Week 1 of the 2022/23 National Football League (NFL) regular season has finally arrived, and the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams would have hosted the JustBet pre-season favourite Buffalo Bills in the opener last evening.

The NFL will be back to normal for the first time since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic — along with a few added twists and turns. The 18-week regular season, introduced last year, will be played again this and there will be a major change in the post-season overtime rules, where both teams are assured of at least one possession, even if the first team with possession scores a touchdown.

Three games will be played in London this year: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints on October 2, New York Giants at Green Bay Packers on October 9 (both at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) and Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars on October 30 at Wembley Stadium.

The league will stage a game in Germany for the first time: Seattle Seahawks versus at Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich’s Allianz Arena on November 13 and the “International Series” will see a return to Mexico on November 21, with the San Francisco 49ers facing the Arizona Cardinals at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for Monday Night Football.

As usual, all teams will be in action during the first week of the season with many games featuring absorbing plots and sub-plots — for example: quarterback (QB) Baker Mayfield will be playing a ‘revenge’ game when the Cleveland Browns (who he unceremoniously left in the off-season), travel to Charlotte to take on the Panthers (his new team); a battle of young QBs in the offering when the San Francisco 49ers’ Trey Lance oppose the Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields; and QB Russell Wilson returns to Seattle (where he played the last nine seasons) to engage the Seahawks on his first official outing as a Denver Bronco. But, while there will be intrigue in many match-ups, the highlights of the weekend should come from the University of Phoenix Stadium and AT&T Stadium where the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys call home, respectively.

After a tumultuous off-season between QB Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, which saw him emerge with a US$230.5-million contract, they open the season against the Kansas City Chiefs and QB Patrick Mahomes, who has never lost a regular-season opener. In four seasons as the Chiefs’ starter, Mahomes is 4-0 in the opening week and the Chiefs have scored an average of 36.25 points in those games.

Mahomes, for the first time in his NFL career, will not have receiver Tyreek Hill at his disposal, but will try to mitigate the impact of his absence with new targets Marquez Valdes-Scantling, JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie Skyy Moore. Additionally, the usual copious targets for Travis Kelce should provide a safety net along with the familiarity of Mecole Hardman. Murray will need to place his dysfunctional relationship with the Cardinals aside, especially with DeAndre Hopkins on suspension, and maximise the capabilities of Marquise Brown, Zach Ertz and James Conner.

A shootout is expected from the arms of Mahomes and Murray this Sunday afternoon, and with the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams next on the schedule for the Cardinals, Murray’s guns had better be ready and fully loaded — anticipating a Kansas City win this weekend.

The reigning National Football Conference (NFC) East Champions, Dallas Cowboys start their season with a rematch of last year’s exciting opening-week game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they will hope for a different outcome this time around. Last season, Dallas’ QB Dak Prescott returned from a severe ankle injury (suffered in the prior season) to throw for 403 yards and three touchdowns in his return to action. The Cowboys played well but made the cardinal error of leaving QB Tom Brady with 1:24 on the clock, while nursing a meagre one-point lead. Brady meticulously navigated the Buccaneers down the field and won on a field goal with a score of 31-29 — Brady’s 49th game-winning drive in a fourth-quarter or overtime during the regular season.

In six career games, not only is Brady 6-0 against Dallas, he has also thrown for 1,733 yards, along with 14 touchdowns in those games. He led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43) last season but is now 45 years old, had retired in the off-season for six weeks and skipped the pre-season altogether. Most of the Buccaneers from last season have returned, apart from retired tight end Rob Gronkowski and mercurial receiver Antonio Brown, who dramatically (and permanently) excused himself during a game against the New York Jets last season, while key receiver Chris Godwin is coming off an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and may not be match-fit for this encounter.

The Cowboys finished with a 12-5 record last season but couldn’t get past the first round of the play-offs. They will have to figure things out without receiver Amari Cooper, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns, and with running back Zeke Elliott not enjoying the best of consistent form in recent years. Additionally, key receiver Michael Gallup is coming off an ACL injury and will not be 100 per cent.

It is rare that the Cowboys are JustBet underdogs at home, but it is fitting since they have never beaten Brady. If Prescott can remain healthy through the first three quarters and keep the game close, this may be the best opportunity for Dallas to finally beat the GOAT — as long as they don’t gift him the ball with time on the clock. Are you ready for some football?

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Super Bowl LVII Champion

TeamOdds

Buffalo Bills6.25

Tampa Bay Buccaneers7.00

Green Bay Packers11.00

Kansas City Chiefs11.00

Los Angeles Rams12.00

Los Angeles Chargers13.00

San Francisco 49ers14.00

Baltimore Ravens16.00

Denver Broncos17.00

Cincinnati Bengals17.00

*Only Top 10 odds shown (see website for full list)

Note: Odds are subject to change