US Open Day 14 Tennis Pick 2026- Women's Final (Saturday 12th September)

Two matches remain the 2026 Grand Slam season in the Tennis world and both Finals at the US Open bring plenty of intrigue into the weekend.

Thirteen years have passed since the US Open Final was played between the top two Seeds and this will strengthen the WTA Tour considering both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are multiple time Grand Slam Champions already.

It is Elena Rybakina who will be taking over as World Number 1 on Monday, but it is Aryna Sabalenka who will enter the Final as favourite having won the US Open in each of the last two years. The top Seed certainly put together the more impressive Semi Final win, although it is Rybakina who has the mental advantage of having won the Australian Open Final when these two met in Melbourne in the first Grand Slam of the season.

Aryna Sabalenka-Elena Rybakina over 22.5 games: The US Open Final is a repeat of the Australian Open Final which was won by Elena Rybakina in three sets.

She will be taking over as the World Number 1 regardless of how this Final plays out, but Elena Rybakina would love to secure a second Grand Slam in 2026 to underline that new position. Fighting back to beat Coco Gauff in the Semi Final will have given Elena Rybakina a confidence boost having dropped the first set in each of her last two wins at the tournament, but she would like to avoid that against the two time defending US Open Champion.

Aryna Sabalenka has not had a bad year on the Tour, but she has set high standards and has clearly not met them.

The top Seed at the US Open has not had a great summer and the lack of success at the last two Grand Slam events would have dented the belief, although Aryna Sabalenka clearly enjoys playing in New York City. She put in a very solid performance to beat Jessica Pegula in the Semi Final and spending fifty minutes less on the court than Elena Rybakina could still be important.

Both players are going to want to work behind the serve- if that aspect of the tennis is not quite at the top level, the rest of the tennis can fall away and that is something that both Sabalenka and Rybakina will be aware of avoiding. Serving well just helps settle any nerves by offering up a few more cheaper points and it is very important to get plenty of first serves into play to avoid offering the other an opportunity to get on the front foot immediately.

You have to expect to see plenty of winners, although the layers are perhaps right to give Aryna Sabalenka the narrow edge seeing as her serve has been in slightly better nick than Elena Rybakina's as the tournament has been winding down. That is not to say Rybakina is serving poorly, but those fine margins may be in favour of the two time defending Champion, who is also very aware of how to win big matches on this court.

It also could be a factor that Aryna Sabalenka has won the last two hard court matches against Elena Rybakina at Indian Wells and Miami since the Australian Open Final defeat. Those wins have just turned the momentum of the head to head after Elena Rybakina had won seven of nine hard court matches between the pair and Sabalenka has to take real confidence from those back to back wins.

Again, that may be the slight edge the current World Number 1 needs to beat the opponent who will be taking over that spot in the Rankings on Monday morning.

However, it would be a surprise if Elena Rybakina cannot push this match and she is a player that looks a big price to win the title here for the first time.

She does not look the type of player who will be thinking about those consecutive defeats to this opponent, but instead Elena Rybakina will just do what she does best and that is serve big and hit big and see where that takes her. The success in the Australian Open Final will also be a big reminder of what she can do against Aryna Sabalenka and this could develop into another scrap between the two best players on the Tour.

A deciding set has been needed in two of the three hard court matches between these players in 2026 and this US Open Final may be yet another that goes the distance.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka-Elena Rybakina Over 22.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

US Open Update: 32-22, + 7.16 Units (108 Units Staked, + 6.63% Yield)

College Football Week 2 Picks 2026 (Saturday 12th September)

The first few days of September have been pretty challenging and it has meant that this thread has not been able to be as full as usual.

Week 2 of the College Football season is a time when teams begin to take on stronger opponents and there are some very big non-Conference games to be played that could have an impact in the final placings when it comes to the Playoffs later in the year.

From Week 3, there will be a real effort at a thread with some analysis to go along with the selections.

MY PICKS; Kansas State Wildcats - 17.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Oklahoma Sooner - 4.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Clemson Tigers - 19.5 Points @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Auburn Tigers - 32.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)

USC Trojans - 30.5 Points @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)

Week 0: 0-3, - 3 Units (3 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

European Tour 13- Flanders Darts Trophy Day 2 Picks 2026 (Saturday 12th September)

The Second Round of the Flanders Darts Trophy sees some of the top names enter the tournament, although there will be a number of competitors who will believe they can pick up the thirteenth European Tour title of the season.

Most will be playing with spots in the European Championship Finals close to be secured, if not guaranteed, but there is still plenty to motivate those involved in this tournament, including the healthy prize money.

