Week One NFL Predictions

Week 1
THU, SEP 5	TIME (ET)
Baltimore at Denver	8:30 PM
SUN, SEP 8	TIME (ET)
New England at Buffalo	1:00 PM
Cincinnati at Chicago	1:00 PM
Miami at Cleveland	1:00 PM
Atlanta at New Orleans	1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at NY Jets	1:00 PM
Tennessee at Pittsburgh	1:00 PM
Minnesota at Detroit	1:00 PM
Oakland at Indianapolis	1:00 PM
Seattle at Carolina	1:00 PM
Kansas City at Jacksonville	1:00 PM
Arizona at St. Louis	4:25 PM
Green Bay at San Francisco	4:25 PM
NY Giants at Dallas	8:30 PM
MON, SEP 9	TIME (ET)
Philadelphia at Washington	7:00 PM
Houston at San Diego	10:15 PM

BALTIMORE AT DENVER: The NFL Is back! Peyton Manning and his new favorite target Wes Welker take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have lost Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Anquan Boldin, and Paul Kruger, but they have the Super Bowl MVP, Joe Flacco. The Ravens now also have Elvis Dumervil from Denver. They hope Dumervil will help fill in a glaring hole at Linebacker. Von Miller won't be playing in this game due to a suspension.

BRONCOS OVER RAVENS

NEW ENGLAND AT BUFFALO: Tom Brady and the Patriots match up well against rookie QB E.J. Manuel and the Bills. Tom Brady may have lost Wes Welker, but Danny Amendola is going to be a suitable replacement. Tom Brady makes his recievers better. I'm expecting a Patriots blowout.

PATRIOTS OVER BILLS

MIAMI AT CLEVELAND: The Browns have Paul Kruger now, but need to see improvement from Brandon Weeden at Quarterback. His 14 Touchdowns and 17 interceptions weren't too bad for a rookie, although a 27 year old Rookie QB. Miami has former Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill, and he did not fare much better last season. 12 Touchdowns, 13 interceptions. This could go either way, but I pick:

DOLPHINS OVER BROWNS

ATLANTA AT NEW ORLEANS: Talk about a Shootout in the Superdome. This could be the best game of the entire week. Saints QB Drew Brees and Falcons QB Matt Ryan both have chips on their shoulder. Falcons lost in heartbreaking fashion in the NFC Championship game to San Francisco. Tony Gonzalez is back for one final season, and Atlanta will be happy to have him back.  Drew Brees threw for over 5,000 yards passing the last two seasons. This should be a lot of fun.

SAINTS OVER FALCONS

TAMPA BAY AT NEW YORK JETS: Darelle Revis was traded this offseason from the Jets to the Bucs. Rookie QB Geno Smith gets the start for the Jets. I pick the Bucs to win and start a long season for Jets fans.

BUCS OVER JETS

TENNEESSEE AT PITTSBURGH: The Titans have Jake Locker at Quarterback. They are hoping for a big season from him. The Steelers lost Linebacker James Harrison to the Bengals via Free Agency. Will Tennesee be ready for Dick LaBeau and the massive pressure he brings?

STEELERS OVER TITANS

MINNESOTA AT DETROIT: Lions WR Calvin Johnson broke the NFL Record for most recieving yards last season with 1,964 yards recieving last season. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards last season. This game should be fun.

LIONS OVER VIKINGS

INDIANAPOLIS AT OAKLAND: Colts QB Andrew Luck led his team to the postseason in his rookie year. Raiders rookie QB Terelle Pryor is hoping for similar results.
COLTS OVER RAIDERS

SEATTLE AT CAROLINA:
Carolina QB Cam Newton vs Seattle QB Russell Wilson. Wilson went 8-0 at home last season! I do think Seattle starts 1-0 this season.
SEAHAWKS OVER PANTHERS

KANSAS CITY AT JACKSONVILLE: Kansas City has a new Head Coach in Andy Reid, and a new QB in Alex Smith. I think they will start off the year 1-0.
CHIEFS OVER JAGUARS

