NFL futures: Model’s best bets for Week 1 of the 2026 season
Training camps are starting to open, meaning the 2026 NFL season will be upon us in what will feel like the blink of an eye. Week 1 of the campaign begins in less than two weeks as the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Lumen Field in a rematch of Super Bowl LX.
The first of a record nine international games across seven different countries takes place the following day in Australia, where the San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in a battle between NFC West rivals at Melbourne Cricket Ground. The schedule for Sunday, Sept. 13, consists of a total of 13 contests, while a pair of AFC West adversaries conclude Week 1 on Monday Night Football as the Denver Broncos visit Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season as it went 6-11 and missed the postseason for the first time in 11 years while losing superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the year in Week 15 due to a torn ACL. The two-time NFL MVP is expected to report to training camp later this week and hopes to be under center for the 2026 opener against the Broncos.
While the 2026 NFL Kickoff Game featuring Seattle and New England still is seven weeks away, bettors can wager on Week 1 contests right now. The SportsLine Projection Model has revealed its early picks, so before making any early picks of your own, you NEED to see what it has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model has simulated every game for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times, and the results are in. The model is leaning Over on the total for the 2026 Kickoff Game between the Seahawks and Patriots, and it also says one side of the money line has ALL the value!
