NFL RedZone Week 1

In my opinion, NFL Sunday doesn’t officially start until Scott Hansen yells, “Seven hours of commercial-free football starts now!”.

Hansen’s opening catchphrase is essentially the starting gun for betting season.

If you are like me, you’ll have one eye on the TV screen and the other eye on your betting slip, like a football-betting chameleon.

Sometimes, my betting slips can get fairly lengthy – like a receipt from CVS Pharmacy.

But, with 13 games on the slate for RedZone, and a plethora of wagering options on any given NFL Sunday, I’m just going to pepper the sportsbooks.

There are plenty of things to watch for every Sunday on RedZone, but let’s explore some potential storylines and wagers to observe in Week 1.

1:00 PM ET Slate – 8 Games

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns

Browns’ running back Nick Chubb has shared the backfield with Kareem Hunt for the last few seasons.

With Hunt out of the picture, what does Chubb’s performance look like in an expanded role?

Chubb has averaged 5.2 yards per carry over his entire five-year career, so his production on the ground has been of little concern for Cleveland.

An interesting thing to watch for is whether or not quarterback Deshaun Watson uses Chubb as a safety valve in short-yardage passing situations.

What to Watch for: Nick Chubb’s Receptions

Best Odds: OVER 2.5 Receptions (+120) DraftKings

Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens

The good news for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is that he’ll be starting under center in Week 1.

The bad news for Stroud is that he may have had a better receiving corps when he was slinging the ball in Columbus with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Pass catchers like Robert Woods, Nico Collins, and Dalton Schultz aren’t the worst, they just don’t wow anyone.

I’m going to assume that Houston will lean on the rushing attack to take pressure off their young QB. I think we’ll see plenty of rushing from the Baltimore Ravens as well.

Lots of rushing leads to a lot of time coming off the clock, which potentially leads to a lower total.

What to Watch for: UNDER on the Total

Best Odds: UNDER 44 (-110) DraftKings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings

Baker Mayfield is certainly not Tom Brady, but Mayfield will be the new signal caller for the Buccaneers in Week 1, and he may not need to be Tom Brady to record a decent number of passing yards in this matchup.

The Minnesota Vikings allowed 279.8 passing yards per game last season and did next to nothing to bolster their defensive secondary in 2023.

New defensive coordinator Brian Flores will now be tasked with operating this porous defense, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, so I expect the Vikings to continue to struggle against opposing passing attacks.

What to Watch for: Baker Mayfield’s Passing Yards

Best Odds: OVER 229.5 Passing Yards (-115) BetMGM

Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson may be the most hyped running back to enter the NFL since Adrian Peterson, and after rushing for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns at the University of Texas in 2022, it’s debatable.

The Carolina Panthers allowed over 100 rushing yards in 13 of 17 games last season, with at least one man accumulating 70 or more yards in eight of those 13 contests.

Assuming Bijan Robinson receives a decent workload, maybe 20 carries, he should produce a solid rushing yards total in his debut.

What to Watch for: Bijan Robinson’s Rushing Yards

Best Odds: OVER 66.5 Rushing Yards (-114) FanDuel

Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders

The Arizona Cardinals are going to start Josh Dobbs at quarterback in Week 1, and Dobbs recently lost the backup QB battle in Cleveland this preseason.

Hmm, okay.

The Washington Commanders’ defense was quietly good in 2022, allowing the fourth-least total yards and the seventh-least points in the NFL.

Now, defensive end Chase Young returns to help fortify an already formidable defense.

I’m expecting to see a mistake or two from Dobbs and the Cardinals’ offense.

What to Watch for: Defensive TD for Washington

Best Odds: Any Time TD for Washington Defense (+450) DraftKings

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and like most 1st-round quarterbacks, results may vary.

Richardson completed just 44.8 percent of his passes in the preseason, and while some may ignore preseason numbers, he only completed 53.8 percent of his passes in the NCAA last year as well.

And if that wasn’t unimpressive enough, Richardson totaled only 17 touchdown passes and recorded nine interceptions.

Nothing about that screams ‘First Round Pick’.

There will likely be growing pains with the Colts’ rookie QB.

