NFL Picks Week 1: Predicting Outcomes of Sunday's Biggest Games

If Thursday night was our Week 1 appetizer, Sunday and Monday are the main course.

The beginning of the 2014 NFL season endures with a number of keynote matchups, including Peyton Manning getting a second crack at his former team, the Atlanta Falcons and a healthy Julio Jones going up against NFC rivals Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers looking to play spoiler at AT&T Stadium when they face the Dallas Cowboys.

These games stand out among a crowded weekend of football as particularly intriguing and entertaining.

Here's a predictions table for each of the remaining Week 1 matchups, followed by a break down of the three aforementioned games, picking winners and a final score for each one.

New Orleands 33, Atlanta 18
Cincinnati 16, Baltimore 14
Buffalo 12, Chicago 34
Washington 21, Houston 3
Tennessee 20, Kansas City 13
New England 38, Miami 23
Oakland 13, New York Jets 17
Jacksonville 12, Philadelphia 42
Cleveland 24, Pittsburgh 28
Minnesota 14, St. Louis 17
San Francisco 36, Dallas 21
Carolina 10, Tampa Bay 28
Indianapolis 23, Denver 45
New York Giants 16, Detroit 30
San Diego 21, Arizona 28

Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos season opener comes in a prime-time Sunday night slot against Manning's former team, the Indianapolis Colts.

Last year the Broncos went into Indianapolis and had Manning's homecoming spoiled by poor defensive play and a number of turnovers. Notably poor pass coverage by Champ Bailey, confused route coverage by the Broncos secondary and a Ronnie Hillman fumble late in the game sealed Denver's six-point loss.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

What could be different in this game is the defensive scheme that the Broncos will be able to deploy against Luck and the Colts offense.

First, and perhaps of most importance, is that they'll have a healthy Von Miller to start the game. They'll also deploy one of the league's best shutdown cornerbacks in newly signed Aqib Talib. Add the threat of DeMarcus Ware's pass rush, and it becomes hard to assume that Indianapolis will put up another 39 points against the Broncos.

Considering the effectiveness of Denver's offense and the on-paper strength of their defense, Denver is a favorite at Sports Authority Field, where they've posted a 16-2 record in their last 18 games as home favorites, according to Odds Shark.

Luck and the Colts will put up some points, but they won't be able to slow down Denver's offense enough to keep pace.

New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are going to be better this year with a healthy Julio Jones. They're just one year removed from finishing first in the NFC South and making it to the NFC Championship Game. However, in Week 1, their challenge will be crafting a game plan that allows their 21st-ranked passing defense to hold up against Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham and the high-octane Saints passing attack.

Add rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Falcons' list of problems as a potential X-factor and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is going to have a tremendously difficult job on his hands.

Improvements to their defensive line will help put pressure on Brees, but the Saints have won six of the past seven meetings between these two teams. Most recently they were able to beat the Falcons 17-13 in 2013 despite a lackluster offensive performance.

Expect the Saints passing defense to handle the Jones-Roddy White combo, thus preventing Matt Ryan from keeping pace with the Saints' offensive output.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys

Losing Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman, Glenn Dorsey and possibly Ray McDonald has the 49ers defense looking like a shell of what they were a year ago at this time.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

But the good news for San Francisco fans is that the Cowboys defense is just as bad, if not worse, having ranked 30th against the pass and 27th against the run in 2013.

Thus you should expect a lot of offense in this game at the hands of Colin Kaepernick and Tony Romo, both of whom are entering this season with a lot to prove. Kaepernick has guided his team to three straight NFC Championship Games, yet he's still without a Super Bowl title, and that window seems to be abruptly closing.

He's got a lonely ring finger and a $126 million contract extension to spur him on.

Meanwhile, Romo has been dubbed the standard-bearer of mediocrity in the NFL, leading the Cowboys to three 8-8 finishes since 2011 and going 6-10 the year before.

San Francisco's edge should come from better defensive play despite missing so many big names on that side of the ball. They're also 10-1 in their last 11 games as road favorites, according to Odds Shark. Look for Frank Gore and Kaepernick to wear the Dallas defense down quickly by running the ball, completing short passes and piling up first downs.

Bobby Kittleberger writes about fantasy football for The FF White Papers. You can get in touch with him via Twitter.