ARIZONA AT ST LOUIS: The Cardinals have a new QB in Carson Palmer. They still have Larry Fitzgerald, although the lack of a true number may hurt somewhat. Sam Bradford of the Rams is still a good QB, but the Rams are still rebuilding.
CARDINALS OVER RAMS

GREEN BAY AT SAN FRANCISCO: Aaron Rodgers vs Colin Kaepernick. "Kaepernicking" took the NFL by storm, and San Farncisco was one big play away from title number six. Aaron Rodgers has a new weapon at running back, Eddie Lacy of Alabama. This will help the Packers offense. Rodgers won't have to throw as often. The 49ers have Anquan Boldin now. He is a real weapon in  the passing game.
49ERS OVER PACKERS

GIANTS AT COWBOYS: Eli Manning and the Giants take on Tony Romo and the Cowboys. Dallas made a foolish decision in signing Romo to such a crazy extension. Dez Bryant is going to have a big season this year I think. The running game will do well in DeMarco Murray stays healthy. The Giants will have the better season in New York, but I think they start 0-1.
COWBOYS OVER GIANTS

REDSKINS AT EAGLES: Robert Griffin III will get to test his knee, and Chip Kelly will get to test if his Oregon Offense can work in the NFL. I think it can. Michael Vick is still a dangerous scrambler. Redskins defense will have to keep him contained. I don't think Robert Griffin III will be running as much this season.
EAGLES OVER REDSKINS

HOUSTON AT SAN DIEGO: The Houston Texans were in the playoffs last season, while San Diego and QB Phillip Rivers regressed. I think the Texans take the first step to the Super Bowl this season.
TEXANS OVER CHARGERS

Week Ten NFL Preview

Peyton Manning leads The Colts into San Diego to take on The Chargers.
Atlanta At Carolina 1:00 PM EST
Both of these teams are hurting at the quarterback spot. Atlanta is coming off a victory over San Francisco last week. I'll go with Carolina because they are at home, but this will be one ugly and brutal game for both sides.
CAROLINA OVER ATLANTA

Buffalo At Miami 1:00 PM EST
Miami just can't catch a break or a win this season. Buffalo has played well
the last two weeks, and I expect it to continue here.
BUFFALO OVER MIAMI

Cleveland at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM EST
Pittsburgh has been on a roll and they can't be stopped. Pittsburgh wins.

Denver at Kansas City 1:00 PM EST
This is a big AFC West matchup. Denver is coming off a 49-7 loss to the Lions. Kansas City wins.
KANSAS CITY OVER DENVER

Jacksonville At Tennesee 1:00 PM EST
A Big AFC South matchup. The Jags will be hurting from the suspension of John Henderson. Tennesee wins the game.
TENNESEE OVER JACKSONVILLE

Minnesota At Green Bay 1:00 PM EST
This is Adrian Peterson's first game since racking up 296 yards rushing against the San Diego Chargers. Green Bay has played well enough to be at the top of the NFC North, with Detroit slightly behind them. If Minnesota does well on the ground, they win the game.
MINNESOTA OVER GREEN BAY

Philladelphia At Washington 1:00 PM EST
A Big NFC East Rivalry. The Eagles really have nothing to play for since they are theoretically eliminated from the playoff hunt. Washington wins.
WASHINGON OVER PHILLY

St. Louis at New Orleans 1:00 PM EST
The Saints are on a roll. After losing their first four games, they have won their last four to get back to a respectable .500. The Saints will now get above .500, as they will keep the Rams winless.
NEW ORLEANS OVER ST. LOUIS

Cincinnatti at Baltimore 4:05 PM EST
Two AFC North teams who will play hard because this is a divisional game, if not for anything else, as both of these teams are currently dead in the water. I go with Cincinnatti because the only team that has played more incosistently than them is the Ravens.
CINCY OVER BALTIMORE

Chicago At Oakland 4:15 PM EST
If the Bears don't beat The Raiders, that will officially cause the Bear fans to "Wailt till next year." Chicago Sports fans just can't catch a break. The Bulls and Bears have stumbled out of the gate early and are trying to rebound. The Bears don't play an 82 game schedule like the Bulls do. The Bears are still alive, if just by a thread. That thread is gone if they lose against The Raiders.
CHICAGO OVER OAKLAND

