Sharp NFL Picks for Late Sunday Slate: Breaking Down 3 Games for Week 1, Including Raiders vs. Chargers

We have three NFL games for the 4 p.m. ET Sunday slate of Week 1! I’ll be walking you through my picks and predictions for these NFL matchups below. Here are the sharp bets locked in from OddsJam — let’s make some money!

Packers vs. Vikings Pick: Vikings Moneyline | +105 at Caesar

Sunday, Sept. 11 | 4:25 p.m. ET

One of my favorite types of Week 1 games is divisional matchups, particularly those with heated rivalries like this one. The Green Bay Packers will travel to Minnesota for a yearly matchup that is always exciting.

The biggest storyline in this game is the lack of All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, whom the Packers traded away to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. They’ll be relying on a core of Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb, along with some young prospects.

The Minnesota Vikings had an underrated offseason, in which they fixed many of the issues that kept them out of the playoffs in 2021. They added pass rusher Zadarius Smith, who will fit in nicely across from returning Pro-Bowler Danielle Hunter. The two should form a formidable duo that will look to get after Aaron Rodgers early and often.

I believe the Vikings moneyline is the play here because of the talent on both sides of the ball, and it is the first game without Davante Adams for Green Bay. Minnesota has a dynamic offense with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook. Their defense should be improved to the point of not being a liability.

These games are usually pretty 50/50 between the Packers and the Vikings, therefore I’ll take the home team and the more complete offense.

Chiefs vs. Cardinals Pick: Cardinals +4.5 | -110 at Caesars

Sunday, Sept. 11 | 4:25 p.m. ET

This game has the highest over/under line of all the Week 1 matchups, as both teams feature electric offenses.

It’s the first meeting between superstars Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray. Both playoff teams had their ups-and-downs in 2021 but have some serious question marks entering this matchup.

The Chiefs parted ways with two of their biggest contributors in Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu. This will be their first game without them, which the Cardinals will look to exploit.

The Cardinals will be without their All-Pro wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, who is serving a six-game suspension for PED use. In order for the offense to hold it down in his absence, newcomer Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will need to have a big game for the club.

I like the Cardinals +4.5 here because of the uncertainty in the Kansas City defense. They’ve been very prone to giving up big plays early in the season. Normally, Mahomes is there to bail them out, but he may be limited in doing so without Hill for the first time.

The Cardinals defense has plenty of their own question marks, so look for this to be a high-scoring affair to be must-watch TV come Sunday.

Raiders vs. Chargers Pick: Raiders Moneyline | +155 at DraftKings

Sunday, Sept. 11 | 4:25 p.m. ET

Upset alert! The 2021 regular season ended with one of the most insane games in recent memory between these two teams. This season will start with the division rivals going toe-to-toe once again.

It’s quite the arms race in the AFC West and both of these teams certainly made splash moves to keep pace. The Chargers added Pro-Bowlers Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson on defense to bolster an already solid unit. The Raiders acquired All-Pro wideout Davante Adams from the Packers and Pro-Bowl edge rusher Chandler Jones from the Cardinals.

The 10-win Raiders and nine-win Chargers from a year ago both look poised to make serious runs at the AFC title. It should be a great outing, but I cannot ignore the +155 value on the Raiders.

The Chargers may be without the aforementioned Jackson due to injury, which would leave Adams free to run wild on their secondary. The pass-rushing duo of Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones should do wonders for Las Vegas, making Justin Herbert uncomfortable and taking pressure off their young cornerback room.

This matchup should be exciting and down-to-the-wire, but the +155 value on the Raiders is too good to pass up. Look for Adams to have a huge first outing with his new team and college quarterback, Derek Carr.