THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH - 8:20 PM EDT
Dallas Cowboys 0-0 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-0
The Cowboys and Super Bowl champion Bucs kick the year off. Dallas gets Dak Prescott back after he broke his ankle in week five last season. Dallas will be without their best offensive linemen as Zach Martin is out due to COVID. The Bucs return every starter from last year’s Super Bowl team, something that has never been done before, they also brought back their key reserves for depth. The Cowboys have the offense to put up the points against Tampa Bay, but can the Cowboys defense get the stops necessary to win this game? I don’t believe so. I feel the game will be close going into the fourth quarter then Tampa will pull away.
Cowboys 24 - Buccaneers 34
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH 1:00 PM EDT GAMES
Jacksonville Jaguars 0-0 @ Houston Texans 0-0
Trevor Lawrence the first overall pick makes his debut against the Texans who will start Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. With everything going on with Deshaun Watson, it’s no surprise that Taylor is the starter. Jacksonville has young talent, but I don’t know what to expect from them because I don’t believe Urban Meyer is the right coach for them. The Texans are a mess and week one is just the start of what should be a long season for Texans organization.
Jaguars 20 - Texans 16
Los Angeles Chargers 0-0 @Washington Football Team 0-0
This is a game with two teams that have a decent amount of hype going into this season. Los Angeles has Justin Herbert last year’s Rookie of the Year, while also getting new Head Coach Brandon Staley, who should improve this defense that ranked 23rd in points per game last season. The Football Team has hype for their amazing young defense led by last year’s number two overall pick, Chase Young. Washington’s elite defense isn’t where it ends as the offense have elite weapons, such as Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, Curtis Samuel, and Logan Thomas. This is going to be an extremely fun game to watch, but I believe in Washington, and I am picking them to get the win this week.
Chargers 20 - Football Team 24
Seattle Seahawks 0-0 @ Indianapolis Colts 0-0
Seattle travels to Indy to face the Carson Wentz led Colts. The Seahawks have the potential to be much better than last season if their defense continues their performance from the second half of last season. In their first eight games they allowed 23 or more points each game, but in the second half of the season, they allowed 17 or less in five of the last eight. The Colts could also be much better than last season if Wentz can reach something near his 2017 form. They have a strong run game led by Jonathon Taylor and a defense that is pretty good. However, their defense is not the elite unit people made them out to be last season and they are relying on Eric Fisher, who is coming off an Achilles tear to hold down the left side of the line. Indy has question marks and Russell Wilson should have no trouble picking apart Indy.
Seahawks 31 - Colts 20
New York Jets 0-0 @ Carolina Panthers 0-0
No one outside of the Wilson family is more excited than me to see Zach Wilson. The rookie quarterback is someone I have believed will be best quarterback from this draft class. Wilson first game however, is against the quarterback he is replacing, Sam Darnold. Darnold was the Jets quarterback the past few seasons, but it was time for a fresh start and now he is in Carolina with Christian McCaffery. The Panthers have a young but talented squad with guys like DJ Moore along with Robby Anderson, and then on defense, Brian Burns and Jeremy Chinn. The Jets have a much underrated defense, but Sam Darnold will get the better of his former squad this time around as I have the Panthers winning.
Jets 17 - Panthers 23
Minnesota Vikings 0-0 @ Cincinnati Bengals 0-0
As I said in my season predictions blog, the Vikings have the potential to win the NFC North, as now, their defense is healthy, and the offense can be just as good. Kirk Cousins just must be good enough, not special, but good enough and this team can make the playoffs. The Bengals get Joe Burrow back from his gruesome knee injury last season, and while I do feel like the Bengals have a talented roster especially on offense, I feel like they won’t be able to put it together this year. The Vikings won’t have an easy time out on Sunday, but they should be able to handle it.
Vikings 23 - Bengals 14
Arizona Cardinals 0-0 @ Tennessee Titans 0-0
These are two good offenses, and I will have my eyes glued to this game with the amount of offensive talent. I have been a big advocate for Kyler Murray, taking the next step and becoming an elite quarterback. The Titans added Julio Jones to an offense that already had AJ Brown and Derrick Henry, now you can’t put most of your attention on Henry. Both defenses are mediocre, but I expect the Cardinals defense to have a much harder time stopping the Titans. In what should be a high scoring game, I have the Titans coming out with the win.
Cardinals 30 - Titans 34
San Francisco 49ers @ Detroit Lions 0-0
The 49ers haven’t announced a starting quarterback yet, but all signs point to Jimmy G. The Lions are headed in the right direction, but they don’t have the pieces to beat the 49ers. San Francisco will be much better this season, as they dealt with several injuries to key player’s last season. San Fran has too many weapons for Detroit, and will get the win this week.