Dallas At New York Giants 4:15 PM EST
This is a Big NFC East rivalry and the stakes are raised because the winner of this game will lead the NFC East. I'll go with The Cowboys, although they have not really had a game to prove themselves in since their loss to The Patriots. Dallas wins.
DALLAS OVER NEW YORK GIANTS

Detroit At Arizona 4:15 PM EST
Detroit slaughtered a mediocre Broncos team 49-7. Imagine what happens when they beat an even worse Cardinals team.
DETROIT OVER ARIZONA

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Indianapolis At San Diego 8:15 PM EST *THE GAME OF THE WEEK*
This is Indy's first game since their 28-24 loss to the Patriots last week. This is San Diego's first game since Adrian Peterson ran all over them for 296 yards. Both of these teams have chips on their shoulder. Both have something to prove. I think this game will come down to how well the defense responds when the other team is on the field. If San Diego cannot get pressure on Peyton Manning, they're in trouble. If Indy cannot stop LaDanian Tmlinson, they're in trouble. I'll go with Indy to win this game, but the absense of Marvin Harrison will hurt the Colts in the passing game.
INDY OVER SAN DIEGO

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
San Francisco At Seattle 8:30 PM EST
A Big NFC West matchup. Both of these teams have been underperforming. I'll go with Seattle because they're at home.
SEATTLE OVER SAN FRANCISCO

Enjoy The Games on Sunday!

NFL Preview: NFC North

Brian Urlacher is the heart of the Chicago Bears Defense,and the defense is why the Bears will win the NFC North Again.


The Chicago Bears of 2006 had the greatest season in 22 years. The Bears made it all the way to the Super Bowl, before "Mr. Inconsistent" Rex Grossman started fumbling snaps and throwing interceptions, throwing away Chicago's chance for their first Super Bowl Title since the days of "Sweetness" Walter Payton, and "Da Fridge" William Perry. The Bears still have the best defense in the entire NFC, so that alone chalks them up to win at least 11 games this season. Add to that the fact that no other team in the NFC North appears ready to make a run at the Bears, and the Bears, as long as Rex Grossman becomes more consistent, will have a shot at the Super Bowl again this season.

Prediction:11-5, 1st Place.

GREEN BAY PACKERS: Yes, Cheeseheads, Brett Favre is back to attempt to become all time Touchdown Pass King, but he doesn't have any descent receivers. Javon Walker is gone, and Michael Jennings is a questionmark. Ahman Green is also no longer with the Packers, but, with his career winding down anyway, I don't it would have made much of a difference. One thing Green Bay does have working for them is their linebacking Corps, heralded by A.J. Hawk out of Ohio State. If it wasn't for Brian Urlacher, we would be calling A.J. Hawk the best linebacker in the NFC North. Mike McCarthy may suprise people this season if some real breakout players emerge in the regular season. I just don't see it happening.

Prediction: 7-9, 2nd Place.


MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Tavaris Jackson may be ready to emerge as a premiere Quarterback this season. Adrian Peterson will rush for 1,000 yards behind Steve Hutchinson and will help Minnesota win games. Troy Williamson needs to show more consistency in the Wide Reciever department. The Vikings Secondary is starting to age. Minnesota will take one step forward with Adrian Peterson, but will take two steps back in the aging defense. Is Tavaris Jackson ready to step up? If so, this team may be in contention until midway through the season.

Prediction: 6-10, 3rd Place.

DETROIT LIONS: There is optemism in Detroit behind Calvin Johnson, and he will be a great player on a terrible Detroit Lions team. Jon Kitna is so-so, and Kevin Jones and T.J. Duckett won't be able to run for a whole lot. Detroit's defense is terrible. The Lions will have to deal without Dre Bly, as they traded him away. Yes, there is optemism in Detroit, but under this Matt Millen Franchise, it won't be there for long.

Prediction: 4-12, 4th Place.


Our Next NFL Preview takes us to the NFC West. Will the loss of Norv Turner hurt Alex Smith in the development department? Is Arizona finally ready to win the division? Find out in the Next NFL Preview.