Rob Cross - 1.5 legs v Martin Schindler: The former World Champion has been putting a lot of quality results on the board over the last three months and his form looks too hot for Martin Schindler to handle.

While Rob Cross is improving, Martin Schindler is sliding down the Rankings and he is going to be in danger of losing his Seeding position at these European Tour events.

European 12 was a decent showing for The Wall, which will help his confidence, but Rob Cross looks full of belief and his consistency may be enough to secure passage into the Third Round.

Chris Dobey to win & both players over 1.5 180s v Niels Zonneveld: At the start of the season, Niels Zonneveld looked to be the next Dutchman who was going to be surging towards the top of the Darting world, but that momentum has slowed.

Instead it is Wessel Nijman and Kevin Doets earning the headlines and recent results have been iffy as far as Zonneveld is concerned.

In saying that, Chris Dobey has not exactly been having consistent deep runs into tournaments.

An early loss at the European Tour 12 event may have just refocused Chris Dobey as he looks to move back amongst the elite and he can win a match in which both players contribute at least two maximums.

Ross Smith - 1.5 legs v Jeffrey de Graaf: Winning important titles will continue the development of any player and Ross Smith has taking a real liking to playing on the European Tour.

He can continue on his way with a battling win over a quality opponent in the Second Round.

Jeffrey de Graaf is more than capable of producing an upset, but Ross Smith is playing some really confident darts and bounced back from a poor showing in the World Series of Darts events Down Under. He won the European Tour tournament played at the end of August and produced another couple of wins last week and Smith has shown he is now backing up his scoring with composed finishing.

His opponent played well on the floor at the end of August, but consistency at this level can be difficult to find and Jeffrey de Graaf may come up short.

Josh Rock to win & most 180s v Ryan Joyce: These two met last week and it was Josh Rock who came through against Relentless and there is every reason to believe he can back up that form.

Ryan Joyce won on Friday, but made harder work of Stephen Burton than it should have been and will have to lift his level considerably.

Nothing much was wrong with the finishing, which makes Joyce dangerous, but Josh Rock should be able to get into a position to have more opportunities in Legs and that can see him frank the result from last week.

You have to respect Ryan Joyce's ability to get into the treble 20 bed, but it is Rocky who should edge the maximum count as well.

MY PICKS: Rob Cross - 1.5 Legs @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Chris Dobey to Win & Both Players Over 1.5 180s @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Ross Smith - 1.5 Legs @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Josh Rock to Win & Most 180s @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Flanders Darts Trophy: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

US Open Day 13 Tennis Picks 2026 (Friday 11th September)

It is a day of remembrance for people around the world and especially those in the United States and New York City.

The fans will be arriving at Flushing Meadows with many memories of a painful day twenty-five years ago, but New Yorkers felt sporting events resuming back then was a reminder that the City would not be beaten by terrorists.

Friday will be an emotional day from morning until evening and it is perhaps fitting that the all-American Semi Final is going to be played in the Evening Session.

The Men's Final will be set by that second Semi Final featuring Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe and it is going to be a real test for both players to keep themselves in check, which is going to be a key to earning a spot in a first Grand Slam Final for one of them.

Earlier in the day, Alexander Zverev will face Karen Khachanov in the other Semi Final and the top Seed is the favourite to reach his second US Open Final.

Dealing with the intensity of the day will not be easy, but the four players going out on court will also be very keen to give the watching public plenty of entertainment in these two Semi Finals.

Ben Shelton - 1.5 sets v Frances Tiafoe: It is going to be an emotional day in New York City as the entire world will remember the events of 9/11 twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks in the United States.

This City was impacted more than any other and New Yorkers will be remembering those who were lost.

The US Open has two Men's Semi Final matches scheduled to take place on Friday and it is fitting that two popular American players are facing one another in the bid to reach a maiden Grand Slam Final. Fans will come out to support Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe and the two players will be very glad that they have had an extra day of recovery between the Quarter Final and the Semi Final Rounds.

Both Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe came through Quarter Final matches in five sets- the former won a final set tie-breaker against defending Champion Carlos Alcaraz, while Frances Tiafoe came from two sets behind to beat Alex Michelsen.

Frances Tiafoe reached the Cincinnati Masters Final prior to the US Open, and he has always enjoyed playing at this tournament where his most consistent Grand Slam results have been achieved. The belief is clearly in a healthy place as Tiafoe has come through a couple of matches in five sets, while that belief is only enhanced with the amount of big points the World Number 12 has continued to win.

