Predictions for NFL Preseason Week 1

The 2013 NFL preseason gets going big time Thursday with a full slate of 16 games scheduled to be played over the next four days. 

Outside of the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, this will be the first time we see teams in action since the conclusion of the 2012 season. 

Though foolhardy to give game predictions during the preseason, it does make sense to check in on what some players might do in their initial action of the year. 

That's what I plan on doing here. 

Will Colin Kaepernick pick up where he left off last season in the couple of possessions that he does line up under center? What about the new-look St. Louis Rams offense? Is Sam Bradford prepared to pick his game up? 

Let's check in on eight predictions for the first full week of the preseason schedule. 

St. Louis Rams Offense Will Show Vast Improvement

Quarterback Sam Bradford finally has weapons to work with on offense this season. The additions of tight end Jared Cook and wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are going to help the signal-caller improve on what has been a disappointing career up to this point. 

In reality, the onus is ultimately on the former No. 1 overall pick. 

The growing relationship between Bradford and Cook may just help St. Louis find consistent success down the field and between the hashes. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com filed the following report on this connection earlier in August: 

"

At tight end, free-agent signee Jared Cook began building his rapport with Bradford during sessions in the summer. They've already connected endlessly in camp, making one believe he'll serve as Bradford's security blanket like Danny Amendola was in 2012.

"

Finding a replacement for Amendola is fine and dandy, but the addition of Austin in April's draft may be more telling. He is going to line up all over the field and act as a Randall Cobb-type for Bradford in the passing game. 

That's going to be huge. 

We can expect to see the Rams offense click early when it goes up against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday. If this does happen, it will indicate that head coach Jeff Fisher and Co. are serious about contending with Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West this year. 

Ace Sanders Will Be in the Top 5 of Receiving Yards for the Week

Little-known fact: Ace Sanders did not drop a single pass for South Carolina last season, per John Pollard of STATS. It goes without saying that whoever is under center in Jacksonville will need that type of consistency at wide receiver to succeed. 

Sanders will not be an outside possession guy or someone that you can throw the ball up to and expect him to come down with it in a jump-ball scenario. 

Instead, he is a poor man's Randall Cobb, someone that will line up all over the field and create a tremendous amount of mismatches. 

This is what we can expect from the rookie wide receiver as he gets a chance to prove himself in the preseason, starting against the Miami Dolphins on Friday.

Geno Smith Will Outshine Mark Sanchez

There has to be a reason why the New York Jets are starting Mark Sanchez over Geno Smith on Friday against the Detroit Lions. 

It could be that head coach Rex Ryan and Co. want to see a larger sample from Smith than Sanchez. As you already know, the first team plays just a possession or two during most preseason games. This means that Smith, running with the second team, should see more reps. 

Ryan had the following to say about the quarterback competition shortly after it was announced that Sanchez would start the preseason opener, per ESPN New York: 

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The preseason doesn't end after this first preseason game, OK?...We'll take it through as much as possible. We said this would be an equal competition and it's going to be a competition. That's exactly what it is.

"

Not exactly what you would call a glowing endorsement of the veteran. 

For what it's worth, general manager John Idzik seems to be pulling for Smith to win the job, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News: 

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Although Smith didn’t get the start, it’s no secret that first-year GM John Idzik hopes his second-round pick wins the job. Idzik probably doesn’t have a No. 7 tattoo yet, but give it time.

"

Smith has been the better quarterback in camp, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN New York.

If Smith does indeed end up playing against the Lions' second-team defense, there is no doubt that he'll be more effective than Sanchez. If that's the case, we already know how the New York media will spin it. 

Despite not getting the start, Smith could come out of game one as the obvious favorite to win the gig. 

Kirk Cousins Will Continue to Impress

With Robert Griffin III still sidelined due to a torn ACL, quarterback Kirk Cousins will get the nod in Washington's first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. 

Cousins was mighty impressive in relief of an injured RGIII as a rookie last season and will look to prove that he belongs as a starter in the NFL, whether it's with Washington or another team. 

Outside of practice reps and mop up duty, backup quarterbacks rarely get noticed during the regular season when a team has a franchise guy starting. Their best opportunity at proving they can stick is often during preseason action. 

This is the case with Cousins. 

Washington may also be preparing for the possibility that RGIII will not be ready to go by Week 1. According to Mike Jones of The Washington Post, the second-year quarterback from Michigan State has been taking snaps from the pistol formation:

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Kirk Cousins continues to work on his command of the zone-read and pistol-formation plays and scrambling ability and appears to be having fun with it. At one point, he lined up in the pistol and dropped back to throw before feeling pressure. 

"

While all the news coming from Redskins camp has surrounded RGIII this summer, Cousins has quietly worked himself into a position to impress other teams. We are at least a year away from a trade becoming a possibility, but Cousins knows full well that the time is now for him to display his talent. 

Expect him to have a solid performance against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday. 

Colin Kaepernick Will Prove Reports of Improvement Are True

Colin Kaepernick will play only a possession or two tonight against the Denver Broncos, but what we see from him might be telling. 

