NFL week 1 tips: Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns backed to win

Oakland Raiders are another NFL side that have endured a lengthy exile from the post-season, with their last appearance coming in the 2002 campaign.

Jack Del Rio’s men have the opportunity to get off to the perfect start against the New Orleans Saints, who had the second worst defence in the league last term.

The AFC West outfit possess a potent offense led by quarterback Derek Carr, and he is ready to take the next stage of his development by taking his side back to the promise land of the playoffs.

Carr has outstanding wideout Amari Cooper at his disposal along with Michael Crabtree. Between them they may be able to expose the Saints’ poor secondary to secure a comfortable win in the 7-12 points bracket at 5/1.

Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts contains over 50.5 total points

Both teams are strong on offense and are fairly weak on defence, suggesting that this match should be a high-scoring affair with over 50.5 points coming in at 20/23.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is restored to full health after a series of injury problems last year restricted him to seven matches, and his worst season since arriving in the league in 2012.

In TY Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorset to Colts boast a speedy receiving corps which could be hard for the Detrot Lions to handle.

On the opposite side the Lions will begin life without All-Pro wideout Calvin Johnson following his retirement in the off-season. However, between Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Eric Ebron and Anquan Boldin there is enough talent for quarterback Matt Stafford to work with.

It should be a fascinating game at Lucas Oil Stadium, with the winner likely being the team that has the ball for one final drive in the fourth quarter.

Money Line: Cleveland Browns to beat Philadelphia Eagles

Cleveland Browns (29/20) are in a rebuild mode following another off-season of turnover in the club’s front office. They’re low on quality veteran players and are seemingly bound to select first in the 2017 NFL Draft.

However, strange things can happen on the opening day and their new quarterback Robert Griffin III has a point to prove after being released by Washington Redskins. He could just make a few plays reminiscent of his 2012 campaign to stun Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles themselves are in a transitional phase, having traded away starting quarterback Sam Bradford to Minnesota Vikings just last week. Rookie Carson Wentz will get the nod to play his first NFL game and may just make a few errors that turn the match in favour of the Browns.

New England Patriots +6.5 @ Arizona Cardinals

New England Patriots will be without quarterback Tom Brady for the first time since the 2008 season, as he serves his four-game suspension for the deflategate scandal.

Backup Jimmy Garoppolo steps in for Brady against Arizona Cardinals in a baptism of fire in his first NFL start.

The Cardinals are one of the favourites to battle for the Vince Lombardi trophy and are strong on home soil, boasting a 6-2 record at University of Phoenix Stadium in 2015.

Bruce Arians’ men also a fearsome defense which will test the third-year quarterback, although he has shown glimpses of ability during his limited action on the field.

The Patriots are rarely beaten heavily by their opponents due to the quality of their coaching staff, led by Bill Belichick. Expect them to remain in the contest, although a victory could be beyond them against the NFC West outfit. Taking +6.5 on the spread at 19/20 gives New England the right insurance.

Related

There’s more NFL tips throughout the season on our US Sports page.

With Coral’s Two Minute Rush Refund you can receive up to £/€25 in a free bet should your side fail to close out victory if they are winning at the two-minute warning, but go on to lose the match.