Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is officially here, and what better way to begin this season than by having football played on four different days? We had a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday, Australia football on Thursday and then get a full slate to digest on Sunday, plus "Monday Night Football."
As we do every week, we've collected all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them in one place, so you can get sports betting picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more.
All NFL betting courtesy of SportsLine consensus.
Which picks can you make with confidence this week? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine, as its incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up almost $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception.
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Steelers -3, O/U 42.5
"The Atlanta Falcons rushing to sign Tua Tagovailoa was one of the weirdest moments of the offseason. I mean, they POUNCED on him. To the surprise of very few, the former Dolphin has not looked great through preseason and in practice. I think Michael Penix Jr. would be starting if he were healthy. The Falcons have a great cast of weapons with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but if you don't have a quarterback, does it matter?
Atlanta is 0-7-1 all time in Pittsburgh, while the Steelers are 6-2 against the spread as home favorites over the last two seasons. That's tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the the best mark in the NFL. I don't believe the Steelers are going to repeat as AFC North champions, but they are a better team than the Falcons right now. Aaron Rodgers may be 100 years old, but he's been effective in season openers. He's 12-6 in Week 1 with 32 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. That includes four touchdowns in last year's season opener."
Jordan Dajani is taking the Steelers to easily handle the Falcons. His picks piece will be published on Friday.
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Ravens -3.5, O/U 49.5
"I'm extraordinarily high on the Ravens this year, and comparatively low on the Colts. With Lamar Jackson back at full health, I expect the Ravens to be one of the best teams in the AFC. They always are whenever he makes it through a full season. Their defense should be improved this year with Jesse Minter at the helm, as well. It all adds up to a big Ravens win."
Jared Dubin is backing an intriguing road favorite this Sunday in the Ravens
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Bills -1.5, O/U 45.5
"Josh Allen has accomplished a lot in his NFL career, but there are two things he's never done: He's never won a Super Bowl, and he's never won in Houston, and I'm starting to feel like both of those streaks are going to continue this year.
Including the playoffs, Allen has played four career games AT Houston, and not only has he gone 0-4, but the Bills have never topped 20 points. Allen has averaged just 183 passing yards per game when playing in Houston, and he's thrown just one touchdown pass in four games. He's also thrown two interceptions.
Allen got sacked EIGHT times in a 23-19 loss to the Texans last season. If there's one defense that's always one step ahead of Allen and the Bills' offense, it's the one on Houston.
If Josh Allen is Superman, then playing in Houston is his kryptonite, and I don't think that things are going to suddenly get better this year. The Bills do have a new head coach in Joe Brady, but I'm not sure that's going to help. Before being promoted to head coach, Brady was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo in both 2024 and 2025. The Bills played at Houston in both seasons and Brady simply couldn't figure out DeMeco Ryan's defense.
The Texans have one of the best defenses in the NFL, and they added Jadeveon Clowney, so they should be even better.
If I trusted C.J. Stroud at all, I'd probably pick the Texans to win by 10 points, but I don't. However, I do trust the Texans defense to smother Josh Allen."
John Breech is taking the Texans to upset the Bills. To read his full column, click here.
Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Bears -2.5, O/U 44.5
"The NFC North is an ultra-competitive division but there is no reason the Bears can't win it for the second straight season. Coach Ben Johnson's goal is to set the regular season points scored record, and while I don't think his team is topping the 2013 Broncos' 606 points, I do believe they will exceed last year's 25.9 points per game. Carolina was lucky to make the playoffs last season and I expect them to take a major step back in 2026. Chicago wins and covers on the road fairly easily."
SportsLine expert Eric Cohen has made his exact score predictions for Week 1. He hit on 66% of his picks last year, so check out what he has to say about every matchup over at SportsLine before locking in your bets.
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Jaguars -7, O/U 40.5
"Whenever you have a quarterback battle in training camp, you want to enter Week 1 with a firm decision and the confidence that the player selected can get the job done. Does anyone feel confident in Deshaun Watson's ability to keep the offense afloat? Watson didn't look particularly sharp this summer, but beat out Shedeur Sanders anyway, and now he'll face a Jaguars defense that really came on strong down the stretch in 2025, which helped them cover their final eight regular-season games, en route to a league-best 12-5 ATS record.
While Cleveland has a new coach in Todd Monken, the franchise has historically been terrible against the spread on the road over the last two seasons. In that time, they are 4-13 ATS, which ranks as the worst record in the NFL.
I think Cleveland has some solid pieces on the defensive side of the ball, but Trevor Lawrence entering his second year under Liam Coen could make the Jacksonville offense even more high-powered than it was a year ago. If they build up a lead and force Watson into a pass-heavy game script, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker could feast."
Tyler Sullivan is taking the Jaguars to pounce on the lowly Browns this Sunday. Check out Sully's weekly gambling column, here.
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Lions -7, O/U 48.5
"The Saints and second-year quarterback Tyler Shough will be an improved team this season, but this is a tough way to open. The Lions have a dynamic offense and the venue will make it a challenge. Look for Jared Goff and the Detroit offense to have a big day. The Saints won't keep up. Lions big."
CBS Sports senior NFL writer Pete Prisco is taking the Lions to blow out the Saints! To read his breakdown of every game this week check out his column, here.
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Titans -3, O/U 39.5
"We have a total of 38.5 in Week 1 which shows how poorly the oddsmakers value both of these teams. I predict the Jets will be the third worst team in football (behind the Dolphins and Cardinals), while the Titans will show some, but not a ton of improvement under new coach Robert Saleh. I'd like to see Titans QB Cam Ward make some serious strides in Year 2, especially since his wide receivers have gotten significantly better with the additions of #4 overall pick Carnell Tate and free agent Wan'Dale Robinson. Tennessee starts 1-0 but it won't be an easy watch."
