(OddsShark.com) — The NFL season gets underway this weekend with three key divisional matchups on the schedule, including a visit by the Seattle Seahawks to St. Louis where they will open their campaign as 4-point road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Seahawks are coming off another strong performance in 2014, capturing the NFC West crown for a second straight year, but have struggled in recent trips to St. Louis, where they are 1-2 SU in their last three while going 0-3 ATS, each as road favorites.
The Rams will be looking to build on some promising performances last year, including a late-season four-game SU win streak that included back-to-back shutout victories over the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins.
However, St. Louis enters Sunday afternoon’s Seahawks vs. Rams betting matchup at Edward Jones Dome riding a three-game SU and ATS losing streak, and failed to post a SU win in four preseason contests while averaging a league-worst 12 points per game.
Since opening favored by 3.5 points, the Green Bay Packers have moved to 6.5-point road favorites over the Chicago Bears in Sunday’s meeting of first and worst in the NFC North last season.
The Packers claimed their fourth straight division crown on the strength of a 12-4 record, but open the season sporting -130 odds to finish with under 11 regular season victories in NFL props betting at the sportsbooks.
The Bears lost five straight SU down the stretch, limping to a 5-11 record, and are a brutal 1-9 SU in their past 10 games against the Packers according to the OddsShark NFL Database. However, the Packers have proven to be a shaky September bet of late, going just 1-5 ATS in their last six September road dates.
The Dallas Cowboys renew their NFC East rivalry with the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, listed as strong 6-point home chalk. The Cowboys have picked up SU victories in five of their past six games against New York, with the two teams combining to average 52.8 points per game in those contests, rewarding bettors taking the OVER on five occasions.
In other Week 1 betting action, the New England Patriots have rocketed to 7-point favorites ahead of their meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
As well, the Atlanta Falcons host the Philadelphia Eagles as 3-point underdogs in the first game of a Monday Night Football doubleheader, and the Minnesota Vikings visit the San Francisco 49ers as 2.5-point favorites in Monday night’s late game.