Every week I’ll pick the winner of every NFL matchup and preview some of the more interesting ones that week. with the goal of not looking like a fool by the end of it. At the time of me writing this the Thursday night kickoff game between the Eagles and Falcons has been played. I’d like to be able to say that I picked the defending champions, but instead I decided that the Falcons offense wouldn’t be as bad in the red zone as they were last year (23rd in the NFL). As we saw they were and you can mark me down for a disappointing 0-1 start. Without further ado here are my picks for the rest of the NFL week 1 slate.
Baltimore 23-Buffalo 13
Cincinnati 17- Indianapolis 27
Pittsburgh 31- Cleveland 20
Tennessee 21- Miami 20
Houston 20- New England 24
Tampa Bay 13- New Orleans 27
Jacksonville 20 – New York Giants 17
Dallas 24- Carolina 21
Seattle 17- Denver 24
Washington 17- Arizona 13
Chicago 13- Green Bay 24
New York Jets 17- Detroit 24
San Francisco49ers at Minnesota Vikings:
This game is interesting for one main reason, the quarterbacks. San Francisco Jimmy Garoppolo will be looking to build on his 5-0 record as the starter at the end of last season. He will have to do so against a team who will be starting the biggest free agent acquisition of the off season, Kirk Cousins. After years of trying to sign a contract worth of a starting QB with the Washington Redskins Cousins will be wanting to prove he is an elite QB in the league. I see both QBs struggling to find a rhythm since this is week 1, however; with more weapons on offense and a vaunted defense I see Minnesota coming out on top. Prediction: 20-17 Minnesota wins
Kansas City Chiefs at LA Chargers: This early season division matchup could prove to be huge later in the season. The Chargers are a popular preseason pick to win the division. Phillip Rivers hasn’t slowed down and the eternal Antonio Gates is back for another run at a championship that has eluded him. The Chargers have a solid defense and while it looks increasingly likely that Joey Bosa will not play Melvin Ingram should prove more than enough of a challenge for Kansas City. For the Chiefs their roster is looking as strong as ever with one main change at QB. Patrick Mahomes is taking over for Alex Smith and the Chiefs are hoping he will provide the spark that finally pushes them to the Super Bowl. I don’t see it, Mahomes has an abundance of talent, but I need to see him prove it first. I see him struggling early against a solid Chargers defense. Prediction: 24-13 LA Chargers win
LA Rams at Oakland Raiders: The people or person to watch here will be the coaches. Jon Gruden commentator extraordinaire and lover of the double a gap blitz is back coaching. His goal is simple, beat Tom Brady which he wasn’t able to do the last time he was a coach almost 20 years ago. Sean Mcvay, one of the best young minds in the NFL, hasn’t beat Tom Brady as a head coach either, but he has a solid team and is a favorite to get a chance come February. The Raiders are hoping Jon Gruden can spark an offense that struggled last year to find a rhythm. If Derek Carr can find the connection he had with Amari Cooper in 2016 then the Raiders will be able to beat anyone. Another storyline to watch is the defenses. The Rams signed their defensive star who was holding out, Aaron Donald. Meanwhile the Raiders decided not to pay their defensive star and traded Khalil Mack to the Bears. Will the Raiders have enough firepower to keep up with the Rams and their talent? I don’t think so. Prediction: 30-17 Rams win
Thank you for reading and I’m looking forward to doing this the rest of the season.
Spreadsheet Sports 