NFL Week 1 Predictions from 'Madden 13' and Franchiseplay

The San Francisco 49ers visiting the Green Bay Packers is clearly the marquee matchup of Sunday's slate of games.

Both teams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and this first game is a perfect opportunity to make a statement.

As I did with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants' Wednesday-night season opener, I've made my prediction for the 'Niners-Packers clash.

I've also simulated the game on Madden NFL 13. Once again, it's time to compare. Madden 13 is already one up on me, as it was eerily accurate in the Cowboys-Giants simulation. Madden 13 generated a 23-17 Cowboys win.

That was only one point off the actual final score. I was wrong, like so many others in predicting the Giants would win.

So far this season Madden 13 is ahead of me 1-0 in predictions. Check out the video below to see where Madden 13 and I stand on the 'Niners and Packers.

Then flip through the slides to see the predictions for the rest of the games on the schedule.

Indianpolis Colts at Chicago Bears

What I Say

Chicago hosts the Colts, and Brian Urlacher's knee is a major concern for most Bears fans. He has vowed to play, per Will Brinson of CBS Sports, and he took part in practice on Wednesday, so I believe he'll be out there.

Rookie Andrew Luck will be making his regular-season NFL debut in hostile territory, and he'll be facing a top-notch pass-rusher in Julius Peppers. The Bears defense was fifth against the run in 2011, and I see that trend continuing in 2012.

The Colts will be a one-dimensional team in this one, and that's a lot for any rookie to handle—even one as talented as Luck.

I'm taking the Bears, 24-14.

What Madden Says

Colts 27 Bears 24

The Colts eeked out a close one in the Madden 13 simulation. Jay Cutler had a great game, but the Bears run defense broke down, giving up two long TD runs to Donald Brown.

Adam Vinatieri made what would be the game-winning field goal with 44 seconds remaining.

Top Passer: Jay Cutler (327 yards, 2 TD)

Top Rusher: Brown (168 yards, 2 TD)

Top Receiver: Earl Bennett (9 rec, 167 yards, 2 TD)

Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns

What I Say

The Browns have a lot of injuries/suspensions in the linebacking corps, and that is a formula for disaster against LeSean McCoy. 

If the Browns have to bring a safety in the box to contain the run, that'll leave the corners to handle DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin alone.

That is bad news.

One thing in the Browns' favor is that cornerback Joe Haden is likely to play, per Tom Reed of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. He's awaiting word on his pending suspension but practiced again on Thursday.

Even with Haden out there, I'm taking the Eagles in this one, 20-9.

What Madden Says

Eagles 13, Browns 7

Philadelphia didn't score an offensive TD in the game, but the Eagles held the Browns' anemic offense to one score.

Neither Brandon Weeded nor Mike Vick was spectacular, but Weeden threw two picks, and one was returned for a TD by Brandon Boykin.

Top Passer: Weeden (121 yards, TD, 2 INT)

Top Rusher: McCoy (63 yards)

Top Receiver: Greg Little (56 yards, TD)

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans

What I Say

The Patriots are a machine on offense. The league should be happy they don't have a stud at running back. They would be virtually unstoppable at that point.

The Titans must play out of their minds defensively and control the ball and the clock with Chris Johnson to have a chance.

It won't happen, and I'm taking the Patriots on the road, 34-16.

What Madden Says

Patriots 27, Titans 24

This was surprisingly close. The Titans didn't make it easy, as they scored a little easier than I expected. Rob Bironas kicked three field goals to keep the Titans close, but it was Stephen Gostkowski's 21-yarder with 36 seconds left that gave the Patriots the victory.

The Pats defense gave up 352 yards of total offense.

Top Passer: Tom Brady (294 yards, 3 TD, INT)

Top Rusher: Chris Johnson (66 yards) (God, I hope that doesn't come true. I have him in fantasy football.)

Top Receiver: Rob Gronkowski (118 yards, TD)

Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs

What I Say

This is going to be a great game. Both of these teams probably don't get the credit they deserve, but they are both sleepers in their respective conferences.

The Falcons were once a grind-it-out team, but now, with Roddy White and Julio Jones, they can air it out with the best of them.

