Bankroll-Boosting NFL Week 1 Best Bets Will Get Gridiron Gamblers Started Off on Right Foot

NFL gridiron gamblers that are looking to get their 2011 NFL regular season betting period started off on the right foot are in luck!

That’s right pro football bettors … thanks to the generous folks here at BetOnline, you’re about to get a bunch of bankroll-boosting Week 1 picks that look like some of the best bets on the board for Week 1.

From tonight’s highly-anticipated league opener between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints to Sunday’s ‘Under the Radar’ affair between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, NFL gamblers everywhere will get the expert betting information they’ll need in order to make Week 1 a successful wagering venture.

With that said – and tonight’s season opener just hours away, let me get started.

New Orleans at Green Bay
Thursday, Sept. 8, 8:30 PM ET
Live from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI
TV: NBC

NFL Odds
Green Bay Packers -4
Over/Under 47.5

Analysis: The defending-champion Packers will try to avoid the dreaded Super Bowl ‘hangover’ this season and could very well do just that with a team that looks even better than the one that took home the hardware last season.

Green Bay however, will have its hands full with Drew Brees and the 2009 Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in this one and gridiron gamblers can almost certainly expect a thriller in this one.

Nevertheless, I am going to advise pigskin bettors to back the Pack in this one, based on the fact that I believe they have the much better defense at this early juncture.

Green Bay won its final three preseason games coming into this contest while not allowing more than 21 points in any contest after routinely shutting down their opponents a year ago by allowing a paltry 15.0 points per contest.

New Orleans looked inconsistent at best in alternating wins and losses over the course of their four preseason games, scoring 14 points or less and allowing at least 27 points in their two losses.

I suspect the Saints’ defense will be a better as the regular season moves on, but right now, I don’t see them stopping Aaron Rodgers and company enough to pull off the road upset in this contest.

Both teams have compiled glistening Week 1 ATS records recently with New Orleans going 4-1 ATS in their last five and Green Bay topping that with its perfect 4-0 ATS mark in their last four openers, but take note NFL gamblers, the Saints have gone just 1-4 ATS in their L/5 road games.

The Packers are 5-1 against the spread in their L/6 home games while the Favorite in this series has gone 4-1 ATS in the L/5 meetings between these NFC title contenders.

I think Aaron Rodgers will have a much easier time against the Saints defense than Drew Brees will against Dom Capers’ ingenious schemes the Packers will throw a him all night.

I’m going to advise BetOnline football bettors everywhere to play the Packers to pick up the home win – and the very narrow ATS win – in this highly-anticipated matchup.
NFL Pick: Green Bay Packers -4 Points

Minnesota at San Diego
Sunday, Sept. 11, 4:15 PM ET
Live from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA
TV: FOX

NFL Odds
San Diego Chargers -8.5
Over/Under 41.5

Analysis: Maybe it’s me, but this is one of the Week 1 games I am really excited about, seeing as how some are picking the perennial talent-laden San Diego Chargers as a possible Super Bowl representative for the AFC and the Minnesota Vikings have a new look under the direction of six-time pro bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb.

The Chargers are coming off a disappointing 9-7 campaign in 2010 that left them on the outside looking in come playoff time while the Vikings will try to rebound from their equally-disappointing 6-10 season from a year ago.

The Vikings looked fairly solid under D-Mac in going 2-2 in the preseason while San Diego and their top-ranked offense looked as explosive as ever in also splitting their four scrimmages evenly this preseason.

I’m going to cut to the chase with my Week 1 NFL pick for this contest by advising NFL gamblers to play the Over in this contest.

Not only did the Chargers average 22.0 points per game this preseason while hanging 34 points on the Cardinals in Week 3, but they also allowed at least 20 points in three of their four preseason contests, including 24 to Seattle and 31 to Arizona.

Minnesota scored at least 20 points in each of their final three preseason contests and should get even better as the season moves along and McNabb becomes more comfortable with Minnesota’s offense and his new teammates.

If you’re looking for the SU winner of this contest, then it’s an easy call as the Chargers will win this one to get their 2011 campaign started off on the right foot.

The Bolts have Vincent Jackson back in the fold after he missed almost all of last season in a contract dispute and also have gifted tight end Antonio Gates back after he missed a half-dozen games with a foot injury.

However, I don’t see San Diego covering the spread against a Vikings team that has a defensive genius for a head coach and some explosive players of their own in gifted running back Adrian Peterson and wide receiver Percy Harvin.

Peterson’ has rushed for a whopping 5,782 rushing yards and 52 TDs over the last four seasons to lead the NF in those categories and the Vikes are expecting a breakout campaign from the talented Harvin in this, his third season in the league and first and the unquestioned No. 1 go-to receiver.