49ers 31 - Lions 16
Pittsburgh Steelers 0-0 @ Buffalo Bills 0-0
The Steelers had a very disappointing end to their season after starting 11-0, they lost five of their last six games including a Wild Card loss to the Browns. The Steelers are hoping to get whatever they have left of Big Ben, but with a mediocre offensive line and secondary, I have my doubts about this team. The Bills were the surprise team of last season as Josh Allen took his game to new heights. Buffalo reached the AFC Championship game falling short to Kansas City. Pittsburgh still has an elite defense, but with Buffalo getting better this offseason, I expect another big year from the Bills.
Steelers 23 - Bills 30
Philadelphia Eagles 0-0 @ Atlanta Falcons 0-0
These are two teams with minimal expectations. I am intrigued by Jalen Hurts and to see how he’s progressed from last season. Atlanta is rebuilding but also in win now mode. Matt Ryan returns, but they traded Julio Jones to the Titans and drafted Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick. Neither defense is built to stop anyone but my pick for this week will go to the Falcons.
Falcons 24 - Eagles 22
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH 4:25 PM EDT GAMES
Cleveland Browns 0-0 @ Kansas City Chiefs 0-0
The game of the week Cleveland travels to Kansas City to play Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Browns already had extreme talent, but then they had an incredible draft and added safety John Johnson. Oh, and they get back Odell Beckham, Jr. if Baker and Odell can get their chemistry in order, this will be one of the two or three best teams in the league. The Chiefs were embarrassed in the Super Bowl and now I expect them to go on a revenge tour. Cleveland played Kansas City tough in the playoffs, and they will again on Sunday, but they will come up short once again.
Browns 26 - Chiefs 35
Green Bay Packers 0-0 @ New Orleans Saints 0-0
Aaron Rodgers comes into what seems to be his last season in Green Bay and with all the drama from this offseason. The Saints enter the season with a new quarterback as Jameis Winston leads the charge. The Saints will be without Michael Thomas as he continues to recover from ankle surgery. The Packers still have a Super Bowl roster while the Saints can still be a playoff team, but the Saints will have to hope their young wide receivers can step up into the place of Thomas’ absence. This game will be close, but I think Rodgers does enough in the fourth quarter for the win.
Packers 34 - Saints 31
Denver Broncos 0-0 @ New York Giants 0-0
The Broncos and Giants are very similar teams. Teams with deep rosters who have a question mark at the QB position. Denver has arguably the most talented defense. The Giants are hoping Saquon Barkley will be ready to go, but it sounds like if he is, he will be on a play count. In a game between very close teams, I believe the Broncos get the win as they are better on both sides of the ball. Denver starts the year 1-0.
Denver 24 - Giants 16
Miami Dolphins 0-0 @ New England Patriots 0-0
Tua vs Mac, the two former Alabama quarterbacks now AFC East rivals face off in weak one. The Dolphins almost made the playoffs last season and hope Tua can improve so they can make the playoffs. New England struggled in their first season without Brady. This game has two elite defenses. I expect a low scoring game between these two, but New England coming out with the win.
Dolphins 14 - Patriots 16
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH 8:20 PM EDT
Chicago Bears 0-0 @ Los Angeles Rams 0-0
The Bears are moving in the right direction, but they feel as though Justin Fields needs more time to develop, so Andy Dalton is the starter against this elite Rams defense. The Rams traded for Matthew Stafford this offseason with McVay hoping that Stafford can take this offense to heights Goff couldn’t. I picked the Rams to make it to the Super Bowl, so I am big on their potential, and I think the defense tees off on Dalton while Stafford and the offense show they won’t be held back anymore.
Bears 14 - Rams 27
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH 8:15 PM EDT
Baltimore Ravens 0-0 @ Oakland Raiders 0-0
The Ravens look to build off the playoff success last year getting their first playoff win in the Lamar Jackson era. The Ravens lost JK Dobbins, so the run game will take a hit, but Lamar and Gus Edwards will be able to keep it up. For the Ravens to take that next step they will have to improve in the passing game which ranked 32nd. The Raiders it seems, have been a sleeper team for years, but now they seem to have taken steps back. The Raiders defense will hold this team back, they also lost the majority of their offensive line. Lamar and the Ravens will get out to a fast start and the Raiders won’t be able to storm back.
Ravens 28 - Raiders 17
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