He may also feel he is playing with 'house money' after being a game away from a straights set loss in the Quarter Final before Alex Michelsen blinked and failed to stem the tide of momentum moving against him.

Recovering from that kind of position against Ben Shelton would be a lot more difficult for Frances Tiafoe, although Shelton has to show he can back up what feels like the biggest Grand Slam win of his career. Being able to bounce back from dropping the fourth set in the manner he did and still beating Carlos Alcaraz is as impressive a result as Ben Shelton could have produced and he is serving at a really high level.

Ben Shelton will be the first to admit that his game is based around being dominant on that shot, but he looks to have improved on the return of serve and that will be the key to winning multiple Grand Slams.

He has forced plenty of breaks of serve throughout this run at the US Open and Ben Shelton is the Montreal Champion and experienced enough to have competed in a couple of Grand Slam Semi Finals before. That experience can be a real help for someone looking to back up a big win, although Frances Tiafoe can call upon plenty of that having played in two previous Semi Final matches in New York City.

This is the third time Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are facing each other at the US Open- the first in 2023 was won by Shelton in a big upset, but Frances Tiafoe was the lower Ranked player when beating Ben Shelton in five sets in 2024.

The most recent match saw Ben Shelton beat Frances Tiafoe in straight sets in Washington in 2025, and it does feel like the World Number 9 has improved on this surface this season.

Both will know the key here is to serve well, but Ben Shelton looks to have the edge in that department and he looks the more likely winner. Dismissing Frances Tiafoe's chances would be a mistake and he has had time to recover from the Quarter Final exploits, but Ben Shelton feels like the stronger player right now and he can earn revenge for the Third Round defeat to his compatriot here two years ago.

Alexander Zverev - 5.5 games v Karen Khachanov: Despite winning the French Open earlier this year and also having played in a number of other Grand Slam Finals, you can sense there is some tension in the Alexander Zverev game right now. A big opportunity has opened up to quickly pick up another Grand Slam title with the big names all falling around him, but that can also build up pressure knowing such a chance has come up.

He goes into this Semi Final after a relatively comfortable Quarter Final win and Alexander Zverev has not had to exert too much physicality in the last three Rounds after opening up with consecutive five set wins. That should mean there is more than enough left in the tank to win the US Open, but physical issues have long been less of a concern than the mental challenges he faces.

Next up for Alexander Zverev is a match against an opponent who has reached the Quarter Final at all four Grand Slams, but who has never really found the consistency to become a feature of the top ten of the World Rankings.

These days Karen Khachanov is playing as the World Number 50, although the run in New York City is going to push him back into the Seeding spots for future Grand Slam events.

In 2022, Karen Khachanov reached the Semi Final here in New York City, but that is an outlier as to how his tournament has tended to progress at the US Open. In nine other main draw appearances, Karen Khachanov had not been beyond the Third Round, although he is in the final four again in 2026 and can use the experience of four years ago in his bid to go one better.

He lost in four sets to Casper Ruud in 2022 and this is a much tougher test for Karen Khachanov, especially as he had shown no real form ahead of this final Grand Slam of the season. All three hard court matches in the lead up to the US Open had ended in defeat, but Karen Khachanov has upset two top 20 Ranked opponents in his run to the last four.

Learner Tien will really be kicking himself for letting Khachanov off the hook in the Fourth Round, but the latter is unlikely to be given such a helping hand in this match. It also should be noted that the performance level had been declining before facing an injured Alexander Blockx in the Quarter Final and Karen Khachanov is going to have to find a step up in level to earn the upset.

He should take confidence from the fact he beat Alexander Zverev at the Canadian Masters last year, although Karen Khachanov has lost four of the five hard court matches against this opponent around that victory.

Alexander Zverev had not exactly piled up the wins in preparation for the US Open, but he will be happy enough with this match up and his level has been a lot more consistent than Karen Khachanov's in this tournament.

Out of the two players, Alexander Zverev may be the one who can rely on his serve a little more than Karen Khachanov, while the World Number 2 has been the superior return player. These are factors that should end up giving Alexander Zverev the decisive edge needed in this Semi Final and the French Open Champion can reach a second US Open Final with a relatively convincing victory when all is said and done.

MY PICKS: Ben Shelton - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alexander Zverev - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

US Open Update: 31-21, + 7.72 Units (104 Units Staked, + 7.42% Yield)

European Tour 13- Flanders Darts Trophy Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 11th September)

Another European Tour event begins on the PDC Tour and that means Qualification for the European Championship Finals is beginning to be on the forefront of the player's minds.

