Pittsburgh at New England (-7) 

The NFL season begins Thursday night with a matchup of two teams that are facing challenges in their secondaries. Pittsburgh allowed 30 receiving touchdowns last year and may not be as good in personnel this season. New England will play their first game without Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis, one of the best cornerback tandems in football last season. The Steelers will also be without starting centre Maurkice Pouncey, starting receiver Martavis Bryant and their top running back Le'Veon Bell. Still, the Steelers did have the NFL's second best offence last year, and their depth on that side of the football is still exceptional. If the Steelers, under new defensive coordinator Keith Butler, can slow down the Patriots tight end combination of 6-foot-6 Rob Gronkowski and 6-foot-7 Scott Chandler they could win outright. But that's a mighty big challenge against the defending Super Bowl champs.      
The pick: Patriots win; Steelers cover

Miami (-3.5) at Washington

Dolphins pivot Ryan Tannehill is not a dominant NFL quarterback, but he has improved every year during his time with Miami. Kirk Cousins beat out RG3 for the starting position in Washington, but you just don't know what you're going to get from him from game to game. This is a matchup where the defensive line of Miami could make the single game-changing play. Ndamukong Suh, Olivier Vernon and Cameron Wake are three exceptional pass rushers. If Miami can just limit the deep ball to DeSean Jackson, who led the entire NFL with 13 receptions of 40 or more yards in 2014, they should be able to grind out a seven-point win.
The pick: Miami wins and covers

Indianapolis (-2.5) at Buffalo

There is a big-time advantage at quarterback for Indianapolis here, as the Colts have one of the best in Andrew Luck. The Bills have handed the reins to a true unknown in Tyrod Taylor, who will be making his first NFL start. Those filling the spots around Luck at receiver and running back have never been better. Still, this is opening day at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park with 60,000 season tickets sold. The Bills have an exceptional defensive line and a great running back in LeSean McCoy. If Taylor can just manage the game, a Week 1 win for Buffalo is a possibility. But the Colts defence has improved too, with linebacker Trent Cole on one side and Robert Mathis back on the other. In the end, it's Luck over Taylor.         
The pick: Colts over Bills; Colts cover

Cleveland Browns at New York Jets (-3)

If this was 3.5 I might take the Browns, but I like the Jets at this line. New Jets head coach Todd Bowles had an exceptional defence when he coordinated in Arizona and may have better personnel to work with in New York. Expect both quarterbacks to be conservative in this one, as Josh McCown and Ryan Fitzpatrick are better at managing a game than making big plays. Third-and-long situations could be the key in this game, and I like the Jets chances to create a game- changing turnover more than those of the Browns. The Browns have won only one season opener since 1999. Those struggles should continue this weekend.
The pick: The Jets win and cover
  
Kansas City at Houston (-1) 

Houston has won their last five home openers. The Texans hope to get 20-25 pass rush plays out of former top pick Jadeveon Clowney, who is coming of major knee surgery. The combination of JJ Watt and Clowney together on one side of the defensive line has the potential to be dominant. That would be a welcome occurrence for a Houston team that will depend on the defence until running back Arian Foster returns from injury. Both of these teams' strength is on defence, so this should be a low-scoring game. The Chiefs have more explosive players on offence with running back Jamaal Charles and receiver Jeremy Maclin, so they have the edge  
The pick: The Chiefs over the Texans

Carolina (-3) at Jacksonville

Carolina may have made the playoff with a losing record at 7-9, but the team still ended the season with a top defence that can win games on its own. The absence of receiver Kelvin Benjamin is huge for Carolina, and someone will have to step forward to fill the void if the team has any hope of making the postseason again. For the Jags, how TJ Yeldon does at running back is critical in this game. Jacksonville needs him to take some pressure off quarterback Blake Bortles and tackle Jermey Parnell, who was quietly was one of the biggest and best signings of the off-season.
The pick: Jacksonville in an upset 

Seattle (-4) at St. Louis 

Seattle is the better team, but I don't expect them to dominate this game. The Rams might have the best defensive front in the league, capable of keeping Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch in check. Seattle upgraded in two areas during the off-season. While the first and most obvious was tight end Jimmy Graham, don't overlook how Tyler Lockett will improve the return game. I remember when Percy Harvin returned kicks for Seattle, and Lockett has the specific skills to have the same impact. The Rams don't have much of a running game, but do have a solid quarterback in Nick Foles.
The pick: The Rams on points

Green Bay (-6.5) at Chicago

This game might be a lot closer than anticipated. Chicago head coach John Fox wins everywhere he goes and will have his Bears well prepared. I expect Bears running back Matt Forte to become the focal point of the offence. I do worry about the health problems Chicago is dealing with on the offensive line. The absence of injured receiver Jordy Nelson puts additional emphasis on Aaron Rogers to do even more at quarterback, but he has the talent to shoulder the load.
The pick: The Packers cover