Lest anyone forget, Peterson torched the Chargers for a jaw-dropping 296 yards on 30 carries to lead Minnesota to an emphatic 37-17 back in 2007.

The Over has gone 11-2 in San Diego’s last 13 games in the month of September and I am expecting more of the same in this contest, though I will admit that the majority of the key O/U trends surrounding this matchup are pointing toward an emphatic Under outcome.

I’m going, Chargers 27 Vikings 21 as Minnesota should be able to top the 20-point plateau against a Chargers defense that looked mostly mediocre in the preseason.

The Over has played out in four consecutive meetings between these teams dating back to 1993 and I believe it will do so again with both teams’ defenses not being able to consistently stop their offensive opponents at this early juncture in the regular season.
NFL Pick: Over 41.5 Total Points

New York Giants at Washington
Sunday, Sept. 11, 4:15 PM ET
Live from FedEx Field in Landover, MD

NFL Odds
New York Giants -3
Over/Under 37.5

Analysis: I’m going to come right out and say it for BetOnline NFL gamblers that have been reading my ‘tell-it-like-it is’ handicapping work the last few years. I think Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is absolutely nuts!

First, Shanahan would have everyone believe that John Beck was the second coming of Johnny Unitas before eventually naming veteran signal-caller Rex Grossman the starter following their preseason-long battle for the starting job.

However, I can see through the smokescreen and realize that Grossman is a mediocre backup in his own right, no matter how Shanny and the Skins try to portray him.

There’s a reason the New York Giants are a road favorite in this matchup – and it’s because they’re the far better team.

The G-Mean have won six straight over Washington and I fully expect them to make it seven in a row by taking down their NFC East division rivals in this 2011 NFL regular season opener.

Yes, the Giants have lost a whopping five defensive players for the entire season and won’t have Pro Bowl defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora for this one, but that doesn’t deter me from picking the G-Men in this one.

I know Washington looked very good in going 3-1 in the preseason while New York looked mediocre at best in going 2-2, but I just don’t see the Skins being able to stop New York’s punishing ground game, particularly with their best defender, Safety LaRon Landry likely sitting this one out with a hamstring injury.

The Skins gave up 58 points in splitting their final two preseason games, including 34 points against Baltimore, while New York’s defense didn’t allow more than 20 points in any of their four preseason games while giving up 17 or less in three of their scrimmages.

Speaking of stingy defense, the G-Men have not allowed the Skins to score more than 17 points in their L/6 meetings while holding Washington to a grand total of 21 points in their two regular season meetings a year ago.

The Giants have some big injury issues, but not enough to keep them from winning this contest and narrowly covering the NFL betting odds as a slight road favorite.

Eli Manning and company have gone 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games against Washington and a bankroll-boosting 14-5 in their L/19 road games as a favorite overall.

Washington has compiled a discouraging 6-14-2 ATS mark in their L/22 home games and went 1-2 ATS in three September games under Shanahan a year ago while giving up 30 points in each loss.

I like the Gants to use their ‘ground-and-pound’ rushing attack to chew up the clock, wear down the Skins uninspiring defense and led the team to a solid SU and ATS victory!
NFL Pick: New York Giants -3 Points

Okay BetOnline gridiron gamblers, I’m going to close out this Week 1 NFL Best Bets article with a ‘quick pick’ on an ‘Under the Radar’ contest that may be getting a bit overlooked in favor of some of the other marquee matchups.

Carolina at Arizona
Sunday, Sept. 11, 4:15 PM ET

NFL Odds
Arizona Cardinals -7
Over/Under 41

Analysis: The Panthers are ending in a new direction under Cam Newton and Ron Rivera while the Arizona Cardinals don’t have a new head coach but are definitely hoping that newly-acquired starting quarterback Kevin Kolb is the answer to the quarterback issues they’ve had since future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner retired following the 2009 season.

I’ll keep my pick short and sweet by saying that I really like the Over in this matchup after watching both teams throughout the preseason.

Carolina reached double-digits in all four of their preseason games – while also allowing at least 20 points in their final three scrimmages to play Over the Total in each of their last two.

The Cardinals look like they’re going to be a lot more explosive on offense under Kolb after scoring at least 20 points in all of their preseason games, including at lest 24 in their final trio of scrimmages.

Arizona’s defense looked as generous as it ever has during head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s tenure this preseason in allowing an average of 23.0 point per game, including 28 against Green Bay and 34 against San Diego.

The Over is 7-2 in Arizona’s last nine home games and 4-1-2 in Carolina’s L/7 games as an underdog, so I say keep it simple and play the near-lock Over.