Despite that, a number of top names have withdrawn from the Flanders Darts Trophy as they prepare for the World Series of Darts Finals to be played at the end of next week.

Of course this means a big opportunity for those who have travelled for this event.

Andrew Gilding - 1.5 legs v Chris Landman: Goldfinger won a couple of matches last week at the European Tour 12 event and he is almost certainly going to be playing at the European Championship Finals.

Andrew Gilding should have enough consistency to move past Chris Landman at this latest European Tour event.

He has been playing at a level that suggests that will be the case and Chris Landman has been beaten in five of the last six matches played. The World Number 115 has won the most recent meeting between the players, but Andrew Gilding will be confident he can turn that result around.

The real concern for Chris Landman is that he has not been competitive in recent matches and Andrew Gilding can exploit any doubts that the underdog may have.

Ryan Joyce - 1.5 legs v Stephen Burton: A win in the opening Round of the European Tour 12 event will have given Stephen Burton a boost in confidence, but he was beaten in the next Round and that has prevented any momentum being built up.

Stephen Burton has been struggling with his form for weeks and that makes it very tough to expect him to put a strong run together.

The First Round match at the Flanders Darts Trophy against Ryan Joyce looks really difficult for Stephen Burton.

Relentless is one of those players that will just tick along and do what he is supposed to and that consistency should be enough to see Ryan Joyce edge through to the Second Round.

MY PICKS: Andrew Gilding - 1.5 Legs @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Ryan Joyce - 1.5 Legs @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

US Open Day 12 Tennis Picks 2026 (Thursday 10th September)

One of my personal criticisms of recent years on the Tour in relation to the WTA half has been that there have not been the standout dominant players who have made a significant separation from the pack.

It has meant Grand Slams have felt very open for any player to come through with a solid two week run to earn a Major, which can be a positive once in a while, but not for every tournament.

2026 feels different and that is underlined by the top four Ranked players all reaching the Semi Final at the US Open.

Both Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova reached the Quarter Final and will feel they should have beaten higher Ranked players, but those runs are also a positive seeing as the two youngsters won the French Open and Wimbledon respectively. Instead of being a 'flash in the pan' like some recent Grand Slam Winners have felt, both Andreeva and Noskova look like they will be playing amongst the elite of the Tour for many years to come and are almost certainly going to add to the Slams already won.

Three of the four Semi Finalists at the US Open will be searching for at least a third Grand Slam title with the exception being Jessica Pegula.

An all-American Final can still be the outcome on Saturday, but the two big hitting World Number 1 and World Number 2 stand in the way and those having tickets for the Evening Session are going to be in for a fun day on the grounds.

Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 games v Jessica Pegula: Both of these Semi Finalists are going to feel they showed plenty of character to come through awkward moments in the Quarter Final and that should give them confidence as the US Open begins to reach its climax.

The top Seed in the draw has officially lost the World Number 1 Ranking, but Aryna Sabalenka likely made peace with that happening considering how the Ranking Points were shaking out. Instead the only focus for the Belarusian is winning a Grand Slam title in 2026 and she will simply be glad to still be involved in New York City after the narrow win in the Quarter Final.

To be fair to Aryna Sabalenka, she had been the better player in the match against Linda Noskova, but the two time defending US Open Champion did not play the big points as well as she would have liked, at least not until the final set tie-breaker. The Noskova serve made a big impact at the big moments, but Aryna Sabalenka will be aware that her opponent in this Semi Final is not going to serve as big as the Wimbledon Champion.

Another year looked to be passing Jessica Pegula by as she trailed in the US Open Quarter Final and her hopes of winning a first Grand Slam would have faded a little more.

Before it was too late, Pegula started to find some of her best tennis, but she will be the first to admit that the last three Rounds have not been good enough from a serving perspective. Jessica Pegula is a very good return player, which has made up for the serving problems, but she cannot hope to get away with such a drop in standard against someone who serves as well as Aryna Sabalenka does.

There is also the mental obstacle of having been beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in the last two years at the US Open.

Those losses have been in the 2024 Final and the 2025 Semi Final and Jessica Pegula will believe that she should have the last of those matches. However, she ultimately did come up short and has now lost five of the last six hard court matches between these players since August 2024.

The last three of those matches have needed a third set decider, while Jessica Pegula beat Aryna Sabalenka on the grass courts of Berlin in the sole match played between these top WTA players in 2026.

It is a win that will give her confidence, but Jessica Pegula is going to have to dig in and find another level if she is going to beat Aryna Sabalenka on this court.

