NFL Week 1 Prop Bets: First Scoring Play Type Picks (2024)

We’ve made it to the first week of the NFL season. With that, comes placing bets on the over, first touchdown scorers and the spread. One thing I’m going to try to figure out weekly is the first scoring play type. I’ve got two games in mind for Week 1 that could be interesting to bet on. Let’s get to it.

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NFL Week 1 First Scoring Play Type Picks

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Tennessee Titans vs. Chicago Bears

Let’s start with Caleb Williams making his first career start for the Chicago Bears. They welcome the Tennessee Titans into Soldier Field. This should be a pretty good game. I’m not sure which team is going to get the ball first or how many offensive series we’ll see before a team does score but I do trust the Bears’ defense. That should bode well for the Bears to get a few different opportunities to put points on the board.

Last season, the Bears had the best run defense in the NFL. They allowed 86.4 rushing yards per game. The Titans were in the bottom half of the NFL with their rushing attack as they only ran for 108.6 rushing yards per game. Despite the addition of Tony Pollard with Tyjae Spears, it could take the Titans’ offense a few drives to get their rushing attack going in this game. Especially since the Bears were tied for fifth-best in the NFL last season with 28 takeaways. We could see a scenario where they force a turnover early in this game.

Additionally, the Titans allowed almost three field goals per game last season. With a rookie quarterback making his first start, we could see some of the Bears’ early drives stall. With that, I could see more opportunities for the Bears to bring kicker Cairo Santos on the field. Santos signed a four-year extension with the Bears this offseason. This is after he broke the single-season franchise record for most field goals made. The record was previously held by Robbie Gould. He also tied Gould’s franchise record of seven field goals from 50+ yards in a single season. Santos’ 35 field goals were tied for second among all kickers in 2023.

Bet: Home Field Goal (+330)

Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns

The Browns had one of the best defensive units when it came to total yardage allowed last season with an average of 270.2 total yards allowed per game. But the Cowboys’ defense wasn’t far behind with 299.7 total yards allowed per game. All of that said, the difference will be between the offenses, and there’s no questioning what the Cowboys present on offense.

They’ve got Dak Prescott at quarterback and one of the best receivers in the NFL with CeeDee Lamb. Even though the Cowboys lost running back Tony Pollard, I still trust their offense will be able to generate points. I love this spot for them on the road. Despite offenses across the league potentially shaking off some rust, I think the Cowboys get points early in this game.

Despite a good defense playing against them, I could see a scenario where the Cowboys move the football downfield. As drives stall, they could call on kicker Brandon Aubrey. His 36 field goals made last season topped the NFL.

Bet: Away Field Goal (+310)

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