Covers is throwing an entry into the Circa Million Pro Football contest for the 2021 season and I've been tabbed to make the weekly picks so let's dig right in. Here are my Circa five picks for Week 1.
Week 1 picks
- Seattle Seahawks -3
- Miami Dolphins +3
- Arizona Cardinals +3
- New Orleans Saints +4
- San Francisco 49ers -7.5
Read on for a quick analysis of each play but watch the video above for more details.
Seattle Seahawks -3
All signs out of camp point to new offensive coordinator Shawn Waldron playing with a ton of pace and giving Russell Wilson the freedom to run the offense from the line of scrimmage. The Colts defense is without Jonathan Gannon in 2021 — and I think that is going to be a problem.
Miami Dolphins +3
Mac Jones is all the rage, but can we really be sure that he is an upgrade over Cam Newton? Maybe, but I'm not sure about that. I am, however, buying what I've seen from Tua Tagavailoa in the offseason and the reports out of camp that say he looks like a much different quarterback this season.
Arizona Cardinals +3
Last season, Tennessee was 31st in defensive efficiency and it didn't do anything in the offseason to address that. I like the idea of having Kliff Kingsbury having the whole summer to game plan for this matchup.
New Orleans Saints +4
Neutral-field game and the number goes from +2.5 to +4. Sean Payton is a phenomenal play-caller and, with a different quarterback at the helm this season, I don't think opposing defensive coordinators are going to know how to approach how Payton will handle the Saints' offense early in the season. I also think the Packers have some serious issues on the offensive line.
San Francisco 49ers -7.5
Don't need to say much here. Dan Campbell, Anthony Lynn, and Jared Goff in his first game without Sean McVay in his ear supporting him. On the other side, Kyle Shanahan has a ton of healthy weapons and gets to have fun against what is going to be one of the worst defensive units in the league.
Football Contest Countdown
Before making your football contest picks, you'll want to watch the Covers Football Contest Countdown. Adam Chernoff brings on noted contest player Las Vegas Cris and they walk through the weekly odds right after Circa releases their lines with the goal of predicting the top consensus plays of the week. The show streams live on Thursdays at 1 pm ET / 10 am PT each Thursday on YouTube and Twitter and is available on-demand at any time.
Where can I bet on the NFL?
You can bet on NFL odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NFL moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NFL prop odds. Head over to our best football betting sites for the top spots to bet on NFL odds in your area.
