Pats Pulpit Picks: What are the best bets and picks for NFL Opening Night?

The first game of the NFL season will take place on Thursday Night Football, as the Buffalo Bills travel to Sofi Stadium to play the defending champion Los Angeles Rams.

Buffalo comes into the season opener hungry as their season ended on a sour note last season. The Rams on the other hand will be getting their rings and celebrating their Super Bowl win as they try to defend their title. Von Miller has switched sides as he went from winning his second ring with Los Angeles to signing a massive deal with the Bills this offseason.

Head coaches Sean McDermott and Sean McVay had different styles in the preseason. While McDermott played all of his starters and we saw quarterback Josh Allen shine, McVay opted to rest the Rams’ starters just like every preseason. Week 1 is therefore pretty much most of his players’ first real game action. This strategy seems risky, but McVay is 5-0 in his career in openers as a head coach.

The teams are expected to be two of the best in the NFL and this could potentially be a Super Bowl preview in Week 1. The oddsmakers however have the defending champs as 2.5-point underdogs, per DraftKings Sportsbook’s latest numbers.

Who will win? That is up in the air, but here are our staff's best guesses:

Player Prop of the Night

Josh Allen Over 1.5 Passing TDs (-180): This prop is too juicy to pass up on opening night. Allen’s line will very rarely be at 1.5 passing touchdowns throughout the regular season. It is not at great odds, but the star quarterback is going to come out tonight ready to turn heads. He should easily hit this total as Buffalo will need to put up points to score with the Rams high powered offense. Expect Allen to throw the ball a lot tonight and have at least two passing scores.