ONCE AGAIN it’s time for the best part of this website… NFL picks season is upon us, finally! Remember to get all of your picks in BEFORE the games begin that week. That means get your Thursday pick in before Thursday kickoff, and the rest of your picks in BEFORE Sunday at 1 EST.
Let’s do this!
GAME OF THE WEEK – THURSDAY NIGHT – Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots, NE by 7 – Opening night has produced some pretty excellent games most of the time since this format was introduced in 2004. However, the home team almost always wins. I expect this scenario to be no different, with Tom Brady coming out raring to shove his court victory down the NFL’s throats. Wrong place, wrong time for the Steelers here, I’m afraid. Patriots 35, Steelers 21
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, GB by 6.5 – This past week, Mike McCarthy uncharacteristically said that he looked forward to “kicking Chicago’s ass.” Hopefully this is the sign of some new fire in McCarthy and the Packers this year, who were cost sorely by their penchant to let off the gas in the NFC Championship Game. The Bears could be one of the three or four worst teams in the league this year, and homefield advantage can’t save them against a focused Aaron Rodgers looking to redeem himself after last year’s failure. Packers 37, Bears 10
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans, HOU by 1 – I expect big things from the Chiefs this year. With Eric Berry’s miraculous comeback, the addition of Jeremy Maclin and an ever-stingy defense, I think they’re a darkhorse contender in a conference where everyone is picking New England or Indianapolis. Texans will be more of the same from last year… fairly solid D, no quarterback. UPSET! – Chiefs 24, Texans 17
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets, NYJ by 3 – Cleveland still hasn’t resolved its quarterback situation and its offense has become even more devoid of weapons. Defense alone won’t get it a playoff spot in this division. However, they’re squaring off against a team that could practically be its twin in the Jets. Hard to know what to expect in week one, so I’ll side with the home team. Jets 20, Browns 17
Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills, IND by 3 – Many people expect the Colts to take the next step and head to the Super Bowl this year, but I am not really sold on them. Plus, you can’t look past the Bills, who might just have the best defense in the AFC and are going to benefit from the initial boost of confidence provided by Rex Ryan’s coaching. I think they’re going to surprise some people. UPSET! – Bills 27, Colts 24
Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins, MIA by 4 – The Dolphins have come out strong out of the gates in recent years, and they’re playing against the league’s most dysfunctional franchise in week one. Definitely a nice way to prepare the palate for bigger meals down the road. Dolphins 23, Redskins 9
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, CAR by 3.5 – A battle of the two 1995 expansion clubs features two teams with a lot of questions. Is Blake Bortles really going to be capable of leading an inexperienced squad of no-namers to anything more than 4 wins? Can the Panthers expect to repeat as divisional champions with zero receivers, an aging running back and a defense that tended to fall apart throughout 2014? Tough to say, but the safer pick here is definitely the team with Cam Newton. Panthers 24, Jaguars 13
Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams, SEA by 4 – The Rams have given the Seahawks fits in recent years, but the Seahawks have a rough opening to their season and can’t afford to look past St. Louis to their rematch with Green Bay the following week. Seattle will get past the early divisional test. Seahawks 20, Rams 16
New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals, ARZ by 2.5 – Another pair of teams where it’s really hard to know what to expect. The Cardinals’ stifling defense got them off to a really hot start last year before injuries to their top two QBs doomed them in the playoffs. The Saints underperformed all season long on both sides of the ball, but the potential is still there for them to be a top team. Honestly don’t know how to call this one. I expect the Saints to win their division this year, but I’ve underestimated the Cardinals under Bruce Arians too many times. I’m going to take Arizona against my better judgment. Cardinals 21, Saints 20
Detroit Lions at San Diego Chargers, SD by 3 – The Lions have lost their best defensive player and picked up an aging Haloti Ngata. Their secondary is still suspect, and while Joique Bell provided some stability at running back he’s still not a game breaker. Meanwhile, the Chargers are flying under the radar and will probably hover around .500 again this season… just like the Lions probably will. This one’s a tossup, so in week one the home team gets the nod. Chargers 31, Lions 24
Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TB by 3 – Mariota vs. Winston right off the bat! I dig it. Mariota looked far superior to Winston in preseason, and the Titans looked poised to play some decent football. I like them over what the Buccaneers have assembled. UPSET! – Titans 17, Bucs 13
Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders, CIN by 3.5 – The Raiders will continue to improve this year, but they’re not at the talent level of the Bengals quite yet. I think the Raiders will give Cincy a good fight, but the Bengals will scrape out a win. Bengals 24, Raiders 20
Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos, DEN by 4.5 – We’re going to find out very soon whether reports of Peyton Manning’s demise are accurate or premature. I definitely don’t think he’s capable of being the player he once was, but we’re talking about Peyton in September. The Ravens may be road warriors, but Peyton is at his best when there’s still plenty of season before January. Broncos 27, Ravens 20
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys, DAL by 6 – I’m really interested to see whether the Cowboys’ defense is able to live up to what it accomplished last year and whether they’ll be hurt by the decision to let go of DeMarco Murray. If anybody’s capable of coming in and fucking up their opener it’s the Giants. I’m going to predict New York just for the lulz. UPSET! – Giants 24, Cowboys 21
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons, PHI by 3 – The Eagles looked impressive in preseason, but that’s preseason. The Falcons looked like dogshit last year, but that was last year and now they’re healthy. Either team could take this one, but I think the Eagles are better coached. Eagles 30, Falcons 20
Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers, MIN by 2.5 – The Vikings are this year’s sexy pick as a team that’s going to significantly improve over what it accomplished last year, and they get a nice soft start to their schedule with a 49ers team that has been absolutely gutted over the last seven months. This year is looking like one Niners fans will want to wipe out of their memories as soon as possible. Vikings 26, Niners 12
