NFL Survivor Pool Picks: Early Look at Week 1 Point Spreads

Even though the 2015 NFL schedule came out just a couple weeks ago, odds have already been posted by ambitious bookmakers for Week 1 of the upcoming season. So even though the pro football season is months away, we can now start thinking about our Week 1 Survivor Pool picks. Week 1 looks real tough this year as there is no favorite of more than a touchdown on the early betting board (odds courtesy of BetOnline.ag). We are excited to study the matchups for the next couple months to come up with some good picks for opening weekend because with all the close matchups many people will be knocked out of their pools in the first week this year, creating a better opportunity for us to win our pool.

Biggest Favorites on the Board

New England Patriots -6 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Thursday, Sept. 10)

The defending Super Bowl champs will be a popular pick here as the biggest favorite on the board, but at first glance this game scares me. The Steelers are coming off a nice 11-5 season and could be improved even more this year while the defending Super Bowl champ normally struggles to meet expectations the following year. This is a possible pick for Week 1 Survivor Pools, but I will probably be looking elsewhere for my first pick when the season starts.

Dallas Cowboys -5.5 vs. New York Giants (Sunday, Sept. 13)

The Cowboys are a team I normally try and stay away from for my Survivor Pool picks. I am a big NFL bettor, and I always “fade” the Cowboys when they are favorites and bet on them as an underdog. This strategy has worked out well for me the last couple years with my betting, so I am very wary of this team at home where they are normally in the favorite role. I didn’t use the Cowboys until late last season when I was forced to take them in a road game, and I will probably be avoiding them here against a division rival that should be improved this season. “America’s Team” knocked a lot of people out of my pool last year, so I will probably avoid them here in this bad spot. However, they will probably be a popular pick as well.

Green Bay Packers -4.5 at Chicago Bears (Sunday, Sept. 13)

This shows just how tough Week 1 is going to be this year for Survivor Pool players. Green Bay is the third biggest favorite on the board at only -4.5. This pick would go against many of my rules for Survivor Pools as I try and stay away from road teams early in the season and avoid division rivalries. But with the slim pickings for Week 1 this would probably be one of the picks I would consider at first glance since the Packers have owned the Bears in recent years. But, yikes, if one of my best picks of the big favorites for Week 1 is a division opponent playing on the road. Just shows how tough Week 1 is this season.

Marginal Favorites

Carolina Panthers -4 at Jacksonville (Sunday, Sept. 13)

Double yikes. This is what we have to pick from for Week 1? Carolina will probably be able to pull out the win here, but Jacksonville should be much-improved this year. I don’t think they will be the doormat or “pick against” team that they have been for the last several years. Carolina is a good team, but this team is also prone to some head-scratching losses, too. I will probably be looking to bet Jacksonville here getting the points, so it would be hard to justify taking this Panthers team on the road in my Survivor Pool in this situation. I think this will be a popular pick, however, since Jacksonville has been one of those teams people have liked to pick against every week the last couple of years.

Denver Broncos -4 vs. Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, Sept. 13)

This is probably my favorite of all the teams listed so far for Week 1 Survivor Pools. This is a home team against a non-division opponent. The Broncos should come into this game healthy and with Peyton Manning fresh under center. The home crowd will be pumped. Tough to use the Broncos this early in the season and only as small favorites, but this looks like one of the best picks on the board for the first week of the season.

Seattle Seahawks -3.5 at St. Louis Rams (Sunday, Sept. 13)

Another road favorite. Do you see a pattern here? The Seahawks looked great Week 1 last year in their destruction of the Packers, but this team also lost to the Rams last season in St. Louis. I don’t like this game either since the Rams always seem to play tough in this series and as an underdog in general. The Rams should be improved this year as well and are well-coached. Seattle is the better team here and will be a consideration for my Survivor Pool, but I will probably look elsewhere.

Cincinnati Bengals -3.5 at Oakland Raiders (Sunday, Sept. 13)

I doubt I will be touching this game, another road favorite and one that sometimes can look like a different team on the road rather than at home. The Raiders showed some positive signs last year and had a good offseason. Not sure what they will look like this year, but I’m not about to gamble here and find out. This one is scary for the favorite.

San Francisco 49ers -3.5 vs. Minnesota Vikings (Monday, Sept. 14)

The Niners had one of the worst offseasons in recent memory, and we just think they are a very shaky favorite here. No way are we touching them in this game, and the Vikings look pretty good getting this many points as they were a great underdog play last season since they played with a lot of heart and never gave up in any game. A Minnesota upset would not be surprising, and we recommend staying away from the Niners until they play a couple games and show what they are capable of under the new regime.

Arizona Cardinals -3 vs. New Orleans Saints (Sunday, Sept. 13)

Arizona is an underrated team, and the Saints typically stink on the road. I like this pick OK because the Cardinals are at home and this is a non-division opponent. But that this is one of the better picks on the board just shows how tough Week 1 is. The Saints have Drew Brees, so they are always a threat to win any game. They could be a whole lot better this season or they could be worse. This is a hard team to figure out, but we think the home team will be able to notch the win here.

So there you have it; these are the biggest favorites on the board for Week 1 NFL Survivor Pool picks. This promises to be one of the toughest weeks of the season, but we are sure we will be OK as unlike a lot of the competition we will be working on our picks for a couple months leading up to Week 1 and should make the most informed picks possible. So keep checking back to SurvivorPoolPicks.com closer to Week 1 and we will have a lot more expert content to help you make the best picks for Week 1.