NFL Week 1 Predictions
The season kicks off tomorrow night. The New England Patriots will have a target on their back once again this season. Week one is exciting for a ton of football fans. Enjoy it though because it usually goes by fast.
My record last season was 162-92-2 in the regular season and 10-1 in the playoffs. Let's see if I can do even better this season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Miami Dolphins has been cancelled this Sunday due to Hurricane Irma. It will be played in week 11 on November 19th in Miami. The Buccaneers and the Dolphins both originally had a bye that week.
Kansas City Chiefs 19 New England Patriots 27: The Chiefs are going to have a game plan to try and slow down Tom Brady. However, Bill Belichick will outsmart them at some point during the game. Despite not having Julian Edelman, Brady still has the biggest headache to throw to in the NFL in Rob Gronkowski. I do think Tyreek Hill's and Kareem Hunt's speed will cause the Patriots defense fits, but Alex Smith doesn't have a big enough arm to beat the Patriots.
New York Jets 13 Buffalo Bills 35: The Jets might have one of the worst offenses in the NFL. The Bills defense is going to cause pressure all game long and force turnovers. LeSean McCoy is going to wear down the Jets defense. Nathan Peterman will most likely be the Bills starting quarterback because of Tyrod Taylor's concussion. Peterman should feel comfortable in his possible NFL Debut.
Philadelphia Eagles 21 Washington Redskins 28: Carson Wentz and Kirk Cousins will be a solid quarterback battle in week one. Both defenses will struggle, but at the end of the day, Cousins has more play makers on offense.
Oakland Raiders 28 Tennessee Titans 31: Both teams are going to want to make an early statement in week one. Both of these teams are predicted to make the playoffs this season. The Raiders want to prove that they would have gone places last year if Derek Carr didn't get hurt. The Titans want to prove they belong with the upper echelon of the AFC. Marcus Mariota is primed for a break out game and season. Both defense will struggle. Whoever has the ball last will win.
Jacksonville Jaguars 10 Houston Texans 24: This is the first time the Texans will be playing a game in Houston since Hurricane Harvey. They are going to rally behind the city and win this game for them. Blake Bortles will struggle against a ferocious Texans defense. Tom Savage won't play that great, but Lamar Miller will help him out in the running game.
Arizona Cardinals 31 Detroit Lions 17: This is a perfect game for the Cardinals to jump start the season the right away after they had a tough 2016 season. The Lions are going to have no answer for running back David Johnson and the Cardinals defense is going to blitz Matthew Stafford from every corner all game long. If Stafford finds a way to pass this test, he's way better than I thought.
Atlanta Falcons 44 Chicago Bears 10: Matt Ryan will continue his MVP success from last season against an mediocre Bears defense. The Falcons defense is going to feast on Mike Glennon. Jordan Howard will be the only positive spotlight for the Bears.
Baltimore Ravens 13 Cincinnati Bengals 10: The Ravens defense is going to stymie the Bengals offense all game and the same could be said vice versa. At the end of the day, the Ravens will be more disciplined and have the best kicker in the league in Justin Tucker.
Pittsburgh Steelers 35 Cleveland Browns 21: The Browns could keep this game close for a while. It is DeShone Kizer's first career and he will spark the Browns early, but the Steelers will adjust. The Steelers just have to many offensive weapons for the Browns to slow down.
Indianapolis Colts 13 Los Angeles Rams 14: This might be the worst game of the week and I would have loved to pick this game as a tie, but I don't think it will happen. Andrew Luck is out with a shoulder injury and the Rams may not have defensive tackle Aaron Donald because he is currently holding out. That would be a huge loss up the middle, but the Rams defense should be good enough to make Tolzien look bad. Todd Gurley will find his rhythm, but Jared Goff will struggle.
Seattle Seahawks 20 Green Bay Packers 34: It is very possible the Seahawks will be in a groove early because of how bad the Packers defense is, but the Seahawks will then realize they can't match point for point with Aaron Rodgers and that offense. Eddie Lacy returns to Green Bay and he will look to make a statement.
Carolina Panthers 17 San Francisco 49ers 10: Cam Newton is going to have more weapons to choose from this season and that will keep the inexperienced 49ers defense on its heels all game long. Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel will bring a new feature to the Panthers offense and it will spark them. The 49ers will have a solid game plan for the Panthers defense, but the Panthers defense will spoil it.
New York Giants 24 Dallas Cowboys 21: Ezekiel Elliott will be playing for the Dallas Cowboys week one despite the suspension. It is a good thing for the Cowboys, but the Giants contained him well last season. Odell Beckham Jr.'s ankle has been nagging him but if he plays, it will be a boost to the Giants offense. The Giants defense will make more key stops than the Cowboys defense will.
New Orleans Saints 35 Minnesota Vikings 28: Drew Brees is going to surprisingly carve up the Vikings defense in the first game. Adrian Peterson returns to Minnesota as a member of the Saints and he will make an immediate impact on offense. The Vikings will put up points to because the Saints defense is inexperienced. I think Dalvin Cook will make a name for himself in the backfield for the Vikings. Sam Bradford will make another dumb decisions to cost the Vikings.
Los Angeles Chargers 14 Denver Broncos 17: Trevor Siemian is going to have to carry the team on his back offensively because the running game will struggle. Joey Bosa will be looking to be a game changing player on the Chargers defense. Phillip Rivers will show his age in the passing game for the Chargers. Von Miller will be the prime impact player for the Broncos on defense.
