NFL 2025: Week 1 Picks

It’s just about that time of the year: the calendar flips from August to September, the weather starts slowly getting cooler, and you can almost smell it in the air: it’s just about football season.

If you need a refresher before the season starts, be sure to check out my 2025-26 NFL Predictions, which includes short previews and record predictions for all 32 teams. I also ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks ahead of the Week 1 regular season opener for the 2025-26 NFL season.

You can’t win or lose a Super Bowl in Week 1, but it’s still an important week to come out, make a statement, and go to bed 1-0.

The season kicks off on Thursday, September 4, as NFC East rivals clash in the season opener. Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys will look to start the season strong (just days after trading away defensive stud Micah Parsons to Green Bay), but Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and the Philadelphia Eagles don’t want their Super Bowl banner-raising night spoiled.

The action continues on Friday evening, as Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers square off against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Sunday features more heavy-hitting matchups: an early NFC North clash between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, a matchup of two playoff teams from last season as the Houston Texans take on the Los Angeles Rams, and to top it all off on Sunday Night Football, one of the most electric matchups imaginable: the last two MVPs, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, are in the spotlight as two Super Bowl 60 hopefuls, the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, face each other in Buffalo.

Finally, on Monday Night Football, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears face off against J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC North affair.

Read on for my NFL 2025: Week 1 Picks, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any picks, join the conversation with @SakSports on Twitter/X, on Facebook, or by commenting directly on this post!

Thursday Night Football: 2025-26 NFL Season Opener

Dallas Cowboys (0-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (0-0): Eagles win 27-16

Friday International Game in Brazil

Kansas City Chiefs (0-0) “at” Los Angeles Chargers (0-0): Chiefs win 31-30

Sunday Games

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-0): Buccaneers win 20-16

Cincinnati Bengals (0-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-0): Bengals win 33-10

Miami Dolphins (0-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-0): Dolphins win 26-18

Las Vegas Raiders (0-0) at New England Patriots (0-0): Raiders win 17-16

Arizona Cardinals (0-0) at New Orleans Saints (0-0): Cardinals win 23-13

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) at New York Jets (0-0): Steelers win 24-16

New York Giants (0-0) at Washington Commanders (0-0): Commanders win 27-20

Carolina Panthers (0-0) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-0): Jaguars win 24-13

Tennessee Titans (0-0) at Denver Broncos (0-0): Broncos win 27-10

San Francisco 49ers (0-0) at Seattle Seahawks (0-0): Seahawks win 24-23

Detroit Lions (0-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-0): Packers win 30-27

Houston Texans (0-0) at Los Angeles Rams (0-0): Rams win 23-20

Sunday Night Football

Sak Sports Blog Game of the Week: Baltimore Ravens (0-0) at Buffalo Bills (0-0): Are you kidding me? A Week 1 primetime matchup between two of the best teams in the AFC and entire NFL (#2 and #3 in my Preseason Power Rankings, and also a matchup of #1 vs. #2 Quarterbacks based on my rankings) in Week 1, and it doesn’t even have to include the Chiefs? This Sunday Night Football game is an absolute treat, it’s just a shame we won’t see Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen in mid-season form as they go toe-to-toe. Still expecting an instant classic of a game. Ravens win 27-26

Monday Night Football

Minnesota Vikings (0-0) at Chicago Bears (0-0): Bears win 24-17

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