NFL Week 1 Predictions: Key Matchups to Watch in Each Game

Prepare to morph into some sort of couch/human combination this weekend, because the NFL is back.

As you head into the weekend, take a look at these matchups within all 16 games this weekend. Some are obvious, such as the Indianapolis Colts’ high-flying offense against Rex Ryan’s brutal Buffalo Bills defense.

Others may be more nuanced, such as popular fantasy sleeper Travis Kelce against the Houston Texans defense.

To win the war, you must first win the battle. Let us prepare. 

Pittsburgh vs. New England

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Matchup to watch: New England offense vs. Pittsburgh defense

In 2014, the Pittsburgh Steelers faced off with a top-10 offense just three times, allowing an average of almost 30 points per game in those contests. The Steel Curtain allowed the 15th-most yards (353.4) and points per game (23) last season, despite only facing those three top-10 offenses.

New England’s offense is always potent, and while there may be questions in the running game, the Pats had questions about the running game last season too. That led to the ninth-best passing attack in the NFL.

Pittsburgh’s pass defense was the sixth-worst.

This game could be a shootout, and in a matchup of high-powered passing offenses, it could come down to which defense is able to make a stand at the right time. Don’t expect it to be the Steelers.

Seattle vs. St. Louis

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Matchup to watch: Nick Foles vs. Seattle defense

In Nick Foles' first start as a St. Louis Ram, he gets to face 2014’s best passing defense. Lucky guy.

But the Seattle Seahawks could be without safety stud Kam Chancellor unless his contract situation is resolved before Sunday. Seattle’s other starting safety, Earl Thomas, is expected to play but has missed the entire preseason with a shoulder injury.

The Rams were able to put up 28 points against the Seahawks at home last season, and there might not be a better week to face the league’s best defense two years running. Foles has a shot to get off to a hot start.

Green Bay vs. Chicago

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Matchup to watch: Packers wide receivers vs. Chicago secondary

The Bears defense was the third-worst against the pass in 2014. The Packers passing attack was the eighth-best.

Green Bay is without star wideout Jordy Nelson and will be looking for someone to step into the No. 2 and 3 roles. Chicago should provide the Packers with a glorious opportunity to see which players can step up.

This isn’t a matchup to watch because it’s going to be a good battle. This is a matchup to watch because it should be a good battle between Green Bay’s wide receivers.

It’ll be like watching a pack of lions chasing down a gazelle. It’s going to happen—it’s just a matter of which lion gets there first.

Kansas City vs. Houston

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Matchup to watch: Travis Kelce vs. Houston defense

Travis Kelce is one of the most popular sleeper tight ends in fantasy this season because of how well he played in limited time last year. Now that Anthony Fasano is no longer blocking him from playing time, Kelce’s snaps and therefore numbers should increase.

But Week 1 provides Kelce with a tough matchup in Houston. According to Football Outsiders, the Texans were the third-best defense against tight ends in 2014, allowing just an average of six catches and 38.8 yards per game.

If you’re watching Kelce for fantasy purposes, understand that he’ll probably be better the rest of the way than his Week 1 performance will indicate.

Cleveland vs. New York Jets

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Matchup to watch: Josh McCown vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Because why not? There might not be an uglier quarterback battle in Week 1 than this.

Add in the fact that both of these defenses should actually be pretty good, and you might be in store for some fun turnovers and pick-sixes.

If you’re starting either one of these quarterbacks in fantasy, you’re in a really deep league, or your team is probably not going to do well. So, sit back and watch two teams that probably have a worse quarterback situation than your favorite team.

If you’re a Browns or Jets fan, just hope that the other guy plays worse than your guy.

Miami vs. Washington

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Matchup to watch: Ndamukong Suh vs. the Washington O-line

Remember this?

Yeah, Ndamukong Suh is probably going to have a field day. How long will Kirk Cousins last?

Carolina vs. Jacksonville

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Matchup to watch: Jaguars O-line vs. Carolina D-line

Nobody allowed more sacks than the Jaguars in 2014, and the Panthers defense dropped opposing quarterbacks 40 times.

Jacksonville made significant upgrades to the offensive line this offseason, adding Jermey Parnell and Stefen Wisniewski while also getting 2013 No. 2 overall pick Luke Joeckel back from injury. The addition of offensive line/assistant head coach Doug Marrone should also improve the NFL’s weakest offensive line unit too.

But the Panthers boast a great defensive line, with Kony Ealy and Charles Johnson on the ends and Star Lotulelei in the middle. This will, at the very least, be a great test to see how far the Jaguars offensive line has come.

Indianapolis vs. Buffalo

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Matchup to watch: Colts offense vs. Bills defense

This one should be obvious. One of the NFL’s most prolific offenses squares off with one of the NFL’s most prolific defenses, now with Rex Ryan at the helm.

The Bills allowed the fourth-fewest points per game last season, while the Colts scored the sixth -most.

