I Got Five on It: NFC East Week 1 Predictions

It's been awhile B/R, but ya boy is back.

With the NFL season officially kicking off on Thursday night in Pittsburgh with Tennessee letting the Steelers off the hook, its now time for the rest of the league to catch up.

I got five on it will be a weekly series where I pick 4 games from the NFC east and a “fifth” (or fourth, depending on how many are in the NFC East that week) game that everyone will want to keep an eye on.

Cowboys vs. Buccaneers

The Dallas Cowboys kick off the 2009/10 season tomorrow afternoon in Tampa against the Bucs.

The Bucs aren’t exactly the picture of consistency right now with head coach Raheem Morris firing his offensive coordinator a week before the season starts.

New starting quarterback Byron Leftwich was erratic during the pre-season, basically paving the way for rookie Josh Freeman to take the reigns by the fifth week of the season when Tampa is 1-4 or 2-3.

The Cowboys shouldn’t have a terrible time beating the Bucs. Strong defense and a potent offense punctuated by a pretty good passing game equals a loss for the Bucs.

My prediction: Cowboys 24 Bucs 10

Giants vs. Redskins

This is the most intriguing match-up of the weekend in the NFC Beast. Everyone is wondering if the Giants can replace Plaxico Burress, whether Jason Campbell can overcome off-season adversity, and how tough that Washington defense will be.

Well we will find out at 4pm Sunday afternoon. Since it’s the first game of the year, I believe the Redskins will stick close. The Giants have to work out their passing game, but Jacobs will be a little too much to handle.

Giants 20 Redskins 13

Philadelphia vs. Carolina

The Eagles seem like a team on the edge as of late. Their master of defense, Jim Johnson, passed away right before training camp started. Starting right tackle Shawn Andrews is out for the game, the signing of Michael Vick, and the release of powerhouse safety Brian Dawkins. Even with such an active off-season, the Eagles are still being picked to win the NFC East.

Well I’m picking them to beat Carolina as well. The Panthers have a quarterback that’s a little, eh, erratic, to say the least. The running game is strong and so is Steve Smith, but I’m a little un-sure about the offensive line and how they will handle the blitz from Philly.

Philadelphia 27 Carolina 17

Five on it: Jacksonville vs. Indianapolis

I got five on the Colts versus the Jags. New head coach in Indy, a running game that needs to prove itself, and how will the Colts do without Marvin Harrison? Probably just fine, but the Jags are a team on the brink of greatness or destruction.

The Jags need to start the season off strong if they want any shot at winning the divison or making it to the playoffs for that matter.

As much as I love the Jags, the Colts are a team that still has a lot of weapons and is still pretty strong.

Colts 21 Jags 17

-JH