There’s more uncertainty in NFL Week 1 (remember last year?). Still, though, I just flew through clouds and can see landscape down below. I like the Bears, Jets, both LA teams, Dallas, and (oh!) the Raiders at home.
Well, here we go again! It’s yet another opening of ‘The Show,” the 100th NFL season and my 26th turn on the pro football scene. You know the deal. I pick every game straight-up with no point spreads and without Fantasy talk.
Last year, I got 161 wins–more than the previous year–but still eight wins short of my all-time record (2011).
(Note: All games will be played on Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted.)
Chicago 20, Green Bay 17 (Thursday night): Usually, road teams do very well in Thursday Night season kickoff games. That means I should pick the Packers. But the Bears’ defense was the only one nearly as good as Baltimore’s last year. Bears rate the edge here.
Baltimore 23, Miami 3: As I stated in my season prediction preview, Miami could be fighting for the top overall draft pick. The Ravens are far from a finished product, but they have gotten younger and faster, not to mention bolder in the front office.
Tennessee 24, Cleveland 17: The Titans are a sleeper pick of some national analysts. Mind you, not enough to make a championship run, but good enough to plant seeds of doubt in the hyper-sensitive Cleveland fan base.
Philadelphia 33, Washington 16: The Eagles are playing their home opener with, clearly, a more complete team. The Redskins are uncertain at quarterback, banged up at TE, and have many questions on defense, particularly in the secondary.
New York Jets 20, Buffalo 13: Out of the gate, these two play in the game show, “Who Wants To Finish Second in the AFC East?” With the Jets at home and featuring a Ravensesque influence on the field and in the GM’s office (not to mention a better quarterback), I’ll take New York.
Los Angeles Rams 24, Carolina 16: I’ve mentioned this before (too much for some of you). West Coast teams don’t often win on the East Coast when game time is set at 1 p.m. (ET). But this time the Panthers have a hobbled Cam Newton going up against a defense that went on a Super Bowl run last year, holding the Patriots to 13 points. Road team wins this time.
Kansas City 30, Jacksonville 20: The host Jaguars took a major step backward last year. But they are optimistic that they can return to their near-Super Bowl form of two years ago. But it’s hard to pick the Jags against Patrick Mahomes and one of the league’s best offenses.
Minnesota 27, Atlanta 17: The Vikings are putting their fate in the hands of Kirk Cousins. That’s bad news. There’s good news, though. Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and the defense are healthy and ready for the home opener against the inconsistent Falcons.
Seattle 38, Cincinnati 10: Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll always finds a way to keep his team competitive. Plus he plays home games in one of the league’s loudest stadiums. The Bengals don’t have a chance.
Dallas 23, New York Giants 13: The Ezekiel Elliott holdout and a home opener against a soft opponent give the Cowboys a chance to running back options. Elliott might miss just one game, but Dallas doesn’t need him in this one.
Los Angeles Chargers 30, Indianapolis 10: If Andrew Luck were healthy and active, this would have been a headline game. Instead, it gets pushed down a few notches–even with Melvin Gordon and Derwin James unavailable to the home team. Despite their absence, the Chargers should roll.
Detroit 17, Arizona 9: This one is a strong candidate for “Game Of The Weak.” These two teams aren’t expected to do anything, but the Cardinals are a lot worse than the Lions. Visiting Detroit will win by attrition.
San Francisco 24, Tampa Bay 6: The Buccaneers went on the road in Week One and shocked the New Orleans Saints. That was with Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB. Jameis Winston is there now. While Bruce Arians is an exceptional coach who knows how to handle signal-callers, I’ll go with a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo in this one.
New England 30, Pittsburgh 27 (Sunday night): The Patriots will be at home, and the Steelers will roll out a team devoid of distractions. Pittsburgh is better than it has been on defense, but the squad still looks vulnerable enough in the secondary for Tom Brady to pull out a close win.
New Orleans 31, Houston 21 (Monday night): The Texans’ defense should be healthier. DeShaun Watson should provide Drew Brees with a good quarterback battle, too. But the Saints are at home and will remember what happened in last year in Week One (home loss to Tampa Bay). Saints win.
Oakland 23, Denver 20 (Monday night): This game is not a headline-making matchup, but it’s still a tough one to pick. The Broncos are tougher at home, but they’re on the road for this one against a Raider team that might be (read the words, ‘might be’) ready to check out of the season already–given Antonio Brown’s dramatics and the pending move to Vegas. Still, though, I have a gut-feeling. Raiders.
