Associated Press<\/p>\n
The defending Super Bowl<\/a> champion Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> face their bitter divisional rival in the NFL<\/a> season opener on Thursday night in a matchup that\u2019s lost a little luster.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Micah Parsons<\/a> won\u2019t be there chasing Jalen Hurts<\/a>, pursuing Saquon Barkley<\/a> and making life difficult for left tackle Jordan Mailata<\/a>. The Dallas Cowboys<\/a> traded the two-time All-Pro pass rusher to the Green Bay Packers<\/a> last week following a contract dispute.<\/p>\n Dak Prescott<\/a> returns for the Cowboys and George Pickens<\/a> joins CeeDee Lamb<\/a> to give them another playmaking wide receiver. But how will the Cowboys stop Philadelphia\u2019s dynamic offense without Parsons?<\/p>\n Jerry Jones got his run-stuffer in the trade with Green Bay. Maybe Kenny Clark<\/a> helps limit Barkley to under 200 yards rushing. If there\u2019s no pressure on Hurts, he can pick apart the defense throwing to A.J. Brown<\/a>, DeVonta Smith<\/a> and Dallas Goedert<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Eagles are 8 1\/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Pro Picks likes the champs even though Prescott is 9-4 vs. Philadelphia.<\/p>\n EAGLES: 31-20<\/p>\n Cincinnati at Cleveland<\/p>\n Line: Bengals<\/a> minus 5 1\/2<\/p>\n Joe Burrow<\/a> and the Bengals need to start better than they have in the past. He\u2019s 8-11-1 in Weeks 1-4. The Browns<\/a> are turning to Joe Flacco<\/a> while Dillon Gabriel<\/a> and Shedeur Sanders<\/a> wait in the wings. They should be in the mix for the No. 1 pick next season.<\/p>\n Best Bet: BENGALS: 27-16 <\/p>\n Las Vegas at New England<\/p>\n Line: Patriots<\/a> minus 2 1\/2<\/p>\n Mike Vrabel\u2019s Patriots face Pete Carroll\u2019s Raiders<\/a> as both teams debut new head coaches. Drake Maye<\/a> has a new playmaker in Stefon Diggs<\/a>. QB Geno Smith<\/a> and rookie RB Ashton Jeanty<\/a> join TE Brock Bowers to instantly upgrade Las Vegas\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n UPSET SPECIAL: RAIDERS: 23-20 <\/p>\n Line: Chiefs<\/a> minus 3<\/p>\n Patrick Mahomes<\/a> and the Chiefs have something to prove after a 17-win season ending with a lopsided loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl. The Chargers drafted running back Omarion Hampton<\/a> in the first round to take pressure off Justin Herbert<\/a>. They were 9-0 when they had more than 100 yards rushing last season. The Chiefs had the eighth-best run defense, giving up 101.8 yards per game.<\/p>\n CHIEFS: 26-20<\/p>\n Arizona at New Orleans<\/p>\n Line: Cardinals<\/a> minus 6 1\/2<\/p>\n Kyler Murray has one winning season as Arizona\u2019s starting QB, but the Cardinals have a chance to compete in the NFC West after an 8-9 season. They were 11-6 against the spread. The rebuilding Saints under rookie coach Kellen Moore are starting a rebuild.<\/p>\n CARDINALS: 23-17<\/p>\n Carolina at Jacksonville<\/p>\n Line: Jaguars<\/a> minus 3 1\/2<\/p>\n The Liam Coen era begins in Jacksonville. Can he unlock Trevor Lawrence<\/a>\u2019s potential? Bryce Young<\/a> and the Panthers<\/a> finished up strong last season. They\u2019re aiming to take another step forward. The matchup features the NFL\u2019s two worst defenses in 2024.<\/p>\n JAGUARS: 27-20 <\/p>\n Tampa Bay at Atlanta<\/p>\n Line: Buccaneers<\/a> minus 2 1\/2<\/p>\n Baker Mayfield<\/a> and the four-time defending NFC South champion Buccaneers couldn\u2019t beat the Falcons<\/a> last season so they\u2019ve got something to prove. Michael Penix Jr. watched from the sideline as Kirk Cousins<\/a> threw for 785 yards and eight TDs vs. Tampa Bay. The Falcons will feature Bijan Robinson<\/a> but the Buccaneers were fourth against the run.<\/p>\n BUCCANEERS: 26-23<\/p>\n Line: Commanders<\/a> minus 6<\/p>\n Jayden Daniels<\/a> and the Commanders are building off a surprise, impressive run to the NFC championship game. It wasn\u2019t a fluke. Russell Wilson<\/a> makes his debut with the Giants, whose strength is their defensive line.<\/p>\n COMMANDERS: 23-20<\/p>\n Pittsburgh at New York Jets<\/p>\n Line: Steelers<\/a> minus 3<\/p>\n Aaron Rodgers<\/a> faces his former team and the new coach, Aaron Glenn, who didn\u2019t want him. Justin Fields faces his former team that let him walk away in free agency.<\/p>\n STEELERS: 20-19<\/p>\n Miami at Indianapolis<\/p>\n Line: Colts<\/a> minus 1<\/p>\n Daniel Jones<\/a> makes his first start for the Colts, who have lost 10 of their past 11 season openers. Tua Tagovailoa<\/a> and the Dolphins<\/a> aim to bounce back from a losing season. He could look for Tyreek Hill<\/a> often against a defense that was 26th against the pass.<\/p>\n DOLPHINS: 24-17<\/p>\n San Francisco at Seattle<\/p>\n Line: 49ers minus 2 1\/2<\/p>\n Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers are healthier and motivated after a disastrous season. They\u2019re still missing key players and lost several defensive starters. Sam Darnold<\/a> takes over for the Seahawks<\/a>, who missed the playoffs despite winning 10 games.<\/p>\n 49ERS: 23-20 <\/p>\n Tennessee at Denver<\/p>\n Line: Broncos<\/a> minus 8<\/p>\n No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward<\/a> makes his first career start for the rebuilding Titans<\/a>. They\u2019re facing a tough defense and a balanced offense led by Bo Nix<\/a>.<\/p>\n BRONCOS: 27-13 <\/p>\n Line: Rams minus 3<\/p>\n C.J. Stroud<\/a> and the Texans<\/a> are underdogs in a matchup of 2024 division winners. Matthew Stafford<\/a> dealt with a back injury in the preseason and has to face a fierce defense in the opener.<\/p>\n TEXANS: 23-21 <\/p>\n Detroit at Green Bay<\/p>\n Line: Packers minus 2 1\/2<\/p>\n The 15-win Lions<\/a> are underdogs in the opener after a disappointing end to the best season in franchise history. Their dynamic offense is back together minus offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who left to coach the Bears<\/a>. Parsons elevated the Packers to Super Bowl contenders. After sitting out the preseason in Dallas, he has to be careful not to overdo it in his first game.<\/p>\n PACKERS: 24-23 <\/p>\n Baltimore at Buffalo<\/p>\n Line: Ravens<\/a> minus 1 1\/2<\/p>\n Lamar Jackson<\/a> and the Ravens are looking to avenge a playoff loss in Buffalo in a matchup that should have playoff ramifications from a home-field advantage standpoint. Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen<\/a> and the Bills<\/a> have won 10 straight home games. Both teams have failed to dethrone the Chiefs in recent years and neither will be satisfied with anything less than a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n BILLS: 26-23 <\/p>\n Minnesota at Chicago<\/p>\n Line: Vikings<\/a> minus 1 1\/2<\/p>\n There\u2019s excitement in Chicago surrounding Johnson taking over the Bears. Can he develop Caleb Williams<\/a> as he did Jared Goff<\/a>? J.J. McCarthy<\/a> makes his first career start for the talented Vikings, who are coming off a 14-win season.<\/p>\n Vikings 24-20<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n 2024 Record:<\/p>\n Overall: Straight up: 202-83. Against spread: 151-129-5.<\/p>\n Prime-time: Straight up: 44-14. Against spread: 31-26-1.<\/p>\n Best Bet: Straight up: 12-7. Against spread: 11-8.<\/p>\n Upset Special: Straight up: 11-9. Against spread: 11-9. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/p>\n \n What did you think of this story?\n <\/p>\n \n recommended\n <\/p>\n Arrow pointing to the leftArrow pointing to the right <\/p>\n Item 1 of 3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Associated Press The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles face their bitter divisional rival in the NFL season…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-116508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}