NFL Week 1 Sunday Preview: Bears-Panthers QB Duel, Packers-Vikings, and a Cowboys-Giants SNF Opener

Week 1 of the NFL season lands with a stacked Sunday slate on September 13, and there’s a little something for every kind of fan. Two former No. 1 overall picks square off as starting quarterbacks for the first time. A pair of NFC North rivals kick off their season series in prime position. The biggest spread of the week shows up out west. And the whole day wraps with a Sunday Night Football rematch between bitter NFC East rivals. If you’re just trying to figure out which games actually matter before you flip on RedZone, here’s where to start.

Bears at Panthers: The No. 1 Picks Finally Face Off

This one has been building for two years. Caleb Williams and Bryce Young are forever linked because of the trade that sent Carolina the rights to draft Young No. 1 overall in 2023, while the picks Chicago got back eventually became the No. 1 pick used on Williams in 2024. Sunday in Charlotte is the first time the two have started against each other. Chicago opens as a 2.5-point road favorite with the total sitting at 47.5, per the latest NFL odds.

Williams comes off a huge season under Ben Johnson, setting the Bears’ single-season passing record at 3,942 yards while leading Chicago to an NFC North title and a trip to the divisional round. Young, meanwhile, guided Carolina to an 8-9 finish and a wild-card berth, playing on a fifth-year option the Panthers have so far declined to extend. Carolina’s defense gave up nearly 204 passing yards per game last season, which is exactly the kind of matchup a healthy, ascending Williams should be able to exploit early.

Sportsbooks have Chicago’s season win total at 9.5, well ahead of Carolina’s 6.5-to-7.5 range, and that gap is the story here. If the Bears are truly the better team, a Week 1 test on the road against the guy they’re historically compared to is a good way to find out fast.

Packers at Vikings: NFC North Business Starts Immediately

Green Bay and Minnesota open their season series right away this year, and given how tight the division has been, that matters. The Packers are 1.5-point favorites with a total of 44.5 for the early-afternoon window. Tucker Kraft being full-go for Green Bay is a real boost — he’s become one of Jordan Love’s most trusted targets, and having him fully healthy for a division road game raises the offense’s ceiling.

Minnesota knows this rivalry doesn’t need extra motivation, but opening the year against the team it’s chased in the standings gives the Vikings a chance to set an early tone in front of their own crowd. With both teams viewing the division as winnable, neither side wants to spend Week 2 playing from behind in the tiebreaker math.

Cardinals at Chargers: The Week’s Biggest Number

No spread on the Sunday slate is bigger than this one. Los Angeles is favored by 11.5 points at home over Arizona, with the total set at 45.5 for the 4:25 p.m. window. That’s the kind of number that usually reflects either a big roster gap or a lot of uncertainty about the underdog, and in this case it’s a bit of both — Arizona’s James Conner enters the opener as questionable, which would sap an already-underdog offense of a key piece if he’s limited or sits.

For the Chargers, this is a get-right spot to open the year with a statement. Blowing out a divisional-caliber spread like this in Week 1 would be a loud early signal about where Los Angeles expects to be in the AFC West race. For Arizona, simply staying within the number and avoiding a laugher would count as a moral victory in a tough road environment.

Cowboys at Giants: Sunday Night Football Sets the Stage

The nightcap is a rivalry game with real juice behind it. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys travel to MetLife Stadium to face Jaxson Dart and the Giants, marking the eighth time in the past 15 seasons these NFC East rivals have opened their season against each other. Dallas is favored by 2.5 points with the total at 48.5.

Dart enters his second season with a genuinely light preseason workload — Giants coach reportedly held him out of most exhibition action, leaving him with only a handful of live series to prepare for a Cowboys defense and a Dallas offense built around CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. That’s a lot to ask of a young quarterback on the league’s biggest weekly stage, but Dart did close his rookie year on a high note, including a January win over these same Cowboys. Prescott, for his part, is looking to build on a strong finish to last season and take advantage of a Giants secondary that’s been retooled but untested against this caliber of receiver duo.

This Week’s Best Bets

Across this featured slate, a few picks stand out based on form, motivation, and matchup.

• Bears at Panthers: Bears -2.5
• Cardinals at Chargers: Chargers -11.5
• Cowboys at Giants: Cowboys -2.5

The common thread is talent and continuity beating youth and uncertainty in Week 1 — expect the more established quarterbacks and rosters to show it early, even if a couple of these games get tighter than the numbers suggest by the fourth quarter.