NFL 2020, Week 1

Football's back!  It seems crazy that the last time there was an NFL game, the world as we knew it was still normal.  Yet here we are, ready for a new season, which is starting right on time.  It's actually pretty remarkable if you think about it.  We've gone through six of the craziest months of our lives, yet our fall Thursday nights, Sundays and Monday nights will still include NFL football, just like they always have.

With the start of the season marks the return of my weekly picks.  For those of you who are new to this, I pick straight winners.  I don't care about the spread.  The spread is irrelevant to who actually wins the game.  If the team that's favored by 6.5 only wins by six, they don't take the win away!  And, with that out of the way, it's on to the Week 1 picks (I'll make a pick for the Thursday game, which I'll count in the results, but normally won't post until Sunday)...

Texans at Chiefs: Kansas City-After doing Bears-Packers last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary season, we're back to the traditional Thursday night opener hosted by the reigning Super Bowl champions.  And the Chiefs begin their defense with a matchup against the Texans.  I'm glad this one is early in the season when all of Houston's starters are still healthy, because it should be a terrific showdown worthy of the marquee primetime showcase.  This is the type of game that usually bites Houston at the end of the season, so a win would be huge for the Texans.  Fans or not, I don't see the Chiefs not following through with a victory on the night they raise their championship banner, though.

Seahawks at Falcons: Seattle-Starting the season with a cross country road trip is never an easy thing, but I'd rather do it in Week 1 than Week 15.  And the Seahawks have proven over the past few years that these long road trips aren't much of an issue for them.  A Falcons win would be a huge statement for an Atlanta team that's looking to bounce back after going 7-9 last year.  While that wouldn't be a total surprise, I still see the Seahawks making that long flight home as winners.

Jets at Bills: Buffalo-For the first time in two decades, the rest of the AFC East heads into the new season legitimately thinking they have a chance of winning the division.  That's especially true for the Bills, who've made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons and probably should've won their Wild Card Game last year.  The no fans thing, while disappointing for their rabid fan base, could be good for the Bills' players.  Because they won't feel the pressure nearly as much as they would in a stadium full of people.

Bears at Lions: Chicago-The NFC North's other two teams square off in a season opener that has the potential to say a lot about the direction of their seasons.  A Week 1 win would be a huge springboard, while a loss could get some "here we go again" feelings to start setting in.  The Lions have added Adrian Peterson, but can he get up to speed on Detroit's system quickly enough to make a difference?  I'm not sure, which is why I'm taking Chicago.

Packers at Vikings: Green Bay-They both made the playoffs last season, and they're the NFC North co-favorites again.  Although, I'm not sure Minnesota is as good this year.  We'll get to see it right away, though, since the Packers are still just as good and the Vikings will need to bring their A-game.  That means Kirk Cousins will need to be the guy they paid big money for.  I'm just not sure he'll be able to without a big-play receiver.  As such, I expect the Packers' defense to take advantage and come away with a road win.

Dolphins at Patriots: New England-How will New England begin the Cam Newton Era?  Honestly, I think the Patriots will be fine, even if they won't be the dominant force they've been over the past several years.  And a home game against the Dolphins is about as soft a landing as they could've hoped for in Game 1 Post-Brady.  Miami got slaughtered at home by Baltimore in its opener last year and things only got worse from there.  Here's hoping their 2020 opener goes a little better, even though the result will probably be the same.

Eagles at Washington: Philadelphia-Philadelphia has gotten off to a horrible start in each of the last two seasons before rallying to finish 9-7 and make the playoffs both times.  Maybe this year they can get some wins in September to make things a little easier for themselves at the end of the season.  Starting with Washington is certainly a good way to do that.  Question: If Washington scores a touchdown, will they sing "Hail to the Football Team?"

Raiders at Panthers: Las Vegas-I'd normally pick against the Raiders in a 1:00 game under any circumstances.  But these aren't regular circumstances.  Plus, they're playing the Panthers, who are definitely one of the weaker teams in the league.  The Raiders will put up a lot of points and look like a playoff team, but the real test will come next week when they play the Saints in the first-ever NFL game in Las Vegas.

Colts at Jaguars: Indianapolis-Philip Rivers is a Colt?!  Sorry...that's still a weird thing to think about.  Anyway, the Jaguars are not good.  The Colts are a potential playoff team.  So losing to Jacksonville is not really an option, especially since this division is going to be a dogfight between those three top teams.  I expect to see a fully reinvigorated Philip Rivers show he's got plenty left in the tank and lead the Colts to a season-opening victory.

Browns at Ravens: Baltimore-How will Lamar Jackson and the Ravens follow up their record-setting 2019 campaign?  Will they be like the Chiefs and use that as motivation for a Super Bowl run of their own?  I'm also curious to see what 2020 has in store for the Browns.  Cleveland was a popular playoff pick heading into last season, but had a brutal schedule to start and never recovered.  Unfortunately, beginning this season in Baltimore won't be much easier.

Chargers at Bengals: Chargers-Joe Burrow's Bengals debut comes against a Chargers team that has a new quarterback of its own (although I'm not sure Tyrod Taylor is actually an improvement over Philip Rivers).  Nevertheless, the Chargers are a better team than Cincinnati.  The Bengals will be much more competitive than they were last season, but all that means is the score will be closer.  It won't change the result.

Buccaneers at Saints: New Orleans-Two of the four active quarterbacks that are locks for Canton square off in Brady's Bucs debut.  Tampa Bay was obviously one of the most talked-about teams during the offseason, and rightfully so.  And, since there was no preseason, this will be our first chance to see the new-look Bucs.  Unfortunately for them, the Saints are the best team in the NFC.  It'll be high-scoring (most NFC South games are), but I expect Brees to get the better of Brady in their first matchup as division rivals.

Cardinals at 49ers: San Francisco-It's Year 2 for Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona.  I know I'm not the only one who's curious to see how it'll go (especially since teams weren't able to do anything except watch video for months).  They can make an early statement against last year's NFC champions (who I think are a little overrated).  But, alas, the game is in Santa Clara, so I'll go with the 49ers in a close one.

Cowboys at Rams: Rams-You've gotta feel for Stan Kroenke a little bit.  He moved the Rams back to LA, spent a billion dollars of his own money on a gorgeous new stadium, got a Sunday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys to open it up...and no fans will be there!  They can still make a statement, though.  I picked Dallas to reach the NFC Championship Game, but they'll open the season with a loss.  The Rams finally havce a new home, and they'll put on quite a show to christen it with a victory!

Steelers at Giants: Pittsburgh-Last season was obviously a rough one for the Steelers.  They couldn't stay healthy, and by the time they got everything together, Baltimore was already running away with the division.  Well, Big Ben is back, and so is the optimism in Pittsburgh.  I wish I could say there's similar optimism around the Giants, but there isn't.  And, with Eli retired, this is officially Daniel Jones' team now.  Can he lead them to a .500 record (or at least 7-9)?  Maybe.  But he'll start this season 0-1.

Titans at Broncos: Tennessee-Week 1 concludes in Denver, where it might be 80 degrees or it might snow.  The Broncos went 7-9 last season, but had so many close losses that they easily could've been 9-7 or even 10-6.  The Titans have gone 9-7 for years in a row, which has gotten them into the playoffs twice and to the AFC Championship Game last season.  That run included road wins over New England and Baltimore, so they obviously know how to perform in big games.  And the second half of the Week 1 Monday night doubleheader certainly qualifies as a big game.