Indications from San Francisco 49ers camp are that the up-and-coming quarterback has improved a great deal from a surprising sophomore campaign. 

Matt Maiocco of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area reported late in July that Kaepernick has improved on his touch passes: 

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Kaepernick lofted a beautiful screen pass over outside linebacker Cam Johnson that dropped into LaMichael James' hands just a couple yards away along the right side. On the next play, he demonstrated a feathery touch on a pass to Frank Gore on the left side.

"

We saw this to an extent in the postseason last year, especially on a fade route to Frank Gore against the Green Bay Packers. 

That being said, it was somewhat of an issue for the breakout star.

Just imagine how dynamic he could be if he starts to show better touch and accuracy on the intermediate routes, especially when he is outside of the pocket. 

As it is, Kaepernick will mostly be working on his ability in the pocket and behind the line of scrimmage against the Broncos tonight. There is no reason for San Francisco to risk him taking a hit on designed run plays in the preseason. 

Expect something to the tune of seven or 10 points from San Francisco's first-team offense in its first two possessions.

Green Bay Packers Rookie Running Backs Will Have Solid Performances

For the first time in a while, it appears that the Green Bay Packers are attempting to build some balance on the offensive side of the ball. The additions of running backs Johnathan Franklin and Eddie Lacy in April's draft points to a move in this direction. 

Recent reports out of camp suggest that Lacy, the more highly touted of the two rookies, has been looking exceptional. 

ESPN's Rob Demovsky indicated on SportsCenter that Lacy is the favorite to be the Packers' starting running back when camp breaks late this month (h/t Rotoworld).

That indication might take a backseat for a second with recent news that Lacy injured his hamstring and was held out of practice on Wednesday, per NFL.com. 

While it's unknown if this will impact Lacy's ability to suit up against the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, it may just give Franklin an opportunity to impress. 

For what it's worth, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy seems impressed with what he has seen from his running back group thus far during training camp by saying that the Packers "running back competition has never been this good," per NFL.com. 

If both do end up playing Friday, it will be interesting to see how McCarthy utilizes them. Will he decide to transition them in on a play-by-play basis, or will they alternate possessions? 

As it is, you can expect both to be impressive against Arizona in the preseason opener. My prediction (assuming Lacy plays): 100 combined yards and at least one score. 

Slow Start for Oakland Raiders Offense

Matt Flynn will likely start the regular season as the Oakland Raiders starting quarterback. That doesn't seem to be up for debate anymore. 

The larger issue here is how he'll perform once given an opportunity that he hasn't been given during his career.

Flynn's first step in proving that he can help Oakland improve on offense will come Friday night against the Dallas Cowboys. He also has someone by the name of Terrelle Pryor, who is seemingly ready to break out, breathing down his neck. 

Will Flynn fold under the pressure? Can Pryor continue what has been a strong training camp thus far? 

Yes, there seems to be more questions than answers for the Raiders offense heading into the initial preseason game of the year. With questions come issues with talent, continuity and an ability to succeed. 

All of the markers are here for Oakland to struggle big time on offense in its opener. It doesn't have an established starter, Darren McFadden will play sparingly and the Cowboys will be suiting up for their second game of the exhibition slate. 

Don't expect much to get excited about when all is said and done. I am not expecting many points to be put up in this one, which will leave a Raiders fanbase with more questions than answers. 

Sound familiar? 

Pass Protection Will Continue to Be an Issue for the Arizona Cardinals

For the first time in a while, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback situation seems to be settled, even prior to the first preseason game. 

Head coach Bruce Arians indicated on Tuesday that the team might only keep two quarterbacks, which would be Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton, per the Arizona Cardinals official website: 

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If it comes down to Ryan and another guy at another position, we’ll determine what’s more valuable to our football team at that time...We’re going to keep the best 53.

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Arians also hopes that this type of continuity under center will help a newly formed offensive line improve off what has been consecutive disastrous seasons. 

Arizona added guard Jonathan Cooper in the first round of April's draft and just recently signed tackle Eric Winston to a one-year deal. Both are immediate upgrades over what the Cardinals had in 2012.

That being said, left tackle remains an issue. Levi Brown missed the entire 2012 season due to injury and is just now regaining his health. Heck, he's not even a lock to earn the starting gig over second-year player Nate Potter, per Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports. 

While more talented than a season ago, Arizona's offensive line needs to see more game action to gel as a unit. 

With Green Bay focusing on acquiring more pressure on defense outside of linebacker Clay Mathews, we can expect an attack-mode game plan by coordinator Dom Capers for its preseason opener. If so, six-to-seven sacks isn't out of the question. 

Let's just hope both Palmer and Stanton come out of this one relatively healthy. 

Vincent Frank is an NFL featured columnist at Bleacher Report.

Vincent is the head sports editor at eDraft, co-host of Draft Sports Radio (which airs every Monday and Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. ET) and a fantasy writer for Pro Football Focus. He is also the co-host of Debate Central Radio with BR colleague Ryan Riddle every Wednesday.