Best NFL Bets Today September 8: Top Picks for Sunday

NFL Week 1 is officially upon us and we have an exciting football slate with great matchups on tap for this Sunday.

With so many games to kick off the season, we take a look at the best bets to put money into your pockets to kickstart the new season.

(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

NFL Week 1 Best Bets and Predictions September 8

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Miami Dolphins Betting Odds and Prediction

Best Odds: Over 49 (-105) Caesars Sportsbook

At 1 PM EST, we kick off with a high-scoring affair between the Jacksonville Jaguars who head out on the road to take in-state rivals the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

1. This game has the highest implied total on the Week 1 slate with 49 total points and for good reason.
2. These two teams boast elite offenses that push the tempo and defenses that give up a chunk to opposing offenses.

The Jacksonville Jaguars added even more weapons to their offense when they signed Gabe Davis this offseason and drafted Brian Thomas Jr. who can take the top off of defenses.

With the plethora of injuries to the Dolphins' defense this season, Trevor Lawrence should have a great performance in Week 1.

As for the Dolphins, they are finally back to full health after the injury bug took away their momentum down the stretch last season. With Tua Tagovailoa at the helm and his supporting cast of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, and Devon Achane, this offense will be next to impossible to contain.

Expect these two offenses to come out swinging right from the get-go and put on an exciting performance in Miami to run up this total and soar over this 49-point mark.

Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks Betting Odds and Prediction

Best Odds: Seattle Seahawks -5.5 (-120) FanDuel Sportsbook

The Seattle Seahawks come into their regime under head coach Mike Macdonald looking to get back to their glory days and they get a great Week 1 matchup to kick start the season.

• Mike Macdonald coached 9 out of his last 10 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
• He brings a defensive mind to help bring out the best in one of the worst defensive teams in the league last season

Macdonald brought along former University of Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb who did a great job manning the high-powered offense of the Huskies during his time there.

His aggressive play-calling should produce some big plays for the Seahawks that lacked the ability to take the top off the defense. While Geno Smith was resurrected in his last season as the starting quarterback, Grubb should be able to take him to new heights.

Going up against the Denver Broncos in this matchup, they should have an easy time running the ball against this front seven that gave up the third most rushing yards in the league with 2,331.

Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker should have himself a field day which should take a load off Geno Smith and open up the play-action passing game.

As for the Broncos on offense, they have brand-new rookie quarterback Bo Nix who has looked good in preseason football but has yet to play a full NFL game as he will be in for a rude awakening.

The Seahawks are going to send pressure at Nix which will stifle this Broncos offense, as the Seahawks take over down the stretch to get their first win of the season covering the spread along with it.

Washington Commanders vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Odds and Prediction

Best Odds: Washington Commanders +4 (-112) DraftKings Sportsbook

The Washington Commanders hope for a great start under new head coach Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and first-round rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

• Dan Quinn was the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and most recently defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
• Kliff Kingsbury was the former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals who brought the best out of Kyler Murray in his first two seasons passing for 7,693 yards and 46 touchdowns.
• Jayden Daniels' last season in college with the LSU Tigers he passed for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions and he also rushed for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.

This new-look Commanders team while not having a ton of NFL experience together is being disrespected on the betting lines by the bookmakers against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who come into their season without their offensive coordinator Dave Canales who took their offense to new heights last season.

• The Commanders not only added great coaching pieces but the addition of Daniels finally gives them a quarterback that can make things happen.

Pairing him with veterans like Terry McLaurin, running back Austin Ekeler, tight end Zach Ertz, and third-year running back Brian Robinson Jr. he has the weapons to make this one of the most dynamic Commanders' offenses since the departure of Robert Griffin III.

We should see Daniels get comfortable early in this game going against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that lost their star corner Carlton Davis to free agency and they were already bad on the backend last season giving up 248.9 yards per game which was the 4th worst in the NFL in 2023.

They also tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns given up to opposing quarterbacks in 2023, paving the way for the dynamic Jayden Daniels to have himself a field day on Sunday.

Expect this game to be back-and-forth to the very end where this Commanders team really surprises a lot of people covering the spread and potentially walking away with the outright victory.