NFL Best Bets For Thursday Night Football: Picks, Predictions & Player Props
Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season finally kicks off this week which means it’s time to check in with our NFL best bets: Thursday Night Football edition!
There’s no greater excitement than the start of a brand-new NFL season. Everybody is out there making their NFL predictions for the season and all the bettors, both sharps and novices, are ready to go with all of their weekly NFL picks.
NFL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets for Thursday Night Football, 9/5
There truly isn’t a better way to start things off than getting the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs for the very first NFL best bets Thursday Night Football extravaganza.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce vs. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry? Oh, baby! This is going to be a hot one, so let’s get to it.
Thursday Night Football Prediction: Thursday, September 5th
The 2024 NFL season kicks off with a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game as the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Few people believed in the Chiefs as the Ravens, favored by 4.5 points, seemed destined to march through Arrowhead Stadium and head to the big game. But head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had other plans and made some phenomenal adjustments to stifle reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and earn a 17-10 victory.
This year’s matchup here in Week 1 looks like it should be a strong one. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has everyone back from his coaching staff, Patrick Mahomes is fired up for another strong season and the weaponry is first-rate. The backfield will be led by Isiah Pacheco and the receiving targets were enhanced by the additions of Hollywood Brown and rookie Xavier Worthy who now join Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce. Brown is unlikely to play, but Worthy’s speed will certainly help stretch the field and give the Ravens secondary some fits.
One of the keys for the Ravens defense will be how they handle life without coordinator Mike MacDonald who left to take the head coaching job in Seattle. Baltimore was a middling team against the run last season and lost linebacker Patrick Queen so if you’re into making NFL predictions, you can look at Pacheco for a solid effort. Once the run is established, Mahomes is going to look to spread the ball around and try to grab a lead as quickly as possible.
The big addition for the Ravens in the offseason as running back Derrick Henry. If you’re going to beat the Chiefs, you need to control the game and the best way to do that is to pound the rock. Kansas City did a great job retaining Chris Jones, but Henry, even here in the latter stages of his career, is a beast to take down. The RPO work we expect to see from the Ravens is going to feature a lot of running from both Jackson and Henry which should then open things up more for some passing work to favorite-target Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers.
If you’re making NFL best bets for Thursday Night Football, you can bet that this is going to be a tight one. Both teams are primed for strong seasons and every player is fired up. If you want to know how to bet this game, keep reading. We’ve got a lot going on!
Ravens vs. Chiefs Best Bet: Thursday, September 5th
Now that you’ve established your matchup and sorted through your potential game flow, you are ready to make your NFL picks and NFL predictions. If you genuinely believe the Ravens are going to win this one, then a money line bet at +125 makes sense.
We are actually backing the Chiefs to win this one, but a -150-money line has a little too much juice, so instead, we will look at the spread where Kansas City is favored by 3-points. Based on our matchup and the predicted game flow, this one figures to be a tight contest and we like for the Chiefs to win.
Since Andy Reid became the Chiefs head coach, the team is 9-2 straight-up and 7-4 against the spread in Week 1. Knowing Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker are two of the best, this three-point spread screams push, so if you have the ability to spend up and buy it down by a half-point, that is the recommendation.
- Pick: Chiefs -2.5 (-130 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
If you are looking at the game total, remember, all of those big, beautiful hotels in Las Vegas were built on the public being wrong. The excitement of a new season is in-play and the public bets what it wants to see rather than what it will actually see.
Statistical data points towards unders being more prevalent early on in the season and there is no reason to think otherwise here regarding NFL best bets for Thursday Night Football.
- Pick: Under 46 (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
Best NFL Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 9/5
- Travis Kelce Over 57.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at BetMGM)
- Isiah Pacheco Under 79.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115 at BetMGM)
- Derrick Henry Over 15.5 Rushing Attempts (-135 at BetMGM)
How To Bet On Thursday Night Football At BetMGM & Claim Your $1,500 Bonus With Promo Code Alarm
If you’re as amped up for Week 1 as we are, then you’re going to want to put your NFL picks and NFL predictions to the test. The best place to wager your NFL best bets for Thursday Night Football is at BetMGM Sportsbook. Sign up at BetMGM today by using this link and entering promo code ALARM.
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Player News
49ers signed No. 11 pick EDGE Mykel Williams to a four-year contract.
The deal is worth $24.9 million and is fully guaranteed. As is the case with all first-round picks, his contract includes a fifth-year option. The 49ers shed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts this offseason and the bulk of those savings came on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end was an obvious position of need and Williams was widely regarded as the best pass-rusher on the board when 49ers GM John Lynch was on the clock. Williams totaled five sacks in 2024 and left Georgia with 14 sacks across three seasons as a starter.
Vikings signed No. 24 pick OG Donovan Jackson to a four-year contract.
It’s a fully guaranteed deal worth $17.2 million with a fifth-year team option. Minnesota taking Jackson with the 24th-overall pick came as a bit of a surprise on draft night, but the Vikings needed offensive line help and Jackson was considered worthy of a first-round pick by some draftniks. He was primarily a left guard at Ohio State but successfully kicked out to tackle for the bulk of his senior season. Jackson is likely fated for guard duties in Minnesota, but the positional versatility remains a plus.
Titans claimed Anfernee Orji off waivers from the Saints.
Orji played primarily on special teams in New Orleans but was credited with two starts across 16 appearances. He totaled 30 combined tackles and a pair of TFLs. Orji will need to continue seeing work on special teams to make the Titans’ roster.
Patriots signed RB Trayveon Williams, formerly of the Bengals.
Henderson was passed on the Cincinnati depth chart by Chase Brown last year and the team even traded for Khalil Herbert midseason. Despite having no role on offense, Williams was active for all 17 games as a special teamer. He will likely hold a similar role in New England if he cracks the team’s 53-man roster.
Free agent RB Jordan Mims worked out for the Patriots.
The Pats also worked out former Bengals running back Trayveon Williams. Mims ran 20 times for 70 yards in 2024 while adding 12 catches for 71 yards through the air. He also got some run on special teams. The Patriots are looking for some extra depth at running back, but there isn’t room for another fantasy-relevant option behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Jaguars signed TE Quintin Morris, formerly of the Bills, to a one-year contract.
Morris is purely a blocking tight end. He caught just 15 passes during his three years with the Bills, though he did manage to find the end zone three times. Morris will back up Brenton Strange in Jacksonville.