A key to this game is whether Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers can play.

He hasn't played all preseason because of an injured heel. He gave us this all-too-revealing take on his Week 1 status, per a Tweet from Adam Teicher of The Kansas City Star:

"

Flowers: "If I'm out there on Sunday, then that means I'm ready to go. We'll know game day.''

— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) September 3, 2012"

That clears things up big time. Thanks, Brandon.

The only thing we can take from that is that he's a game-time decision. Given that the Chiefs have been very cautious with Flowers to this point, I think they sit him one more week.

Newly acquired Stanford Routt and company can carry the weight for Week 1.

I have the Falcons capturing a statement-making victory on the road, 28-21.

What Madden Says

Chiefs 20, Falcons 6

It was a close and low-scoring game early, but the Chiefs took control in the second half.

They held the Falcons to two field goals, and Peyton Hillis had a 54-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

Matt Ryan threw five Interceptions. Wow.

Top Passer: Matt Cassel (150 yards, TD, INT)

Top Rusher: Hillis (85 yards, TD)

Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings

What I Say

I wouldn't expect a ton of points in this one. Adrian Peterson is likely to sit or to at least have a light workload on Sunday.

He said this to the Associated Press, via The Washington Post:

"

I’m ready to play. So that’s 10 snaps, five, 25, 30, I’m ready to roll. That’s my mindset and how I’m feeling about it. So, I’m just going to keep my mind, my mindset, pointed in that direction.

"

I don't foresee him being a major factor, but the same can be said for Maurice Jones-Drew. After ending his preseason and training-camp holdout, MJD will not start in Week 1, per Daniel Lewis of CBS Sports.

This obviously limits the impact of both teams' most potent weapons. The Vikes still don't have options in the passing game, and beyond Jared Allen, I'd give the Jags defense the edge on that side of the ball.

It feels like I'm taking a lot of road teams this week, but I believe the Jaguars will win a boring game, 14-6.

What Madden Says

Jaguars 26, Vikings 13

The Jags got four field goals from Josh Scobee and two short TD passes from Blaine Gabbert to win. Christian Ponder threw three costly interceptions.

Top Passer: Ponder (246 yards, TD, 3 INT)

Top Rusher: Jones-Drew (49 yards)

Top Receiver: Michael Jenkins (6 rec, 115 yards TD)

Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints

What I Say

Robert Griffin III's debut will take place in the Big Easy. He'll probably never face a tougher counterpart, as Drew Brees is ready to shatter more passing records in 2012.

The Redskins haven't really found an identity on offense yet. They have two exciting young pass-rushers, but they'll never score enough points or contain the Saints offense in the Superdome.

The Saints will win, 30-13.

What Madden Says

Saints 24, Redskins 14

The Saints had control of the game by halftime. Brees hit Lance Moore for two touchdown passes, and the game was never in doubt.

RG3 did throw his first TD pass. It was a 36-yard strike to Josh Morgan.

Top Passer: Brees (256 yards, 2 TD)

Top Rusher: Evan Royster (103 yards TD)

Top Receiver: Moore (3 rec, 108 yards, 2 TD)

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

What I Say

The Jets are a mess in my eyes. Unless something magical happens, this team is headed for a massive slide this year. I've always liked the Jets, even as a kid, but this team has horrible chemistry. 

The Bills have added the horses to put constant pressure on Mark Sanchez, and New York's running game has been declining over the last two years.

In 2011, the Jets ranked 22nd in the NFL in rushing, after being ranked fourth in 2010. Sanchez is at his best when he can use the play-action pass effectively.

You can't do that when you aren't running the ball well.

The Bills have some injuries on the offensive line, so the game will be close, but I'm taking another road team in this one.

The Bills will win, 17-10.

What Madden Says

Bills 33, Jets 20

This one was close most of the way, but the Bills blew it open in the fourth quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for two scores, and Justin Rogers returned a kickoff 99 yards for a TD.

Sanchez wasn't bad, but the Jets defense was terrible.

Top Passer: Sanchez (236 yards, 2 TD, INT)

Top Rusher: Shonn Greene (98 yards)

Top Receiver: Dustin Keller (8 rec, 111 yards, 2 TD)

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions

What I Say

The Lions will likely be without safety Louis Delmas, but they should have enough to stop the Rams at home.

