NFL Predictions Week 1 and Drinking Game

NFL Week 1 is upon us, and there are several truths that we can both face and embrace.  The first is that gambling is a major part of what drives sports, and there is an enormous market for it.  The second is that many fans of the game like to drink alcohol.  I am not specifically endorsing either of these, but they are generally assumed commonalities about a large portion of the sporting public.

Rather than simply giving my opinion of who will win and who will lose, let's make this a little more interesting.  I challenge you to a contest of wits.  I will post the lines for each week's Sunday games.  I will give my picks against the spread, and I challenge you to post your picks.  On Monday I will average the number of correct picks on the page and subtract that from the number that I get correct. 

For example, if I get five games right and you, the readers, averaged together, get seven games correct, I owe you two shots (probably whiskey or vodka) during Monday Night Football and I will have a post about the previous week's games.  Who else is willing to back up their picks? No one, but no one is as good as I am (Alright that's pretty arrogant but prove me wrong). 

Sound like fun?  I think so.  Obviously, this is all a gentleman's agreement and responsible drinking is the only way to drink.

NFL Predictions: Week 1 Locks

Falcons -2 vs. Bears- I'll take the Falcons and not think twice about it.  Matt Ryan has a new toy in Julio Jones who is learning from Roddy White, one of, if not, the best receiver in the game.  The addition of Ray Edwards and the continued development of Brent Grimes makes the Falcons defense even more formidable. 

Pick: Falcons

Eagles -4 vs Rams- I like the Sam Bradford a lot, but trying to consistently move the ball against Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuels is going to be next to impossible for him to do consistently, and the Rams defense has little chance of stopping the Eagles offense.

Pick: Eagles

Titans vs. Jaguars -1 -  The Titans have the better running back, a much better quarterback, a better "shutdown" corner and a better defensive line.  The Jaguars essentially entered themselves into the running for Andrew Luck when they cut David Garrard which has to be an insult to the rest of the team and a nail in the coffin of Jack Del Rio.

Pick: Titans

Seahawks vs. 49ers -5.5 - The 49ers have somehow decided that Alex Smith is still their best option at quarterback.  It seems fairly obvious that this is a bad decision, but it also makes for a relatively easy pick.  It's not that the Seahawks have a great team—far from it.  But this isn't about choosing a good team, it's about choosing the best team playing in this game.

Pick: Seahawks

NFL Predictions: Week 1 Solid Picks

Colts vs. Texans -9 - The Colts without Peyton Manning are a bad team, but the Texans have the ability to play down to the competition, and until Gary Kubiak proves otherwise, nine points is simply too many points to give up.  This is especially true of Kubiak who is smart enough to pound the ball and run the clock as much as possible.

Pick: Colts

Giants -3 vs. Redskins - Rex Grossman, aka "The Sex Cannon," is the starting quarterback, Jabar Gaffney is a starting wide receiver and Tim Hightower is the starting running back.  This is not a recipe for success.  The Giants have a good backfield with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, and Hakeem Nicks is on the cusp of becoming a very good receiver with Eli Manning at the helm.  This game wouldn't even be close if it were played on paper, but Manning will probably throw a terrible pick or two and keep the Redskins in the game, but in the end, it is still the Redskins.

Pick: Giants

Panthers vs. Cardinals -6.5 - The Panthers definitely made the right pick with Cam Newton, but this is not the game when his talent will come to fruition.  Every rookie quarterback needs time to grow, and the Panthers do not have enough talent around him to make him look good (like Flacco, Ryan, Roethlisburger, etc).  The Cardinals made a great move by going to get Kevin Kolb to be a franchise quarterback and to keep Larry Fitzgerald in town, and that is something that they will see starting Week 1.

Pick: Cardinals

Vikings vs. Chargers -9 - The Chargers have the potential to be one of the best teams in the league, but they also have Norv Turner as a head coach and a history of starting the season about a month late.  The Vikings still have one of the best backs in the league in Adrian Peterson and Donovan McNabb should be able to manage the game enough to keep them close.

Pick: Vikings

NFL Predictions: Week 1 Coin Flips

Bills vs. Chiefs -5.5 - The Chiefs started slow last year, and Matt Cassel is beaten up, but they still have a very explosive offense, and the Bills are still a very bad team.  There is almost nothing on the Bills that makes you think that they are going to win five games, but they will pull out a few, and if the Chiefs aren't prepared for the first week, then they may be one of them.

Pick: Chiefs

Bengals vs. Browns -6.5 - The Bengals are still in the midst of the Carson Palmer debacle, and Marvin Lewis is on the hottest of hot seats.  Cedric Benson is still a good running back, but that is almost all the Bengals have going for them.  The Browns, on the other hand, seem to be on the rise.  Colt McCoy looks like he could develop into a steal of a pick for the Browns, and if Peyton Hillis can continue the run he started on last year, the Browns could be going places this year.

Pick: Browns

Steelers vs Ravens -1.5 - This might be the toughest game of the week, but it should also be the most fun game to watch.  This is one of the best rivalry games in the NFL.  The Steelers have been the class of the AFC North for the last several years, but with the addition of Lee Evans and Vonta Leach, the Ravens' offense should take the next step forward and cause a lot more problems for the Steelers defense.

Pick: Ravens

Lions vs Bucs -1.5 - The Bucs are a very interesting team because they are somehow undervalued and overrated at the same time.  The Lions are one of the teams that many people are choosing to make a big leap forward, and if they are going to do it, now is the time.  This would not only be a game that would make them feel confident about the rest of the season, but it gives them a game up and a tiebreaker against another potential wild card team.

Pick: Lions