NFL Week 1 Picks: Predicting the Winner and Final Scores for All Season Openers

It's been 212 days since NFL fans have seen a competitive NFL game.

Preseason is all well and good for desperate football fans, but it’s not nearly as good as the real thing. When the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos host the Carolina Panthers in a rematch of their 24-10 victory in Super Bowl 50 on Thursday night, the 2016-2017 season will (finally) begin.

Although Panthers quarterback and reigning league MVP Cam Newton doesn’t see this game as a grudge match, according to the Associated Press, it’s hard to ignore the pressure that Newton must be feeling. His Panthers have the fourth-best odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, according to Odds Shark. 

That Super Bowl loss hurt Newton, as well as the rest of his team. Has Carolina learned from the loss? That remains to be seen. But the team has certainly taken it as motivation heading into Thursday night's game.

"No one likes losing, so I took it extremely personal," Newton said to AP concerning the defeat to the Broncos.

Despite losing cornerback Josh Norman in free agency to the Washington Redskins, the Panthers are a much-improved team heading into the new season. With the likes of wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin returning from an ACL injury last year in training camp, while retaining a core nucleus of receiving targets (Devin Funchess, Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn Jr.), Newton should have no problem repeating last season's 45-touchdown performance (35 pass, 10 rush). 

The Broncos, on the other hand, are in a tough situation. 

Not only did they lose defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan during the offseason, future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning also retired. Throw in an offensive line that is under construction, and the Broncos are a vulnerable team going up against the NFL's sixth-ranked defense from last year. 

The Broncos should come out with a lot of energy following their Super Bowl pregame ceremony, but that adrenaline rush will soon vanish toward the end of the first half as Carolina's defense begins to settle in against Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, a former seventh-round pick.

It won't take long for Newton and his offense to get with the program and begin to torch Denver's defense, resulting in a comfortable 31-14 win to kick off the season.

If, for some reason, you aren't interested in watching the season-opening game, don't fret. Because Week 1 has 15 other matchups on the slate this weekend, including two Monday Night Football games. 

Date	Away	Home	Time (ET)	National TV	Prediction
Thursday	Carolina Panthers	Denver Broncos	8:30 p.m.	NBC	Panthers 31-14
Sunday	Cleveland Browns	Philadelphia Eagles	1:00 p.m.	CBS	Eagles 24-10
Sunday	Cincinnati Bengals	New York Jets	1:00 p.m.	CBS	Bengals 27-20
Sunday	San Diego Chargers	Kansas City Chiefs	1:00 p.m.	CBS	Chiefs 30-17
Sunday	Buffalo Bills	Baltimore Ravens	1:00 p.m.	CBS	Bills 28-10
Sunday	Miami Dolphins	Seattle Seahawks	4:05 p.m.	CBS	Seahawks 24-14
Sunday	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Atlanta Falcons	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Buccaneers 35-30
Sunday	Chicago Bears	Houston Texans	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Texans 20-10
Sunday	Green Bay Packers	Jacksonville Jaguars	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Packers 31-28
Sunday	Oakland Raiders	New Orleans Saints	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Raiders 28-24
Sunday	Minnesota Vikings	Tennessee Titans	1:00 p.m.	FOX	Titans 27-17
Sunday	New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys	4:25 p.m.	FOX	Giants 42-20
Sunday	Detroit Lions	Indianapolis Colts	4:25 p.m.	FOX	Colts 21-14
Sunday	New England Patriots	Arizona Cardinals	8:30 p.m.	NBC	Cardinals 28-17
Monday	Pittsburgh Steelers	Washington Redskins	7:10 p.m.	ESPN	Steelers 28-24
Monday	St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers	10:20 p.m.	ESPN	Rams 17-14

Giants put Cowboys in their place

Oh, Dallas, here we go again.

The injury bug bit Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo against the Seattle Seahawks in the preseason when he suffered a compression fracture in his back. It’s a disappointing situation for both Romo and the fanbase who thought they would have their starting quarterback ready to go this season after missing 12 games last year.

At the age of 36, Romo’s best days might be behind him, and the question needs to be asked if it’s time for Dallas to move on.

Dak Prescott will take the reins of the offense for the Cowboys after a very impressive preseason where he completed 78 percent of his passes for 454 yards and five touchdowns. 

In reality, this game should be a cakewalk for the Giants.

It's Ben McAdoo time in New York after the team moved on from head coach Tom Coughlin, and this could potentially be the best offense the Giants have had in some time, particularly with the return of wideout Victor Cruz from injury.

A potent attack consisting of Eli Manning, Cruz, the continued development of Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashad Jennings, the Giants could make Sunday afternoon's game a cricket score if Manning and company keep their foot on the accelerator.

If Romo was in the picture, this game would be a lot closer. But starting a rookie quarterback in Prescott against an improved Giants defense is a recipe for disaster, which is why the Giants will win by a comfortable 42-20 margin in Dallas.

Patriots miss Brady, fall to Cardinals

The Patriots are a good team even without Tom Brady, but the Arizona Cardinals are no walk in the park.

Especially when the "honey badger" is full systems go for Week 1. 

With Brady suspended for the first four weeks of the season, Jimmy Garoppolo will have to find a way to avoid Tyrann Mathieu and the rest of the Cardinals defense that added arguably the best rookie pass-rusher in this past summer's draft in Robert Nkemdiche.

On the offensive side of things, the Cardinals are pretty set.

Carson Palmer is back healthy with receivers John Brown, Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd in the fold, while running back David Johnson could become one of the league's elite tailbacks in his sophomore season.

Johnson, who totaled 1,038 yards (581 rush, 457 receiving) last year is the clear No. 1 choice in the backfield, and, as Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said to NFL.com last month, Johnson has the potential to be much, more more. 

"A lot of people have compared him to Marshall Faulk, and our coaches had Marshall Faulk in Indy," Keim said. "I think he's very similar in some ways athletically and in terms of ball-catching skills to Marshall."

Faulk or not, Johnson is a special talent and should boost the Cardinals into title contention this season. While Garoppolo will be well prepared for Week 1, the loss of Brady will be too much to overcome against a talented Cardinals team. I have Arizona winning this matchup 28-17.