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See below the opening spreads and results for the season opener for the defending champs since 2005. The one obvious difference is the Ravens are on the road.
Year Defending SB Champ Opponent/Result
2005: New England Patriots (vs. Oakland Raiders: 30-20 Win) New England 7.5 Point Favorites
2006: Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Miami Dolphins: 28-17 Win) Pittsburgh 1 Point Favorites
2007: Indianapolis Colts (vs. New Orleans Saints: 41-10 Win) Indianapolis 5.5 Points Favorites
2008: New York Giants (vs. Washington Redskins: 16-7 Win) New York 4.5 Point Favorites
2009: Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Tennessee Titans: 13-10 Win) Pittsburgh 6.5 Point Favorites
2010: New Orleans Saints (vs. Minnesota Vikings: 14-9 Win) New Orleans 4.5 Point Favorites
2011: Green Bay Packers (vs. New Orleans Saints: 42-34 Win) Green Bay 4.5 Point Favorites
2012: New York Giants (vs. Dallas Cowboys: 24-17 loss) New York 3.5 Point Favorites
Notes:
• Until this last year, the defending Super Bowl Champions were favored in the last eight season openers
• They won all of them except 2012
• The average spread was the Super Bowl Champ -4.7 points
• The defending champs record Against-The-Spread was 6-2
2013 NFL WEEK 1 - Season Opener
Baltimore Ravens +7.5
Denver Broncos -7.5