This is going to be an amazing year for upsets. The NFL betting market is the softest it’s been in quite some time, with millions of new bettors across the world joining the fun with the best sportsbooks. And as they say, anything can happen in the NFL on any given Sunday.
Yes, the New York Giants might even win a game. They’re the best value on the Week 1 NFL odds board, followed closely by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let’s take a closer look at these matchups and see what makes them the delicious upset specials they are.
New York Giants vs. Tennessee Titans
Sunday, September 11, 2022 – 04:25 PM EDT at Nissan Stadium
Why Are the Giants Valuable?
It’s been a while since Giants fans could be proud of their team. Things are changing; there’s a new general manager in Joe Schoen, and there’s a new head coach in Brian Daboll, two men who helped revive the Buffalo Bills and turn them into this year’s Super Bowl favorites.
Getting the G-Men back to the top will take a while. But they’ve got a winnable matchup this Sunday against the Titans, who have essentially stood pat this offseason. QB Ryan Tannehill performed at roughly the same level last year as Giants QB Daniel Jones; Tannehill’s career has been going downhill, while Jones will likely improve under new management.
This doesn’t make the Giants the favorites for this contest. But as +210 road dogs at Caesars Sportsbook, they’re definitely the right choice from a value perspective. It will certainly help that WR Sterling Shepard has declared himself ready to go for Week 1 after recovering from last year’s torn Achilles tendon.
NFL Pick: Giants (+210) at Caesars Sportsbook
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, September 11, 2022 – 01:00 PM EDT at Paycor Stadium
Why Are the Steelers Valuable?
To be fair, the Bengals are the ones on the upward trajectory in this AFC North battle. The Steelers are spinning their wheels to some extent, replacing retired QB Ben Roethlisberger with former Chicago Bears washout Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky may be a place-holder while the Steelers try to develop first-round pick Kenny Pickett, who already has legions of fans from his four full years with the Pittsburgh Panthers. But there’s a good chance that Trubisky will perform better than Roethlisberger did last season.
Doing worse would be difficult. “Big Ben” posted a career-low 35.6 QBR in 2022 (not including the 2019 campaign, where he played just two games before getting hurt). Trubisky’s QBR was 53.8 for the 2020 Bears, before he went to Buffalo to back up Josh Allen in 2021.
There are other things to worry about with the Steelers, starting with their makeshift offensive line. But in Week 1, they’ll be facing a Bengals team that’s in very real danger of succumbing to the Super Bowl Curse. Make your NFL picks accordingly.
NFL Pick: Steelers (+245) at SBK