The service numbers have fallen away dramatically in the last three Rounds and it is very difficult to see how Jessica Pegula can find her way into another US Open Final without improving that part of her game dramatically. That feels unlikely right now and Aryna Sabalenka can take advantage of that to tip the scales in her favour in this big match.

No one can say that Aryna Sabalenka has fully convinced at the US Open having had a difficult year overall, but she is playing at a superior level compared with Jessica Pegula. Those back to back US Open wins over the World Number 3 will also give the top Seed that much more belief in the tighter moments of this Semi Final and that may end up being a key reason for Aryna Sabalenka to reach yet another Final at this Grand Slam.

Elena Rybakina v Coco Gauff: The come from behind win in the Quarter Final means Elena Rybakina has secured the World Number 1 Ranking regardless of how this tournament is concluded. However, she looked to be taking in that achievement in her stride and the focus is on backing up the success at the Australian Open by adding this hard court Grand Slam to the collection.

It is fitting that the top four players in the World Rankings are all involved in the final four at the US Open after Coco Gauff also rallied for a Quarter Final win.

The American is one of two former Champions still in the tournament and Coco Gauff continues to dig deep and win matches even when not at her best. This is a strong character trait and even seeing the run of sets won come to an end did not stop Coco Gauff from believing she could turn the Quarter Final back around.

At the same time, Coco Gauff will be the first to admit that she was not at her best in the win on Wednesday and she will have to improve significantly to beat someone in the form of Elena Rybakina.

Both of these players reached the Final of different WTA 1000 tournaments in the lead up to the US Open, although Coco Gauff won the title in Cincinnati and Elena Rybakina came up a little short in Toronto.

However, Elena Rybakina did beat Coco Gauff in her run in Toronto and used her superior serve to earn the edge in that match.

This has to be the approach to this Semi Final and Elena Rybakina has found her easy power working very well on the New York City hard courts. The performances have been impressive and it is a real surprise that she had not been beyond the Fourth Round at the US Open previously, but Elena Rybakina has looked more comfortable here this year and it is the serve that is going to set things up for her.

Coco Gauff has been serving pretty well herself, but was put under a lot of pressure by Mirra Andreeva in the Quarter Final before turning things around. There is little time between the Quarter Final and Semi Final to make big adjustments and it could be another difficult day for the American with the pressure that Elena Rybakina can create with her own delivery.

The fans are going to give Gauff a boost and this is a player that never knows when they are beaten, which makes her dangerous.

In saying that, Coco Gauff will know she needs to improve significantly on the performance produced against Elena Rybakina last month in Toronto and the future World Number 1 looks the right play. The money has come in on Rybakina which has shifted her from an opening 2.20 outsider to a 1.85 favourite, but she does look to be the right player to back even if Coco Gauff is a fighter who is unlikely to wilt under the lights.

MY PICKS: Aryna Sabalenka - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Elena Rybakina @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

US Open Update: 29-21, + 4.58 Units (100 Units Staked, + 4.58% Yield)

NFL Week 1 Picks 2026 (Wednesday 9th September-Monday 14th September)

Super Bowl LV is in the books and six months have passed in the off-season, which means it is time to go again in the NFL in 2026.

Last season was a strange one with so many of the top teams being held back as injuries piled up, while a number of those involved in the Playoffs can be considered as surprise contenders.

You'd have been hard pressed to find too many people tipping up the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots as the teams that would reach the Super Bowl and that means these teams will be playing under very different pressures in 2026.

Further to those two teams, you could argue that Divisional Winners Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars were all surprising teams to go along with Seattle and New England and all of those mentioned will have to contend with raised expectations.

Going into 2026, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are some of the leading names that will look for a big bounce back season, especially if they can benefit from better health to key players.

Changes have been made by those like the Buffalo Bills who have felt they have hit the ceiling under previous Head Coaches and they are very much one of a number of teams in Super Bowl or Bust mode. You could add the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers to that list!

As has been stated every year, making Super Bowl selections in September can look very foolish by December when injuries and other factors come into play.

The expectation is that it will be a season that is not as impacted by the kind of injuries we saw in 2025 and that should make it another memorable one.

If they can stay healthy, Baltimore Ravens look like a team that could go far, but they are another making a move from a long-term Head Coach like the Buffalo Bills.

Teams like the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans could grow having had Playoff experience, while this might finally be the season when a good looking Dallas Cowboys team can put it all together.

Much like some of the top teams in the NFL, 2025 was a disappointing year for the NFL Picks and so a bounce back is required for the pages as well as for those players heading to the field.