Delmas and Chris Houston didn't practice on Thursday, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Even without the Lions' two best players in the secondary, the Rams defense will have a rough time with Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

St.Louis may be the rare team the Lions can run the ball against, as well. St. Louis will likely be without rookie Michael Brockers in the middle of its defensive line.

Per NFL.com's Jason La Canfora, Brockers will miss two-to-four weeks with an ankle sprain.

"

MRI reveals only an ankle sprain for Rams pick Michael Brockers. 2-4 week injury. Could've been much, much worse

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) September 3, 2012"

The Rams were already thin, their having lost Trevor Laws for the season, but I'm taking the Lions in this now, 34-24.

What Madden Says

Lions 41, Rams 27

The Rams defense couldn't stop the Lions. Stafford threw five TD passes in the game, and only one of them went to Megatron.

The Lions had 487 yards of total offense in the game.

Top Passer: Stafford (385 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT)

Top Rusher: Kevin Smith (55 yards)

Top Receivers: Calvin Johnson (7 rec, 116 yards, TD)

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans

What I Say

The Dolphins may think they saw the hard-knock life in their documentary, but they haven't seen anything yet.

The Fins defense has been suspect throughout the preseason, and the Texans are one of the last teams you want to face with that problem.

Matt Schaub is back and healthy, and he has a full complement of weapons.

The Texans will roll at home, 27-3.

What Madden Says

Dolphins 26, Texans 10

I checked my Xbox360 for a shortage after this one. Madden 13 predicts the major upset here. The key was the Dolphins defense, which kept Schaub without a TD pass.

Rookie Ryan Tannehill threw two TD passes to Legedu Naanee. Schaub was horrible in this game, and the Texans offense sputtered mightily.

Top Passer: Tannehill (219 yards, 2 TD, INT)

Top Rusher: Arian Foster (123 yards, TD)

Top Receiver: Naanee (6 rec, 122 yards, 2 TD)

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

What I Say

This is a tough NFC West matchup to predict. Both teams will have much-improved defenses this year, and that is lost amidst their QB situations.

Kevin Kolb was supposed to win the starting job in Arizona, as was Matt Flynn in Seattle. Neither situation worked out, so now the Seahawks have exciting rookie Russell Wilson under center, and the Cardinals have the human stop-gap John Skelton.

Skelton isn't exciting, but it was he at the helm last season when the Cardinals went 7-2 to finish the year and just missed the playoffs.

That run included a 23-20 OT win over the Seahawks in the season finale.

I believe the Seahawks are going to have a solid year, but I'll take the Cards in this one, 24-20.

What Madden Says

Cardinals 20, Seahawks 7

The Seahawks couldn't generate any offense behind Wilson. There was nothing happening in either passing game. 

Beanie Wells was the offensive star for the winners, with 87 yards and a TD.

Top Passer: Skelton (98 yards, INT)

Top Rusher: Leon Washington (117 yards, TD)

Top Receiver: Andre Roberts (4 rec, 41 yards)

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

What I Say

I'm excited to see what Cam Newton has in store for the NFL in his second season. The Panthers offense will be fine, even if RB Jonathan Stewart can't go because of an ankle injury. He was held out of practice on Thursday, per Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer:

"

RB Jonathan Stewart sits again w/ sprained ankle. Ron Rivera says among gameplans Panthers have prepared is 1 that does not include Stewart.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 6, 2012"

He is listed as a game-time decision.

The Panthers still have DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert to carry the load on the ground. Plus, some kid named Cam ran for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2011, so I don't think Ron Rivera is worried.

The issue with the Panthers is their defense. They should get a boost from the return of MLB Jon Beason. He is the leader of the unit, and they missed him most of the year last season. He missed all but one game with a knee injury.

The Buccaneers spent a ton of money in the offseason. They drastically improved their offensive line, and they added some pieces on defense.

But this game and season are going to come down to how much Josh Freeman has developed.

He has a big-time weapon in Vincent Jackson now, so the excuses are all but gone. This is a tough one to predict, but I'm going with the Bucs at home, 28-20.

