The NFL season is finally here! It's crazy to think that we've gone eight months without football, isn't it? Anyway, with the dawn of a new season comes a new season of everyone's favorite pastime (other than their fantasy team)--NFL picks. I didn't have the best year when it came to picks in 2011, so I'm looking to rebound this season. However, I'm off to an 0-1 start thanks to the egg laid by the Defending Super Bowl Champion New York Football Giants in their opener against the Cowboys on Wednesday night. Week 1's always tough to pick, but here goes nothing:
Colts at Bears: Chicago-I think the Bears are going to be very good this year. They're certainly much better than the Colts. For Indianapolis, this is, of course, the dawn of a new era. Brian Urlacher is going to give Andrew Luck a "Welcome to the NFL" moment or two right off the bat.
Eagles at Browns: Philadelphia-This matchup doesn't really seem that fair in Week 1. If the Eagles play the way they did at the end of last season, they're going to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Against Cleveland, they don't really need to play that well to win. Browns fans are going to boo their team at some point during the game. That goes without saying. I just hope they don't boo during the tribute to Art Modell, no matter how much they hate him.
Rams at Lions: Detroit-Remember not that long ago when this was that game only people in St. Louis were going to be subjected to (since it would be blacked out in Detroit)? Well, times have certainly changed. The Lions are one of the best yong teams in the NFL and coming off a playoff berth. The Rams still suck, though, which should make this an easy win for Detroit.
Patriots at Titans: New England-Amazingly, this, and not the New York Tebows against Buffalo is the CBS No. 1 game. As I've said in the past, the Titans are that team that always manages to hang around the playoff race even though nobody really thinks they're any good. This is one of the "tough" games on the Patriots' schedule. That doesn't mean New England's going to lose.
Falcons at Chiefs: Atlanta-Kansas City's another enigma. The Chiefs are either going to be really good or really bad. I'm not sure which. The Falcons, however, are really good. Atlanta might even be among the NFL's elite. Due to my general confusion about Kansas City, I have no idea whether this is going to be a close game or not. I don't think so. The Falcons are the better team no matter how you slice it.
Jaguars at Vikings: Minnesota-One of these teams is going to be 1-0. I really would like to know what the NFL's thought process is when they decide to put two of the worst teams in the league against each other in Week 1. Who's going to win? It doesn't matter. But since the game's in Minnesota and the Vikings are somewhat less bad, I'll go with the home team.
Redskins at Saints: New Orleans-Don't get me started on the ridiculousness of the Saints' Bountygate suspensions being overturned. At least we know Jonathan Vilma's not going to play this week, but that's only a small consolation. Anyway, whether or not those guys were playing wasn't going to matter against the Redskins. Robert Griffin III might make the Washington offense slightly better. But he'd better pay attention when the Saints have the ball. That way he can learn from Drew Brees what an actual NFL offense looks like.
Bills at Jets: Jets-A lot of people think Mario Williams was that missing piece to finally bring the Bills back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. I'm hopeful, but not overly optimistic about that. As for the Jets, I'm not sure if you know this, but they have a new backup quarterback. The Great Sanchez-Tebow Experiment is probably going to be a disaster, but that's my opinion. How it plays out in Week 1, though, is the Jets fall behind, Tebow comes in does his Denver stuff, the New York media acts like the Jets just won the Super Bowl (instead of, you know, beat the Bills at home in Week 1), and the "controversy" is on.
Dolphins at Texans: Houston-It might sound crazy with Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans gone, but I think Houston might actually be better this year than they were last year. Starting against the Dolphins is a good recipe for a lot of Texans points. There's no way they lose on the day they raise their first-ever division championship banner in Reliant Stadium.
49ers at Packers: Green Bay-This is clearly the Game of the Week. Green Bay and San Francisco were arguably the two best teams in the NFL for most of the season last year. I think they've both gotten slightly better. It's crazy to think, but a Week 1 matchup could go a long way in determining home field advantage in January. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the 49ers pulled the upset, but, going into Lambeau Field in the season opener, I simply don't see that happening.
Seahawks at Cardinals: Arizona-Provided San Francisco loses that game, the winner of this one will be in first place in the NFC West after Week 1. I think the Seahawks' new uniforms are really ugly and, crazy as it sounds, I trust John Skelton at quarterback more than I trust a rookie. That's why I'm going with Arizona.
Panthers at Buccaneers: Tampa Bay-Call me crazy, but I think the Bucs are going to pull this one out. On paper, everything points in Carolina's direction. If Cam Newton slices and dices the Tampa Bay defense, it's going to be a long day for the Bucs. If the defense is able to shut him down even a little, Greg Schiano's debut might be a winning one.
Steelers at Broncos: Denver-It's Peyton's Denver debut! The Broncos take on a Steelers team that they somehow beat in last season's playoffs on Sunday night. Again, the Broncos weren't that good, yet still won their division and a playoff game last season. Now they have an actual quarterback and offense to go with that tremendous defense. This will be a good test for the new-look Broncos. I think they match-up pretty well with the Steelers. It's also probably a good thing that Peyton's first game as a Bronco is against a defense that will actually pressure him. This way, we'll be able to tell right away how he'll handle getting pressured and, more importantly, hit. As for the winner of the game, do you really think there's any chance Peyton doesn't win his first game with a new team? Believe it or not, he feels like he's got something to prove on Sunday night. He'll prove it.
Bengals at Ravens: Baltimore-As I said in my AFC preview the other day, I think it's going to be very difficult for Cincinnati to get back to the playoffs this season. The Bengals were a nice story last year, but they play in the toughest division in football. And a Monday night opener in Baltimore isn't going to be fun. The Ravens always get up for night games, and they'll have the added emotion of Art Modell's passing. Baltimore's an elite team. They'll show why on Monday night.
Chargers at Raiders: San Diego-I think Part II of the Monday night doubleheader is going to be an entertaining game between two teams that hate each other. The Raiders' usual M.O. is playing very tough against its division teams, but losing to everybody else. The Chargers' usual M.O. is playing like crap for 10 weeks before going undefeated in December. Both of those things would lead you to believe the Raiders will win. San Diego's better, though. That's why I'm taking the Chargers in a close one. It might be worth the effort to try and make it to the end.
This Week: 0-1
Season: 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment