NFL Primetime Betting Picks for Week 1 Sunday Night Football & Monday Night Football | Deadspin.com

Aaron Rodgers is staging his own personal countdown to the fifth snap on Monday night, and who can really blame him? Of course, fans of the beleaguered New York Jets are hoping Rodgers will recite a number more than twice as high when he counts the team’s victories at the end of the season.

Rodgers is returning from the season-ending Achilles tendon injury he sustained on the fourth snap of last season’s Monday Night Football opener. The 40-year-old will look to remind us of his prowess when the Jets open against the host San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.

The Detroit Lions knocked the Los Angeles Rams and old friend Matthew Stafford out of the postseason last season. On Sunday night, Stafford and the Rams seek some payback in Motown after being dispatched in the playoffs, while the Lions face high expectations after reaching the NFC Championship Game before falling to the 49ers.

Hut, hut, Om-a-ha—let’s analyze the two prime-time matchups.

LOS ANGELES RAMS AT DETROIT LIONS

Stafford (275-plus yards, -115) spent 12 seasons with the Lions and never won a playoff game, losing in all three appearances. In fact, Detroit’s two playoff victories last season were its first since a postseason rout of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1991 season, when Barry Sanders modestly owned the town.

Those 12 victories last season matched the franchise record of the 1991 team (in 16 games), and Detroit would like to start off fast. Jared Goff (275-plus yards, +105) has proven to be a solid fit with the Lions — he was acquired in the deal to send Stafford west after the 2020 season — and he has a top target in Amon-Ra St. Brown (over 84.5 yards, -115) to hook up with.

The Rams received a blow when star defensive tackle Aaron Donald retired, and it will be interesting to see how the defense responds. Offensively, the passing targets are solid with Cooper Kupp (over 67.5 yards, -115) and last season’s top rookie Puka Nucua (over 73.5, -115). Nucua had nine receptions for 181 yards in the 24-23 wild-card loss to the Lions.

Detroit set the tone for a big season last year by upsetting the host Kansas City Chiefs in a nationally televised opener. Expect the Lions to be extra jacked up in front of the home fans while dispatching the Rams.

PICK: Lions -4.5, -110 (DraftKings)

NEW YORK JETS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, said he’ll likely have a smirk for the cameras once the fourth snap concludes. He’s eager to get back to playing football, and he seriously thinks he can help end the Jets’ streak of 13 straight seasons of missing the playoffs, including eight consecutive losing campaigns. 

Monday’s game falls two days shy of the one-year anniversary of the Achilles tendon injury against the Buffalo Bills. It will be the first full game for Rodgers (275-plus yards, +265) since the 2022 season for the Green Bay Packers, and the Jets will try to keep San Francisco’s Nick Bosa (over 0.75 sacks, -105) out of the backfield.

San Francisco has its own demons to knock down. The 49ers have played in four of the last five NFC Championship Games but have no trophies during the run. They did make the Super Bowl twice, including last season, when they lost in overtime to the Chiefs.

Despite a couple concerns on the offensive side — running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) and wideout Brandon Aiyuk (just back from holdout) — San Francisco has the better players all over the field. Look for Brock Purdy (275-plus yards, +265) to lead the 49ers to a one-touchdown victory. 

PICK: 49ers -4.5, -110 (DraftKings)