What Madden Says

Buccaneers 33, Panthers 14

Madden 13 believes in the Bucs' new additions. Despite two touchdown passes to Steve Smith from Newton, the Bucs offense ran over the Panthers defense.

Freeman threw a touchdown and was interception free.

Top Passer: Freeman (223 yards, TD)

Top Rusher: Doug Martin (104 yards, TD)

Top Receiver: Smith (8 rec, 122 yards, 2 TD)

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos

What I Say

How closely do you think James Harrison will be watched in this one? If he so much as eyeballs the horse on the side of Peyton Manning's helmet, he'll get a text from Roger Goodell.

Extra attention aside, this figures to be a test of the future Hall of Famer's health.

Pittsburgh gets after the quarterback with reckless abandon. One good thing from the Broncos' standpoint is that Manning looked good against another vaunted 3-4 scheme in the preseason.

He went 10-for-12 with 122 yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers, but again that was preseason. The Broncos did defeat the Steelers in the playoffs last year, but Tim Tebow was the quarterback then.

Both teams are very different, but I think we'll see the same result. I'm taking the Broncos in this one, 23-14.

What Madden Says

Broncos 30, Steelers 28

This was an awesome game. If the real-life contest is this good, fans will be treated to a masterpiece.

The game went back and forth, with both Ben Roethlisberger and Manning leading their teams on scoring drives.

Roethlisberger gave the Steelers the lead with 41 seconds left on a 31-yard TD pass to Antonio Brown. Manning then took his team into field-goal range, and Matt Prater made a 47-yard field goal as time expired for the win.

Top Passer: Manning (229 yards, TD)

Top Rusher: Rashard Mendenhall (91 yards, TD)

Top Receiver: Antonio Brown (5 rec, 87 yards, TD)

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

What I Say

The Bengals are dealing with a few injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Carlos Dunlap is out four weeks, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, and rookie Dre Kirkpatrick is out as well.

CBS Sports Bengals Twitter feed released this Tweet:

"

Lewis says Dre Kirkpatrick (knee) will be rehabbing two more weeks or so before he practices again.

— Bengals RapidReports (@CBSSportsNFLCIN) September 3, 2012"

This would have been a tough one for the Bengals at 100 percent, but with injuries to key personnel on defense, I don't see them winning.

The Ravens defense will be missing Terrell Suggs, but it is still dangerous.

Look for Ray Rice to have a huge day and the Ravens to win, 21-10.

What Madden Says

Ravens 18, Bengals 15 (OT)

After being shut down most of the game, Jim Flacco and the Ravens offense came alive in the fourth quarter.

Flacco threw a screen pass to Ray Rice that went for a 30-yard TD, and the Baltimore QB then hit Ed Dickson for another score to force OT.

Billy Cundiff won it in the extra session with a 49-yard field goal.

Top Passer: Flacco (319 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT)

Top Rusher: Rice (91 yards)

Top Receiver: Torrey Smith (8 rec, 111 yards)

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders

What I Say

This could be a throwback to the old 1980s AFC West shootouts. I'm not overly impressed with either team's secondary or overall pass defense.

Last season both Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers put up big numbers against the other's D. Palmer averaged 358 yards per game in the team's two meetings, and Rivers averaged 292.

I think that trend will continue in this one, but the key to victory will be in the legs and feet of a healthy Darren McFadden.

He is one of the five best backs in the game when he's healthy. He'll be instrumental in a Raiders win.

I'm taking Oakland, 35-28.

What Madden Says

Chargers 12, Raiders 10

I obviously think the simulation is stark raving mad with this one. It isn't because of the outcome—the Chargers could win this game. It is because of the low score.

Nate Kaeding wins this field-goal-kicking contest against Sebastian Janikowski. He made four and accounted for all of San Diego's scoring.

Top Passer: Palmer (144 yards, TD, INT)

Top Rusher: Ronnie Brown (82 yards)

Top Receiver: Rod Streater (68 yards)

Follow Brian Mazique and Franchiseplay on YouTube and Twitter for reactions, analysis and news from the world of sports and sports video games

Subscribe on YouTube

Follow @BrianMazique

Follow @franchiseplay