Picks from Week 1 will be added to this thread over the next few days with the rare Wednesday start to the season perhaps catching some unaware. There is a full round of games from Wednesday through to Monday and hopefully this is the start of a very good season both on these pages and across all the Stadiums that will be used heading towards Super Bowl LXI which will be hosted at Sofi Stadium.

Both Los Angeles teams will be hoping to be involved in that Super Bowl in the home Stadium, but the season will begin at the home of the defending Champions.

New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks Pick: Almost exactly six months have passed since the Seattle Seahawks crushed the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LX and the two teams will meet again in Week 1 of the 2026 season.

In a very rare situation, Week 1 will get underway on Wednesday rather than the traditional Thursday, but that is not going to be an excuse for either of these teams that have been retooled for another crack at the Championship.

Despite being the defending Champions, the Seattle Seahawks have to be extremely frustrated that all of the talk ahead of this season has been about NFC West rivals Los Angeles Rams. Big moves have been made by the Rams to try and get past Seattle, and the rest of the NFL, but the Seahawks beat them twice in three games last season and keeping hold of the majority of the Offensive unit has to be a confidence booster.

One who has departed is Super Bowl LV MVP Kenneth Walker III, but the Seahawks are still going to be confident they can run the ball effectively enough to open up the passing game for Sam Darnold at Quarter Back. That was certainly the case in the Super Bowl win, although the Seattle Seahawks will be hoping they have ironed out any lingering issues in converting drives into Touchdowns rather than having to settle for Field Goals.

There will be a confidence about Seattle thanks to the Offensive unit largely being kept together, but there has been a change in the Offensive Co-Ordinator position and that is something the fans may be feeling a little uncertain about. The previous Co-Ordinator, Klint Kubiak, is now the Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, but Brian Fleury will not want to shake things up too much to ease the transition for the team.

The home team can keep this tough New England Defensive unit guessing about what is coming up, although the Patriots will feel they did enough to try and keep the team in the Super Bowl in February.

Instead the pressure will be on the New England Offense to show what they have learned from the huge struggles in the Super Bowl and that has included giving Drake Maye new weapons in the passing game. AJ Brown is the big player coming in from the Philadelphia Eagles and that gives the Quarter Back a legitimate Number 1 Wide Receiver, while bringing in Romeo Doubs looks a smart piece of business.

The Offensive Line has to be able to give Drake Maye time and it will be remembered that Seattle racked up six Sacks in the Super Bowl win.

All of that began from the fact the Seahawks Defensive Line shut down the run and forced Drake Maye into obvious passing situations, which also meant allowing the pass rushers to get out quickly and put the Quarter Back under pressure. The Patriots Offensive Line is healthier than it was in the Super Bowl, but an inability to establish the run could make this another tough experience for a team having to travel across the country for the road opener.

The Seahawks do have some injuries in the Secondary that can be exploited by the Patriots, but it is never easy throwing from third and long spots and Drake Maye will also be well aware of the pressure that is likely to collapse the pocket around him. The Quarter Back is likely to better than he was in the Super Bowl, but that may not be enough to bridge the double digit gap that the final scoreboard showed in February.

Super Bowl rematches in the following season have been won by the same team that picked up the Championship on nine of twelve occasions it has occurred and Seattle are very good at home.

New England should be better this season as a team, although unlikely to match the regular season record of 2025, but this is a very tough opener and a late play or two made by the Seattle pass rushers may end up being the difference on the day.

The Seahawks finished 8-2 at home in 2025 on the way to the Super Bowl success and they look capable of winning this one by around a Touchdown mark.

Los Angeles Rams vs San Francisco 49ers Pick: Much like so many other sports, the NFL are continuing to expand their appeal well outside of the North American borders.

In the last several years, it has become common place for the NFL to play a handful of regular season games in Europe with Germany and Spain added to the games played in London.

However, Week 1 will see two NFC West rivals travel around 8000 miles to Melbourne, Australia to open the 2026 season when the Los Angeles Rams 'host' the San Francisco 49ers. The game is going to be played in the morning as far as the local time is concerned, but that will keep this is kick off at around the usual Thursday Night Football time slot as far as those in the United States are concerned.

This is going to be another challenge for experienced Head Coaches who know that Week 1 can be a difficult game regardless, but adding the travel time to Melbourne only makes it that much harder to plan. Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers have headed over a few days before Sean McVay and the Rams and it is a game that is going to be as much about acclimatisation as it is about the quality on the field.

Both teams made the post-season in 2025 and that underlines the strong units that both have, although the Rams are the favourites to win the Super Bowl having added Myles Garrett in a trade from the Cleveland Browns and then seeing Aaron Donald come out of retirement to play alongside the top Defensive player in the NFL.

