Sports Bettors Rejoice: NFL Week #1 Match-Up Gift #1

Often times, the first week of the NFL season offers some potentially prosperous games for skilled bettors to target. This season's openers are no different. In a series of evaluated picks, the weeks best will right here for you.

Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears(-6)

Da Bears:

The novice bettor would look at this game and see a Chicago Bears team that has proved capable in recent years but have teetered back and forth in the past few years.

Last year's addition of QB Jay Cutler from Denver was supposed to solve the team's offensive woes, but his 26 interceptions and 76.5 QB rating demonstrated some undisciplined characteristics.

The Bears have brought in Mike Martz as Offensive Coordinator and his reputation for a pass-aggressive spread offense made questioning the new Bears layout pointless. Cutler is a quarterback with a trigger and the Bears seem to have a three-headed unproven but touted core with Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Devin Aromashodu.

Martz also clearly has intent to utilize the speed and strength of his TE Greg Olsen more than he has with his previous teams.

The addition of Chester Taylor to the running game makes for a solid 3^rd down back. With starting RB Matt Forte having a slightly disappointing sophomore season, Bears management thought it necessary to add the extra piece.

Regardless, Cutler is hovering just over 50% passing in the preseason going 10-20 for only 129 yards in week 3 and the Bears offense is not effectively producing.

Defensively, the Bears have not broken the top 17 teams in the league for yards per game allowed in four seasons. They are hoping that the return of LB Brian Urlacher will spark an improvement, but Urlacher is 32 and may have more injury problems ahead.

Pro-Bowl LB Lance Briggs suffered an ankle sprain last week against the Cardinals and it is under speculation that he may miss the opener against the Lions.

Detroit Lions:

Oh, the lowly Lions. The Lions have not put a winning team on the field in almost 10 years. However, this is the nicely wrapped present for the football intellectual.

The Lions past has burned an impression in fans, and many will see exactly that when they go to place their bets. Many of them will be as shocked that the Bears line is so high, or in their case, so low.

Youth and inexperience damaged QB Matthew Stafford's rookie season. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Stafford threw 20 interceptions and only 13 TD's with a completion percentage of 53.3.

It is difficult to weigh all preseason stats like gold, but for a young, talent-packed QB, his might as well be. Stafford has gone 34 of 46 for 331 yards, 3 TD's, and 1 INT. Boy has he looked good.

It's nice that Stafford gets to throw to one of the most skilled players in the league in Calvin Johnson. Johnson is an absolute freak that has posted unbelievable stat lines for a player that has dealt with double coverage as the only reliable passing option for most of his first three years. That is all about to change.

The Lions have added veteran Nate Burleson at WR this off-season. Burleson, if healthy, is a more than capable #2 to deter attention from Johnson.

Although Johnson and Burleson will likely be the go-to-guys, the Lions other Johnson receiver(Bryant), along with Dennis Northcutt, bring more depth and options to the pass game.

TE Tony Scheffler's athletic abilities in a pass-attack are what prompted the Lions to bring him in from Denver this off-season. Scheffler could see a deal of two-tight end sets with Brandon Pettigrew but his speed will likely make him the recipient of the big plays at the position.

The passing game will also be strengthened by an improved and potentially dangerous running game.

The Lions 30^th pick of the 2010 NFL draft was Jahvid Best out of California. The absence of Matt Millen's historic run of draft debacles may finally be paying off.

Best has all the looks of an explosive, crafty, and dangerous back. He impressed in camp/preseason and looks to be one of a trio of the league's Rookie RB's to turn heads this year(Bills' Spiller, Texans' Foster). Last year's starter Kevin Smith is now merely an afterthought after Best made his presence known.

Detroit has some new faces on Defense, including three-time Pro-Bowler Kyle Vanden Bosch from Tennessee. Vanden Bosch is an absolute force at the defensive end spot and should make an immediate impact on the pass rush.

The Lions benefited from their two first round picks in the draft, and used the first to take Ndamukong Suh. Suh is already looked at as one of the best defensive players in college football history, and the Detroit News has declared him "nearly unblockable" in offensive drills this preseason.

The Lions will be surprisingly improved this year, and are facing a team that looks to be embarking on a tumbling downfall. Detroit could easily take this game straight up, giving the money line a great deal of value.

"Lions Rookies Beginning to Figure Out Roles" , Detroit News

"2009 Detroit Lions" , Pro-Football- Reference