Detroit at San Diego (-3) 

The Detroit Lions accomplished a lot on the defensive side of the ball last season, finishing number one against the run and third in fewest points allowed. The Lions defence should continue to be effective this year, even without Ndamukong Suh. They will have to be on their game in this one, with the Chargers running game led by first-round pick Melvin Gordon. The Lions will counter with Ameer Abdullah, who had an impressive exhibition season as in Detroit's backfield. Why are quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Matthew Stafford two of the best in the business? It's a combination of their ability and durability. Stafford has not missed a game since being named a starter in 2011, while Rivers has not missed a game since 2006.
The pick: Lions win on the road 

New Orleans at Arizona (-2.5)

The Saints gave up the most yards per game in the league last season, so the absolute priority is quick improvement on the defensive side of the ball. They get a good test in this one with quarterback Carson Palmer returning for Arizona. The Cardinals were 6-0 last year when Palmer started, but finished 11-5 after a series of injuries decimated the team's quarterback depth. If this game becomes high- scoring I like Drew Brees and the Saints, who can go touchdown-for-touchdown with most teams in the league. I expect Arizona will miss Todd Bowles, their former defensive coordinator who is now the head coach of the Jets.             
The pick: Saints over Cardinals 

Cincinnati (-3.5) at Oakland

The Raiders have three core players to build on for many seasons to come: quarterback Derek Carr, linebacker Kahlil Mack and rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper. If Oakland is going to turn the corner they must improve a defence that allowed 28 points a game last season. New head coach Jack Del Rio should be familiar with ways to get that done. The Raiders were also were last in the league in rushing, but signing free-agent centre Rodney Hudson should help. Logic says the Bengals over the Raiders, but I think Oakland keeps it close.                            
The pick: Take the Raiders

Baltimore at Denver (-4.5) 

Denver has won 18 of their last 20 home openers but can they win by five or more points? Peyton Manning comes in to Week 1 healthy, but will he be good to go in Week 16? No one can predict, but you should get his best this Sunday. It will be interesting to see the approach of new Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak who ran the offence in Baltimore last year. Advantage Denver. No one has a better deep ball than Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, but will he have time with the outside pass rush ability of Denver's DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller and rookie Shane Ray? 
The pick: Denver covers 

Tennessee at Tampa Bay (-3)

Back in 2012, two quarterbacks were drafted first and second overall, leading to much speculation about whether Andrew Luck or RG3 would have the better NFL career. The answer to that question is easy today. This game features the top two picks of the last draft, with Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers facing Marcus Mariota and the Titans. Again you wonder which of these young pivots will be the bigger success four seasons from now. These two teams went a combined 4-28 in 2014, so pressure is on the rookies to avoid disaster in 2015. With an extra three points and more speed and mobility, I'm taking the Titans here.
The pick: Tennessee covers over Tampa Bay

New York Giants at Dallas (-6)

For the first time in a long time the Dallas Cowboys are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Yes, there is an absence in the running game with the departure of DeMarco Murray, but there is a new presence on defence with Sean Lee back at linebacker. The Cowboys also have a remarkable offensive line that dominates in run and pass blocking; giving Tony Romo the time he needs to make plays. No Jason Pierre-Paul on defence is a big issue for the Giants. Even with explosive receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on the field for the Giants, I see Dallas controlling the game and producing a 10-point win.
The pick: Dallas covers on Sunday night. 

Philadelphia (-3) at Atlanta

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is in his first year as the Atlanta head coach, while Chip Kelly is in year three with the Eagles. Matt Ryan to Julio Jones is a massive concern for the Eagles defence, an explosive combination capable of producing an instant touchdown at any given moment. While Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford may not have a Julio Jones to throw to, he does have DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles and two good offensive tackles in Jason Peters and Lane Johnson that will chew up yards on the ground. The Eagles are harder to defend because they have more individual talent and greater flexibility in the offence.
The pick: The Eagles cover 

Minnesota (-2.5) at San Francisco

The Vikings could very easily be a surprise team in 2015. Minnesota made massive improvement on defence last year, and with second-year pivot Teddy Bridgewater being guided by Norv Turner they have a chance to make the same type of improvement on offence this season. The return of star running back Adrian Peterson completely changes how teams play coverage on Bridgewater in terms of numbers close to the line of scrimmage. New San Francisco head coach Jim Tomsula wants to win now with the 49ers, but may have to wonder if he has enough good players to not consider this year a rebuilding year.       
The pick: Vikings cover