The key to this one could be how much time Andrew Luck has to throw. Indy allowed just 29 sacks in 2014, the eighth-fewest, while the Bills led the NFL with 54 sacks.

It’s not quite the unstoppable force meets the immovable object, but it should still be fun to watch.

Detroit vs. San Diego

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Matt Stafford vs. San Diego secondary

The San Diego Chargers quietly had the fourth-best passing defense in 2014, allowing just 214.2 yards per game. A lot of that may have been because they also allowed the seventh-most rushing yards per game.

Either way, San Diego finished as a top-10 defense in 2014.

The Lions, on the other hand, finished as just the 19th-best passing offense. Even with Calvin Johnson.

In 2014, the Chargers were slightly above-average when defending No. 1 receivers, allowing 58 yards per game, according to Football Outsiders. If San Diego can remotely contain Megatron, it could keep the Lions offense quiet.

New Orleans vs. Arizona

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Matchup to watch: Brandin Cooks vs. Patrick Peterson

This one should be fun. Cooks was one of the many breakout rookie wide receivers last season (53 receptions 550 yards, three touchdowns), and Peterson is one of the best corners in the game.

Add in that the New Orleans Saints are probably going to throw the ball like 50 times, and there should be many opportunities to see just how good Cooks can be.

Cincinnati vs. Oakland

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Matchup to watch: Giovani Bernard vs. Raiders defense

Bernard isn’t the starter at running back anymore, but he’s still one of the most fun ball-carriers to watch. The Raiders allowed the 11th-most rushing yards per game last season and were 24th in defending running backs as receivers, according to Football Outsiders.

That’s an area Bernard excels in, as he hauled in the 11th-most receptions (43) by a running back in 2014.

Baltimore vs. Denver

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Matchup to watch: Peyton Manning vs. Baltimore defense

How much is Manning going to throw this year? Are the Denver Broncos going to transition into more of a run-heavy offense?

Doubtful. 

Last season, when everyone made a big fuss about how much the Broncos were running the ball instead of letting Manning pass, he was dealing with a significant injury. Look for him to get back to being one of the most elite quarterbacks in the game, even against a stout Baltimore Ravens defense.

Tennessee vs. Tampa Bay

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Matchup to watch: Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota  

Here's another obvious one. The No. 1 and 2 picks in the draft will be compared to each other for a long time. They might as well face each other in Week 1.

Reports from the likes of NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Jeff Darlington have been positive about both rookies, but that’s because almost all reports out of training camp and preseason are positive. Both teams had mediocre pass defenses in 2014, but Tampa Bay has more weapons on offense with Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans at wide receiver and Doug Martin at running back.

It’ll probably come down to which quarterback limits his mistakes. That was a problem for Winston at Florida State, so give the edge to Mariota, at least for this week.

New York Giants vs. Dallas

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Matchup to watch: Dallas RBs vs. Giants defense

Two teams were worse than the Giants at stopping the run last season. Conversely, only one team had a better rushing attack than the Cowboys.

Something seems different about Dallas’ rushing offense, though. Did it get a haircut? Shave? Hmm.

Oh, that’s right! They Cowboys failed to re-sign the NFL’s leading rusher DeMarco Murray and instead are going with a committee of Darren McFadden (aka Run DMC, who has probably done more “walking this way” than ball-carrying due to injuries in his career), Christine Michael (a guy the Seahawks basically cut) and Joseph Randle (the guy who stole underwear and cologne last year).

We’re about to find out how much of Dallas’ rushing offense was Murray and how much was the offensive line.

Philadelphia vs. Atlanta

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Matchup to watch: Eagles offense vs. Falcons defense

There wasn’t a passing defense worse than the Atlanta Falcons’ last year. And the Philadelphia Eagles, despite being led by Mark Sanchez most of the year, finished as the sixth-best passing attack.

The Falcons brought in defensive-minded Dan Quinn from Seattle to help an abysmal defense. They’ll be tested immediately by offensive genius (or insane man) Chip Kelly and the Eagles.

This should be a fun matchup just to see how Sam Bradford does in Kelly’s offense. He could be one of the better quarterbacks in football if he stays healthy.

You could be watching the MVP of the league if all goes well.

Minnesota vs. San Francisco

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Matchup to watch: Teddy Bridgewater vs. San Francisco defense

Much has been made of the turnover the San Francisco 49ers have endured this offseason. Now it’s time to find out just how big of a difference it's going to make.

The Niners, even before the turnover, were mediocre, finishing 2014 at 8-8. Chances are this year isn’t going to be much better, but it’ll at least be interesting to gauge where they’re at.

Bridgewater was arguably the most impressive rookie quarterback last season, throwing for 14 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards. With Adrian Peterson back for the Minnesota Vikings, if Bridgewater can keep developing, this team could compete for a wild-card spot.

Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted. Some stats provided by Football Outsiders where noted.

Follow Aaron Brand on Twitter @AaronBrand47.