It’s finally here, the 2025 NFL season begins tonight with a big NFC East matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and defending champion Philadelphia Eagles!
Also, we have our Las Vegas Raiders taking on the New England Patriots at 10:00 am PST Sunday, and Silver and Black Pride’s annual Pick’em competition begins. So, let’s get to it and make some picks for the Week 1 slate of games.
Odds below are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change.
Raiders vs. Patriots
- Spread: NE -2.5
- Total: 43.5
- NE ML: -138
- LV ML: +118
Holder’s picks: LV +2.5, LV ML, Over 43.5
Both the
Raiders and the Patriots underwent a lot of changes this offseason, which could lead to both teams having a slow start to begin the season. But I’ll put my money on the more experienced quarterback, with Geno Smith leading the charge in Las Vegas while Drake Maye has to learn his second offense in as many years. Granted, that’s also a good argument to take the under, so consider that a bit of a hedge as I don’t have a ton of faith in the Raiders’ defense.
Pick’em Competition
Moving on to S&BP’s Pick’em competition, below is a look at how our writers finished last season.
- Ray Aspuria 205-79 (72%)
- Matt Holder 200-85 (70%)
- Bill Williamson 199-86 (69%)
Ray took home the writer’s trophy last year, edging me out by 5.5 games. So, it’ll be important for Bill and me to get off to a hot start to challenge the defending champ.
Community Standings
t-1. Bodega Bay Raider 207-78
t-1. Running With the Night 207-78
3. The Assassin 205-80
4. Kid Dynamite 204-81
5. Roosky Raiders 203-82
6. dafe2cat 202-83
7. DARTH RAIDER 201-84
t-8. NC Hell Razors 200-85
t-8. Gabe’s pickems 200-85
t-10. Kaneohe raiderdogs 199-86
t-10. Raider Nation 199-86
t-12. Gunslinger 198-87
t-12. Mooniac 198-87
t-12. Redlady 198-87
We had a tie for the community and overall championship last season, where both Bodega Bay Raider and Running With the Night finished with 207 correct picks. So, those two have some unsettled business from last season, and we should have some new contenders this year to challenge those two.
On an administrative note, our group (run by my good friend Mooniac) is completely full heading into the season. However, Mooniac will be removing people from the group if they aren’t making picks at the beginning of the season, so make sure to stay on top of your picks every week if you want to compete. Otherwise, you’ll get the boot, and we’ll give your spot to someone else.
As a reminder, get your picks in ASAP with the game tonight at 5:20 pm PST. Also, don’t forget about the Friday night matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. You don’t want to let it slip your mind and then lose the competition by one pick!
Best of luck with your picks, and I look forward to competing against you all again!