Aaron Donald will not be travelling for this game, but the Los Angeles Rams still look really strong having retained the core of the Offensive starters and added that strength on the Defensive Line. They may be arriving in Melbourne for a short business trip, but the Rams are arriving in pretty good shape and good health is very important for any team that wants to win the Super Bowl.

Injuries have become an ongoing issue for this San Francisco 49ers team that has experience and strong units on both sides of the ball, but also an ageing team that may struggle to shake off those problems. Nick Bosa and George Kittle are returning after serious injuries from the 2025 season, but both are still pretty limited, while the 49ers Defensive Line may not be as strong as hoped in this Week 1 contest.

This could mean the 49ers struggle to prevent the Rams from finding a good balance in the plays being called on the Offensive side of the ball, while veteran Quarter Back Matthew Stafford continues to operate at a really high level. He is certainly not ready to hand over to the surprising First Round Draft Pick made by the Rams when selecting Ty Simpson and the likelihood is that Stafford has a very strong opening game.

San Francisco will be expecting plenty from their own Offensive unit this season as Brock Purdy returns at Quarter Back with a shiny new weapon in Mike Evans at Wide Receiver. However, the news that Ricky Pearsall will miss the season and Christian Kirk is ruled out of Week 1 will have really stung and may just make things a bit more difficult for the 49ers in what could develop into another shootout between these rivals.

Fans will not be happy that the Rams have given up home field advantage for this Divisional clash, but Los Angeles have lost three of the last four when hosting San Francisco, including last season. Three straight road wins over the 49ers suggests it will not be a massive problem for Sean McVay's team and they do deserve the edge as long as the plan to arrive as late as they are does not completely backfire.

Melbourne should enjoy a really good show and one that the Los Angeles  Rams can win with a cover of this handicap number set.

Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts Pick: No one will ever downplay the successes under Head Coach John Harbaugh, but the Baltimore Ravens may also have felt the team had lost some freshness after missing out on the post-season last year.

They decided to move on from Harbaugh after more than a decade since the last Super Bowl win and the challenge for the new Head Coach is finding a way to help Lamar Jackson and the Ravens produce the best Football in January. Since winning the Super Bowl in the 2012 season, the Baltimore Ravens are just 4-7 in Playoff games and Jesse Minter will be getting the opportunity to build on what John Harbaugh left behind.

Better health for the Quarter Back will be important, but the Ravens will also need someone to step up in the Receiving corps to give Jackson somewhere other to look than at Mark Andres and Zay Flowers. The latter has only just been cleared to play in Week 1, while Baltimore will still lean on the Offensive Line and look to establish the run to open up the passing game.

Running against the Indianapolis Colts was a challenge for teams last year, and so it may be up to Jackson at Quarter Back to try and help establish the ball on the ground.

If he can do that, the Ravens will feel they can make enough plays to push the ball through the air and they are facing an Indianapolis Colts team that are under pressure after capitulating down the stretch in the 2025 season. The Colts opened at 7-1, but finished the season with a losing record and missing out on the post-season, although that was largely down to losing the starting Quarter Back to injury.

Daniel Jones had been revitalised in moving to Indianapolis, but he will be looking to show all that he has recovered fully from the achilles injury that cost him significant time last season. The Quarter Back is very happy with the Colts, but Michael Pittman Jr will not be around to throw to and Daniel Jones is going to be very comfortable leaning on Jonathan Taylor and the run game.

Indianapolis can take confidence from the way Jonathan Taylor ripped through the Los Angeles Chargers, who had Jesse Minter as Defensive Co-Ordinator, while the Ravens are going to be missing their best run stopper. The Colts are almost certainly going to be looking to run the ball as often as they can and keep the pressure away from Daniel Jones as he eases back into competitive action, but they will be confident they can do that.

This is an early chance for both of these teams to show they can improve on 2025 and reach the Playoffs in 2026 and the expectation is both are going to look to grind this out on the ground.

Questions have to be asked about Daniel Jones and his health, but the Colts have to feel they can run the ball perhaps more effectively than the Baltimore Ravens and that makes the points they are receiving feel very appealing.

Baltimore could blow past the line if Lamar Jackson has one of his better games, but the Indianapolis Colts can run the ball effectively and keep Jackson on the sidelines for long enough to perhaps pull the upset.

Atlanta Falcons @ Pittsburgh Steelers Pick: The AFC North has long been headlined by John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens and Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, but both of those teams are under new Head Coaches in 2026.

