The long anticipated wait for the NFL season to begin is finally here. We’ll be looking at every matchup in week 1 and breaking down who should come out on top to start the season. Last year in our predictions, we finished with a record of 176-96.
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
In a rematch of the AFC Championship game, the Baltimore Ravens head to Kansas City seeking redemption. This game could also be a foreshadowing for what we can expect from this year’s AFC Championship game and we are very excited for this matchup. Perhaps one of the best matchups of the entire season and it’s the first game to kickoff the new year means we’re in store for an action-packed season. Both teams have improved this offseason with the Ravens arguably more so with the addition of Derrick Henry to the backfield. Unfortunately that’s not enough to get past Kansas City as the Chiefs hold off the Ravens once again with the home field crowd giving them enough momentum to achieve that.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (Played in Brazil)
The NFL’s first ever game played in Brazil features two NFC heavyweights in the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles who represent the “home team” in this game. Both quarterbacks have a lot to prove in not only this game, but for the season. Jalen Hurts needs to prove that he can succeed, specifically in the run game without all-pro center Jason Kelce & Jordan Love needs to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke and he’s the real deal on being the future of the franchise in Green Bay. For the latter, winning this game in a major game is going to be the first stepping stone in making that happen and we think Love’s going to have a monster game to take down the Eagles.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons
Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins are no stranger to playing one another as they’ve faced off 8 times against one another with Wilson leading the head to head series with 5 wins. Both quarterbacks are with new teams and much better situations. The difference in this game is going to come down to offensive play, specifically from each quarterback and that edge goes to Kirk Cousins and the Falcons.
Winner: Atlanta Falcons
Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills
Kyler Murray gained a new #1 receiver this offseason while Josh Allen lost not only his #1 receiver but also his #2 receiver. If it came down to which team’s passing game was in a better place, the Cardinals would have the edge. Thankfully for the Bills, there’s a whole lot more to the game and that includes their top 10 defense which should keep the Cardinals offense within check.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears
The Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears both have a lot of new faces in town from Tony Pollard & Calvin Ridley in Tennessee to Caleb Williams & D’Andre Swift in Chicago. The new faces in Chicago are going to fare much better with their new teams & it starts off with week 1 as the Bears offense does an impressive job & brings hope for the fanbase who has been depressed for years.
Winner: Chicago Bears
New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals
Thankfully for the Cincinnati Bengals, if the Ja’Marr Chase holdout continues through this game, the Bengals will be fine without him. Almost every team in the league and even some college teams have what it takes to dominate the Patriots. The Bengals will win with ease with or without Chase in their season opener.
Winner: Cincinnati Bengals
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
We’re excited for what’s in store for both the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. The additions of Mixon and Diggs bring more fire power for CJ Stroud. The return to health for AR & JT for Indianapolis is something to keep an eye on. So far both have looked healthy and the Texans have looked good in camp. This is going to be a shootout and one of the highest scoring matches of the week. Ultimately, the Texans light up the Colts bottom tier defense and put on a clinic with CJ Stroud earning player of the week honors.
Winner: Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins
In a battle of the Florida teams, the Jaguars don’t have to travel far to face their demise against the Dolphins. The Dolphins are the better team all around with more explosiveness, more talented roster, & better coaching. The Dolphins should win this one with ease and will be one of the highest scoring teams on the week.
Winner: Miami Dolphins
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
The NFC South dwellers face off in what’s set to be one of the least viewed games across the NFL. Both teams are not flashy teams & not much going for them. Bryce Young needs to not have a sophomore slump if he wants to have a starting job in the NFL and Derek Carr needs to prove he still has some gas left in his tank to not have the Saints look at drafting a rookie replacement in next year’s draft. Carr’s the better of the two quarterbacks now and his play, albeit sloppy will be enough to beat the woeful Panthers.
Winner: New Orleans Saints
Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
Sam Darnold has some experience playing at MetLife Stadium from his playing days with the Jets. Darnold’s situation with the Jets was not a fair representation of what he has to offer as the talent around him on offense was not nearly as good as he has it in Minnesota. This season is Darnold’s time to redeem himself and that all starts with a big win at his old stadium in week 1.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
Two teams who have a lot of questions around their offense are the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders need to ask is journeyman Gardner Minshew the answer at quarterback. For the Chargers, can they even compete with just Justin Herbert? The answer to both is going to be no, but for the latter, Herbert carries enough momentum that they won’t necessarily be competing for a playoff spot, but against a weak Raiders team, they’ll cover the -3 spread.
Winner: Los Angeles Chargers
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks
Bo Nix is the first rookie to start at quarterback in the Broncos season opener since John Elway in 1983. Elway had a rough start his rookie year and we all know how his career ended up. For Nix, his rookie season also will be a rough one and his first game is going to be ugly against the Seahawks as he takes his first professional loss.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns
Two defensive powerhouses square off in what could be a low scoring affair, but with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, nothing is ever guaranteed even for the best of defenses. Micah Parsons and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett are the two frontrunners for this year’s award and as long as they are on the field, it’s going to be a battle for the opposing offense. CeeDee Lamb is the difference maker in this game that pushes the Cowboys to victory with a monster game that even All-Pro cornerback Denzel Ward struggles to keep up with.
Winner: Dallas Cowboys
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Both the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers should take dips in performance this year, Washington especially. They practically have a whole new team and it’s almost all worse & they weren’t very good to begin with. Tampa Bay is probably going to lose their grip of the NFC South on the year, but they’ll start the season strong as they coast past the Commanders.
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions
For only the second time since being traded away a few years ago, Matthew Stafford will return to Ford Field. The Lions prevailed in the playoffs in a thriller where they won by a single point. The Lions got better this offseason and the Rams lost one of the best players in franchise history in Aaron Donald. The outcome will be the same with the Lions coming out on top, but expect them to win by much more than a point this time around.
Winner: Detroit Lions
New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers
Hopefully this season, we’ll get to see Aaron Rodgers play for more than 4 snaps. Barring any crazy circumstance, he should be able to and we’re excited to see what’s in store for him & the New York Jets this season. They start their year with a tough draw against the Super Bowl runner up. The 49ers are going to give Aaron Rodgers a difficult time in his first full game as a member of the New York Jets as the 49ers are on a mission to win it all this year. Rodgers will play well, but the 49ers have too much super power on their team to lose at home in their season opener.
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