SportsLine expert Eric Cohen has made his exact score predictions for Week 1. He hit on 66% of his picks last year, so check out what he has to say about every matchup over at SportsLine before locking in your bets.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Bengals -3.5, O/U 50.5
"We like the Bucs against the +4 spread but love taking them at this lofty teaser number. Bucs QB Baker Mayfield is 3-1 all-time as a starter against the Bengals with 16 TDs versus four interceptions, while Bengals coach Zac Taylor is 10-17-1 in Weeks 1-4 during his tenure in Cincinnati."
SportsLine's Josh Nagel just published his highest-value teaser selections for the NFL slate this week, and one leg is the Buccaneers. To check out his other selections, head on over to SportsLine.
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Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Chargers -11.5, O/U 45.5
"The Chargers' new-look offense under Mike McDaniel will be unleashed here against the Cardinals. It should be run heavy, which will help Justin Herbert with some big play-action shots. The Cardinals will counter with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. This has the look of a blowout."
CBS Sports senior NFL writer Pete Prisco is taking the Chargers to cover the big number on Sunday. To read his breakdown of every game this week, click here.
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Packers -1.5, O/U 44.5
"It seems people are higher on the Green Bay Packers than I am this year. I even said they had one of the worst offseasons in the NFL. Their star running back is on the commissioner's exempt list, their star pass rusher is on the PUP list, they lost their most reliable wide receiver in free agency and there are some concerns when it comes to Jordan Love's offensive line.
I go back and forth whether the Minnesota Vikings are a legitimate sleeper in the NFC. People forget they went 9-8 with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback and had a top three defense. Imagine if Kyler Murray can just play point guard and run Kevin O'Connell's system. He's got a great trio of wideouts to utilize, plus a nice one-two punch at running back. I'm high on Jordan Mason this year. I'm not saying Murray lights it up in his first action as a Viking, but I see a low-scoring affair where Minnesota just simply looks like the better team."
Jordan Dajani is taking the Vikings to beat the rival Packers in Week 1. His picks piece will be published on Friday.
Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Raiders -3, O/U 41.5
"If you've ever gone to Vegas and lost all your money, then you kind of know what the Dolphins are going through right now. This team didn't lose all their money at a Vegas casino, but they basically threw away $180 million.
The Dolphins will be taking a total dead cap hit of $181.6 million in 2026, which is more than 60% of this year's $301.2 million salary cap. If you're not familiar with the term "dead cap," that's a salary cap hit that you take for someone who's no longer on the team. The Dolphins' five BIGGEST cap hits this year all belong to players who are no longer on the team.
Here's the list of players, along with their cap hit in Miami for 2026:
- Tua Tagovailoa: $55.4 million
- Tyreek Hill: $28.3 million
- Jaylen Waddle: $23.3 million
- Jalen Ramsey: $20.9 million
- Minkah Fitzpatrick: $13 million
Now I don't feel as bad about the time I lost $18 on the Snoop Dogg slot machine in Vegas.
Since they have $181.6 million in dead cap space, that means the Dolphins only had $120 million to spend on the rest of their team, which is how you end up with a roster that has 12 rookies. Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has already admitted that success in 2026 won't be defined by wins....
And that's exactly what you would say when you don't plan on winning many games.
This might be the Dolphins' best chance at a win all season, but they're still going to lose by at least a touchdown."
John Breech is taking Kirk Cousins to begin his Raiders career with a W. To read his full picks column, click here.
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Eagles -5.5, O/U 46.5
"The Laremy Tunsil injury (torn triceps on Aug. 8) was a gut punch to the Commanders, who are hoping to rebound after a disappointing 2025 season that was marred by injury. It looms large in this matchup against Philadelphia, particularly if Jonathan Greenard (who has been dealing with the pec injury) is able to go. When you pair protection issues with a defense that may need a few weeks to fit their new pieces (Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Sonny Styles) in, there's the possibility that things could get out of hand for Washington as they step into Lincoln Financial Field.
On top of that, Jayden Daniels is 1-7 ATS in his last eight road starts.
The Eagles have routinely started the year off on a strong note, winning five straight Week 1 games entering 2026. They are also 9-1 in their past 10 Week 1 contests. Sure, Philadelphia is dealing with its own set of changes, transitioning to a new offense under OC Sean Mannion and working without A.J. Brown (traded to New England), but this is still a potent group. Most importantly, the offensive line is healthy, which I believe was a key reason for their downfall at the end of last season."
Tyler Sullivan is taking Jalen Hurts and Co. to cover the spread in Week 1 vs. their NFC East rivals. Check out Sully's weekly gambling column, here.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Time: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Cowboys -1.5, O/U 47.5
Before making any Cowboys vs. Giants picks, or "Sunday Night Football" predictions of your own, you NEED to see what SportsLine expert R.J. White has to say. White enters the 2026 NFL season having returned $1,012 to $100 players on his last 59 picks involving the New York Giants.
We can tell you that White is leaning to the Under in this primetime matchup, but to check out his official against-the-spread pick, head over to SportsLine.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Time: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC), stream on fubo (try for free)
Open: Chiefs -2.5, O/U 42.5
Before making any Broncos vs. Chiefs picks, or "Monday Night Football" predictions of your own, you NEED to see what SportsLine expert Brady Kannon has to say. Kannon enters the 2026 NFL season having returned $1,648 to $100 players on his last 49 NFL picks.
We can tell you he's leaning towards the Under, but to read his thoughts on the spread, head over to SportsLine.