Mike Tomlin may not have been able to add to the Super Bowl won in 2008, but he did finish up his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers by avoiding having a losing season in any of the nineteen that he was Head Coach of the team.

However, the poor recent Playoff results had frustrated the fans and so Tomlin is out and Mike McCarthy comes in as he is reunited with Aaron Rodgers as his Quarter Back.

Mike McCarthy is perhaps fortunate to have been given this opportunity and he can be thankful to Rodgers, but he has big shoes to fill. The Head Coach and the Quarter Back have to be grateful for the moves the Steelers have made to bolster an Offense that did not operate as well as the team would have hoped.

Michael Pittman Jr and Rico Dowdle have both been signed to give the Steelers new weapons, but the hope will be that the Offensive Line has developed well enough to create more room for the team to pound the ball on the ground. Everything good for this team will come by running the ball and giving Aaron Rodgers a chance to make quick throws, while also opening up play-action opportunities to attack teams down the field with Pittman Jr and DK Metcalf.

Pittsburgh will be confident they can push the ball on the ground against the Atlanta Falcons Defensive Line, even the revamped line, and that may allow Aaron Rodgers to have another strong Week 1 performance.

Like the Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons have a new Head Coach in Kevin Stefanski and this is a team that will be expecting to challenge for a post-season spot having improved from seven wins in 2023 to eight in 2024, but then failing to improve that mark last season and missing out on a Playoff spot through various tie-breakers.

They play in the relatively weak NFC South, although the Falcons are going to begin this season without Michael Penix Jr at Quarter Back.

Tua Tagovailoa has been signed, but looked out of sorts in the pre-season and that has meant the Falcons have decided to go with Cooper Rush in the opener. He played for the Baltimore Ravens last year and started a couple of games, which also means being familiar with the Pittsburgh Steelers and what they want to do, but Cooper Rush may simply be asked to hand the ball to Bijan Robinson and look for the Running Back to dominate the touches.

Cooper Rush does have some very solid Receivers to target when he does step back to throw, but the question will be whether he will be given enough time by the Offensive Line to allow those routes to develop.

Pittsburgh will look to get after Rush and see if they can force mistakes from the Quarter Back.

You also have to wonder if the Week 2 game against the Carolina Panthers will be a potential distraction for the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers may be able to come out with enough intensity on both sides of the ball to earn the win and cover.

Chicago Bears @ Carolina Panthers Pick: A losing record was enough for the Carolina Panthers to win the NFC South and earn a spot in the Playoff, but it is the performance against the Los Angeles Rams in the post-season that will give the fans confidence to take into 2026.

The NFC South remains wide open and the Panthers will be encouraged by the improvement of Bryce Young at Quarter Back after looking like he was going to be a player that would not live up to his hype in the pros.

There is some real talent on the Offensive side of the ball, although the Offensive Line will have to show they have improved if only to give Bryce Young more time when he steps back to throw. More consistency out of the Quarter Back position is going to be needed for the Panthers to earn another go at the Playoffs and Bryce Young will have a chance to show what he can do in Week 1 when taking on the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago fans will not be happy to hear about the owners pushing for the team to move to Indiana, but the Bears are the NFC North Champions having earned eleven wins last season. The Bears will feel they should have beaten the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the Playoff, but there is also a huge amount of excitement about what this team can do over the next few months.

Caleb Williams had almost 4000 passing yards to go with his 27 Touchdown passes and just 7 Interceptions in 2025 and the Bears have a franchise Quarter Back that has set some high targets for himself this season.

Chicago's Offense is well-balanced, which makes them tough to stop, although the Bears are going to need the Defensive unit to step up if they are going to progress in the months ahead. They will certainly be confident in putting a balanced attack together against the Carolina Panthers Defensive unit and Caleb Williams may be given enough time to dissect this team, even on the road.

Winning road games is never easy in the NFL, but the Chicago Bears may have the firepower to pull clear in this one.

The Bears have won seven of the last eight in this series with the Carolina Panthers, including a blowout win in 2024.

The two Divisional Winners from 2025 will both be confident, but the Bears have that slight edge and the more consistent Offensive performers, which can be the difference in Week 1. Mistakes made by the Quarter Back can be costly and Caleb Williams is likely going to have the cleaner game than Bryce Young and that can see the Bears come away with a victory.

MY PICKS: Seattle Seahawks - 3 Points @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Los Angeles Rams - 3.5 Points @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Indianapolis Colts + 3.5 Points @ 1.81 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Pittsburgh Steelers - 5.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Chicago Bears - 3 Points @ 1.91 Paddy Power (1 Unit)