NFL Predictions 2012: Favorites Who Will Disappoint in Their Opener

If the season opener was any indication, underdogs will rule Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season.

The New York Giants were the first favorite to go down, failing to impress in their title defense. A wave of invincibility came over the Giants, as Tony Romo and the Cowboys surprised for three passing touchdowns.

The Giants were the first favored team to disappoint, but they will not be the last.

There still are 255 regular season games to go, and here are those first few who will get off on the wrong foot in Week 1.

Atlanta Falcons

The NFL preseason stats are usually regarded as rump roast, but the Atlanta Falcons defense finished in the Bottom 10 of most main categories.

In particular, if that run defense doesn’t get shored up by Week 1, the Kansas City Chiefs will run all over those Falcons. That uncertainty keys the Chiefs pulling out a victory at home in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Peyton Hillis-Jamaal Charles combination will be a thunder-and-lightning rushing attack that will give Sean Weatherspoon and Co. fits.

Kansas City’s defense also matches up well with the Falcons’ aerial attack. While Roddy White and Julio Jones are a handful, KC cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Stanford Routt will be able to play man-to-man coverage enough to get pressure on Matt Ryan.

That's all it will take for the home team to take the upset.

New York Jets

The Jets' newest acquisition, right tackle Austin Howard, has to pickup the playbook fast in preparation for the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. He’ll have Buffalo’s prized acquisition staring across him.

I’ll go with Mario Williams in that one.

This looks to be a defensive battle that will center on which offense can break through first. The Bills' dual-threat Fred Jackson, with his rushing and receiving prowess out of the backfield, will show he’s the best skill player out of all.

If the Jets can get Santonio Holmes to touch the ball like a running back, they wouldn’t be featured here. Their quarterback inaccuracy across the board will hurt Holmes’ chances of affecting the game.

While the talk has been centered around Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow, will either of these two quarterbacks get time to look downfield?

The Jets better hope their ground-and-pound philosophy looks better in the regular season than it has shown. Otherwise, Buffalo will get the better of their AFC East rivals in their stadium.

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton and the Panthers offense get the front page, but the Carolina defense is a work in progress, to say the least.

The Panthers were a Bottom 10 defense against the run last season, giving up over 130 yards per game. Tampa Bay will exploit that weakness, pounding the rock with Doug Martin and their newly improved offensive line.

Defensively, the Bucs are healthy and will be a tougher squad under new coach Greg Schiano. If the Cam Newton from the second half of 2011 shows up, that vaunted Carolina offense doesn’t look so deadly.