What to Watch for: Defensive TD for Jacksonville

Best Odds: Any Time TD for Jacksonville Defense (+350) FanDuel

San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin has been around for a while, so for him to make QB Kenny Pickett the lone captain of this Pittsburgh offense, shows he really trusts Pickett.

Now, so do I.

The 49ers defensive backfield has been a little banged up lately, with safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Charvarius Ward missing practices, so Pickett could exploit some gaps in San Francisco’s defense this Sunday.

Tomlin is a winner. Don’t sleep on the Steelers.

What to Watch for: Steelers Defeating the 49ers

Best Odds: Steelers Moneyline (+120) PointsBet

Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints

After nine years as a member of the Raiders, quarterback Derek Carr has been traded from ‘Sin City’ to ‘the Big Easy’, starting Week 1 under center for the New Orleans Saints.

Speaking of ‘the Big Easy’, that’s what some could have called this Titans’ passing defense in 2022.

Tennessee allowed the most passing yards in the NFL last season, an average of 290 yards per game. Tennessee’s defensive secondary remains largely the same.

Carr has decent weapons at his disposal and should pile up a respectable amount of passing yards this week.

What to Watch for: Derek Carr’s Passing Yards

Best Odds: OVER 244.5 Passing Yards (-114) FanDuel

4:25 PM ET Slate – 5 Games

Las Vegas Raiders vs. Denver Broncos

Raiders’ running back Josh Jacobs has finally ended his holdout against his club and will suit up in Week 1, and when it comes to playing against the AFC West rival Denver Broncos, Jacobs has certainly earned his money.

In seven career games against Denver, Jacobs has run for 721 yards and nine touchdowns.

What to Watch for: Josh Jacobs to Score a TD

Best Odds: Any Time TD Scorer (+115) DraftKings

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots

The Detroit Lions drafted running back Jahmyr Gibbs and that didn’t sit well with D’Andre Swift, so the Lions sent Swift to Philadelphia.

Joining an offense that finished third in total yards of offense and second in points scored in 2022, should make the new Philly running back happy.

On what looks like a potentially rainy day in New England, Mother Nature could tip this game in favor of the ground game.

Being a new weapon in a potent offense, Swift should make an impact.

What to Watch for: D’Andre Swift’s Rushing Yards

Best Odds: OVER 32.5 Rushing Yards (-110) DraftKings

Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Rams will be without star wide receiver Cooper Kupp in Week 1, which leaves quarterback Matthew Stafford with some combination of Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, and tight end Tyler Higbee to work with. That’s not great.

Seattle’s defense should have little struggle with keeping Los Angeles’ passing attack in check.

The Seahawks are clearly the superior team and should beat the Rams easily.

What to Watch for: Seattle Covering the Spread

Best Odds: Seattle -4 (-112) FanDuel

Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a history of getting pummeled in the pocket.

It appears that Tagovailoa could take another beating in Week 1, as Miami’s left tackle Terron Armstead will likely miss the game.

The Chargers defeated the Dolphins in their lone matchup last season, 23-17. In that contest, Tagovailoa completed just 10 of 28 passes, for 145 yards.

It’s looking like another rough outing for Tua in Week 1.

What to Watch for: Tua Tagovailoa Struggling To Move the Ball

Best Odds: UNDER 267.5 Passing Yards (-115) BetMGM

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

The Green Bay Packers have had either Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre starting under center in every Week 1 game since 1993, now it’s Jordan Love’s turn as the quarterback for America’s Dairyland.

Love has just 83 career passing attempts, a 60.2 completion percentage, three touchdown passes, and three interceptions.

Nothing spectacular there, unless there’s some unseen talent simmering under the surface.

The consensus top target in Green Bay’s passing attack, Christian Watson, has not been practicing (hamstring); just another question mark for this Packers’ offense.

Something smells off about this Green Bay team, but sometimes the smelliest cheese tastes best.

Sometimes, it’s just bad cheese.

What to Watch for: Bears Winning

Best Odds: Bears Moneyline (-110) PointsBet

What do you think you’ll see while watching NFL RedZone this Sunday?