NFL Picks, 2026 Week 1

We have just the second Wednesday start to an NFL season in the modern era, but people had better get used to it.  If they want to continue having an international game in Week 1, it'll have to be on Thursday since they can't play on the Friday after Labor Day unless there are five weekends in September, which won't happen again until 2028.  Which means the Super Bowl champion's opener then has to move to Wednesday.

This week is also an interesting one in that there are five division matchups among the 16 games...and each of them is in a national window!  Rams-49ers is on Thursday/Friday, of course.  Giants-Cowboys is Sunday night.  Chiefs-Broncos is Monday night.  And both networks get a doubleheader in Week 1...with Packers-Vikings on CBS and Commanders-Eagles on FOX at 4:25.  Literally every.  Single.  Division game will be broadcast nationally (unless you're in the home market of one of the teams in the other 4:25 games).

Patriots at Seahawks: Seattle-Where have we seen this matchup before?  Oh, that's right!  In February at the Super Bowl!  We pick up right where we left off with a Super Bowl rematch.  On the same network, too.  Seattle's defense dominated that game.  This game could be much the same.  Expect the 2026 season to begin the same way the 2025 season ended.  With the Seahawks beating the Patriots.

49ers vs Rams: Rams-San Francisco's coach had the best line about playing in Australia.  "It's like we're time travelers.  It's tomorrow here."  The 49ers have been in Melbourne for about a week, while the Rams left only a few days ago.  I definitely think that could make a difference.  San Francisco is obviously much more acclimated.  Nevertheless, the Rams are the better team, so they're the pick.

Buccaneers at Bengals: Tampa Bay-Baker Mayfield's new deal is signed, sealed and delivered.  So, that won't be hanging over the Bucs' heads all season.  They get a tough Week 1 matchup having to travel to Cincinnati, where Joe Burrow is presumably healthy.  I can certainly see this one going either way, and neither wants to start with a loss.  One of them will have to, though.  And I think that team will be Cincinnati.  Tampa Bay goes on the road and wins.

Saints at Lions: Detroit-With the possible exception of Kansas City, no team had a more disappointing 2025 than the Lions.  Super Bowl dreams/expectations ended up in missing the playoffs.  They got a soft landing to start this season, though, with the Saints at home.  New Orleans isn't the worst team in the NFL, but isn't exactly good, either.  If the Lions don't win, it'll be a massive upset.

Jets at Titans: Tennessee-The NFL occasionally puts two bad teams against each other in Week 1, guaranteeing one of them will start 1-0.  That's the case with Jets vs. Titans.  It'll certainly feel good to get that Week 1 victory, but I hope it isn't misleading for either one.  Because they're both still destined for a lot more losses than wins.  At least for one week, though, the Titans will be undefeated.

Ravens at Colts: Baltimore-Indianapolis was just a pleasant surprise at the beginning of last season.  Then the injury bug hit and their second half was anything but pleasant.  How will 2026 go?  Starting with the Ravens doesn't help.  The Ravens are the better team.  I'm basing this pick entirely on that.

Falcons at Steelers: Pittsburgh-Aaron Rodgers begins his final season with a new coach who's also an old coach.  The Mike McCarthy Era starts in Pittsburgh against an Atlanta team that many feel underachieved last season.  What do the Falcons have in store this year?  Frankly, I'm not really expecting much from them.  The Steelers, meanwhile, I think will win the AFC North.

Bears at Panthers: Chicago-They both won their division last season, but in very different ways.  The Bears were one of the most impressive teams in the league.  The Panthers won the worst division in football on a tiebreaker.  A win here would make a statement to start 2026, especially for Carolina.  I think it'll be Chicago that gets the victory, however.  The NFC North is gonna be so tight that they can't afford a slip-up against Carolina.

Browns at Jaguars: Jacksonville-Remember when Cleveland-Jacksonville was a game absolutely nobody cared about?  I'm not saying this is suddenly a matchup worth watching.  But it's no longer the worst possible matchup either.  The Browns didn't help themselves by trading Myles Garrett, and who knows who their quarterback is?!  The Jaguars at least have a chance to be relevant, though.  They're the obvious pick in this game.

Bills at Texans: Houston-It's interesting that they didn't have the Bills play a home game in Week 1.  They won't open their new stadium until next Thursday night (against Detroit, which also seems really random).  Instead, their Week 1 game is a trip to Houston.  The Texans won the AFC South last season and may be even better this year.  Buffalo has high expectations, but could easily be 0-1 for that first game at Highmark Stadium.

Dolphins at Raiders: Miami-Two of the worst teams in the AFC will start the season with a win.  One will be the Jets or Titans.  The other will be the Dolphins or Raiders.  Is it silly to call Week 1 a must-win?  Yes.  But, in a way, it is.  Because whoever loses this game may need to wait a while to get one.  So, yeah, the pressure's on both teams.

Packers at Vikings: Green Bay-Any NFC North game will have extra importance this season.  The division figures to be that good.  So, yeah, huge weight in this one.  Especially for the Vikings, who are just a tick below the other three teams.  They can really send a message with a win here.  But, alas, look for the Packers to take it.

Commanders at Eagles: Philadelphia-Philadelphia did something last season that hadn't been done in 20 years...win consecutive NFC East titles!  And they have to be the favorites to make it three in a row.  Washington, meanwhile, fell back to Earth last year after their surprise run to the 2024 NFC Championship Game.  Look for the Eagles to assert their division supremacy right away.

Cardinals at Chargers: Chargers-Last season, it all seemed like it was finally going the Chargers' way.  They beat the Chiefs in Week 1 and got off to such a great start...only to see Denver be the team that won the division!  As a result, they had to go on the road in the playoffs once again!  We're obviously a long way from January, but they were given the gift of starting the season at home against the Cardinals.  They can't waste it.

Cowboys at Giants: Dallas-For a little while there, this was the NFL's official Week 1 Sunday night game.  Then the Giants started to suck way too much to justify it.  With John Harbaugh now at the helm and a new era starting, there's the hope that this is the beginning of the Giants' return to relevance.  Or this will be an "Aaron Rodgers comes to the Jets and we're gonna subject America to them in prime time every week whether they like it or not" situation all over again.  And, let's not forget the issues the Giants seem to always have with the Cowboys.  I hope not, but I have a feeling this will be more of the same.

Broncos at Chiefs: Kansas City-Last season, the law of averages finally caught up with the Chiefs.  They stopped winning all of the close games.  They also met the injury bug.  Denver took advantage, wresting the division title away from Kansas City.  Make no mistake, though.  The Chiefs are back.  They're gonna show everybody that on Monday night.