We've finally arrived at the start of the NFL season, which means the return of my weekly NFL picks. I'm off to a 1-0 start (and a 60-0 fantasy lead) after Denver's thrashing of Baltimore on Thursday night. As for the rest of the games this week, there aren't that many toss-ups. The best games are probably Packers-49ers and Giants-Cowboys, while the NFL has decided that they're going to throw some of the bad teams a bone and let them start 1-0 because they're playing another bad team. With that being said, though, there's nothing appealing about a Week 1 matchup between Jacksonville and Kansas City.
Patriots at Bills: New England-Back in 2003, the Bills beat the Patriots 31-0 in Buffalo in Week 1, only to have the Patriots return the favor in Week 17. Well, as fate would have it, Buffalo and New England have the same schedule this season. That's about the only thing that's common, though. The Bills are starting rookie E.J. Manuel at quarterback despite his missing half the preseason. New England won't have Rob Gronkowski, but that hardly matters.
Bengals at Bears: Chicago-The Bengals have been to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and view themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year. Well, they get a test right away, heading to Chicago in Week 1. If the Bengals truly want to claim a place among the NFL's elite, it's important for them to get road wins over good teams. The Bears, of course, are beginning the Marc Trestman Era, and the offense is going to be significantly better. It'll be a close one, but I'm taking the Bears here.
Dolphins at Browns: Cleveland-This matchup isn't as bad as Kansas City-Jacksonville, but it's close. The Dolphins and Browns are both viewed as having an outside shot at the playoffs by a lot of people, so the fact that they're playing each other in Week 1 will help enhance that vision for fans of one. Cleveland's going to struggle in its division, so the Browns need to get wins where they can. Starting at home in Week 1 against a Miami team that they should beat.
Vikings at Lions: Minnesota-I didn't pick many official underdogs this week, but the Vikings are one. I don't think Minnesota's going to be able to follow the same Adrian Peterson and nothing else formula this season. In fact, I think the Vikings will be hit by reality when Peterson is inevitably stopped by more than one defense. Even still, Peterson can probably do his thing against Detroit.
Raiders at Colts: Indianapolis-The Andrew Luck Era began with an unexpected playoff berth. Now Luck and the Colts are tasked with doing it again, something his predecessor did year after year. If he wants Colts fans to forget about that Peyton guy, losing at home to the lowly Raiders is not an option.
Falcons at Saints: New Orleans-This is among the most intriguing Week 1 matchups. New Orleans wants to "own" the NFC South this season, and they can go a long way towards accomplishing that goal by knocking off the defending division champs in the opener. While I'm not buying everything the overconfident Saints are selling, I do think things line up well for them in this game. Sean Payton's back, it's Opening Day, and they're playing at home against their biggest rival. For these reasons, I think the Saints will win.
Buccaneers at Jets: Tampa Bay-One of the nice things about having the Jets in New York is the unintentional comedy they provide on a daily basis. They're not a good team and Rex Ryan is clueless, yet their fans still believe. Believe in what? I'm not sure exactly. But they believe. Anyway, former Jet Darrelle Revis makes his return with the Bucs, and he shared the Jets playbook with his new teammates. Not that it matters. The Jets are a joke. Tampa Bay should give Geno Smith a rude NFL awakening.
Titans at Steelers: Pittsburgh-There are some who think Pittsburgh's going to have another down year after missing the playoffs last season. I wouldn't go that far. These are the Steelers we're talking about. They're like the Packers. Always hanging around the playoff race. Anyway, this is the type of game Pittsburgh usually wins. No reason to think that'll change.
Seahawks at Panthers: Seattle-Seattle's a chic Super Bowl pick. The Seahawks are dominant at home, so how they do on the road is really going to be the key to their season. Cross-country trips are never easy, especially to start the season, but if you have to go cross-country in Week 1, there are worse matchups than the Panthers. The travel shouldn't be an issue this early in the season. Regardless, Seattle's a much better team than Carolina.
Chiefs at Jaguars: Kansas City-Since the teams that were bad last year all have to play each other, the NFL probably figured they might as well get this one out of the way and spare us all having to watch it in Week 15. With Andy Reid, the Chiefs are going to be much better, and I don't think it's a stretch to say Kansas City is a potential playoff sleeper. Jacksonville, however, is still Jacksonville. They aren't going to be favored in many games this year, and this week is no exception.
Cardinals at Rams: St. Louis-This game isn't the dud it was a year ago, simply because both teams have gotten better. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Rams and Cardinals that determine the NFC West race (St. Louis didn't lose to San Francisco at all last season). As for what happens when they play each other, I see a split. And since they're playing in St. Louis, that means I'm going with the Rams.
Packers at 49ers: San Francisco-Just like last year, this one's the Game of the Week. The FOX national late game against the US Open women's final. Last season, San Francisco won the opener in Green Bay, which gave the 49ers home field when they met in the Divisional Playoffs, which San Francisco won en route to the Super Bowl. You can bet neither team forgets that. And with both expected to be contenders again this season, this is perhaps the Week 1 game that's going to have the greatest long-term ramifications. Colin Kapernick's not going to surprise anybody this year, so I think he'll struggle at times. But Aaron Rodgers is going to have plenty of trouble of his own thanks to that 49ers defense. San Francisco wasn't given any favors by the schedule-makers, starting with Green Bay and Seattle. The 49ers almost can't afford to start 0-2. They'll be ready to play and come out with the win.
Giants at Cowboys: Giants-NBC gets its two favorite teams on the season premiere of Sunday Night Football. Like Yankees-Red Sox in Fenway, I think it's an unofficial rule that Giants-Cowboys in Dallas has to be on Sunday night. They open against each other for the second straight year, as Dallas ruined the party by knocking off the defending champion Giants last year in Week 1 at the Meadowlands. Anyway, these two teams are very similar, and I expect them to play a typical Giants-Cowboys game. However, revenge for last year and their undefeated all-time record at Cowboys Stadium are the two factors that will play into the Giants' hands in what should be a great game.
Eagles at Redskins: Washington-The other two NFC East teams play the first half of the Monday night doubleheader, as the Chip Kelly Era officially begins in Philadelphia against the defending division champs. The Eagles are in a bit of a rebuilding mode, but I still bet they'll be fun to watch with the way Kelly runs his offense. As for Washington, RG3's health is everything. It's still only Week 1, so I think he'll probably be fine to get through this week. As a result, the pick is Washington.
Texans at Chargers: Houston-Finally, we've got Houston and San Diego, the last two teams to start their seasons. And they're two teams going in vastly different directions. The Texans have won back-to-back division titles and have to be in that handful of teams that are legitimate threats to represent the AFC at Giants Stadium in February. San Diego will probably be a position where they'll look to be a spoiler at the end of the season. Either way, a Week 1 matchup between a good Houston team and an average-to-mediocre San Diego team, regardless of the site, should end in the Texans' favor.
This Week: 1-0
Season: 1-0
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