicago Bears and Steelers previously.
Justin Fields is going to make full use of the legs in this game against a team that will be well aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
However, the Offensive Line has lost a key player for the season in Alijah Vera-Tucker and that is going to make it tougher for the Jets, even if they are facing a Pittsburgh Defensive Line that showed real weakness down the stretch in the 2024 season.
There are some decent skill players around Justin Fields, but the Quarter Back will be aware of the qualities of the Pittsburgh Defensive unit and it could be a tough day throwing the ball. Establishing the run is going to be important for the Jets, but that injury on the Offensive Line hurts.
At the same time, the New York Jets Defense will be aware of what Aaron Rodgers can do and the veteran has not been with the Pittsburgh Steelers for too long. That could mean having some chemistry issues with his Receivers, notably DK Metcalf who has arrived from the Seattle Seahawks and so it is also going to be important for the Steelers to try and establish the run and give Aaron Rodgers the best chance to make plays.
If they can do that, Aaron Rodgers can use the chip on the shoulder to make the right passes in this one and put the Steelers in a position to win this one on the road.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin has not been a great favourite to back, especially when facing first year Head Coaches, and that is always a concern.
Backing a road favourite in Week 1 can be tough too, but Tomlin has had successes when having time to prepare for an opponent and his Steelers team are 4-1 against the spread in their opening game of the season. Only one of those games was as a favourite, although that was in 2020 in this Stadium against the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to cover on that occasion.
MY PICKS: Philadelphia Eagles - 8 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Pittsburgh Steelers - 2.5 Points @ 1.85 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
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