NFL Week 1 picks: Majority of experts are taking Rams over Bears

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

NFL Week 1 picks: Majority of experts are taking Rams over Bears

Cameron DaSilva
September 11, 2021 5:01 am PT
Week 1 games are often the most difficult to predict. We don’t have a clear picture of which teams are contenders and which are pretenders, which makes picking winners in the season opener fairly difficult.

Experts aren’t having a hard time deciding whether the Rams or Bears will win on Sunday, though. According to NFL Pick Watch, 96% of experts are taking the Rams to beat the Bears in Week 1. That’s tied with the 49ers for the highest percentage of experts picking one team to win this week; 97% did pick the Bucs over Dallas, however.


When factoring in the spread, the gap is much closer. Of the experts who have submitted their picks against the spread, 71% are picking the Rams to cover the 8-point spread. The 49ers have 80% of experts picking them to cover the 8-point spread against the Lions.

Last season, the Rams were 9-7 against the spread, meaning they covered in nine of their 16 regular-season games. The Bears were 8-8 ATS in 2020.

If the Rams win, it will be their fifth straight Week 1 win under Sean McVay, getting off to yet another good start.