NFL Week 1 Picks: Early Predictions for All Season Openers

Congrats, fellow football fanatics. We made it.

Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season is here. The Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs get the campaign underway Thursday night, and the other 30 teams follow suit Sunday and Monday.

Before we can devour the sweet morsels of a new season, though, why not break out the trusty crystal ball and get a sneak peak of what's ahead, right? We have Week 1 predictions for every game on the slate, but a closer look at three of the best matchups on the docket.

NFL 2020 Week 1 Schedule, Predictions

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs: Chiefs 37-28

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington: Eagles 24-13

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots: Patriots 20-17

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings: Packers 28-20

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars: Colts 19-12

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: Lions 31-20

Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers: Raiders 23-21

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills: Bills 20-16

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens: Ravens 38-17

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons: Seahawks 23-16

Los Angeles Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals: Bengals 17-13

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers: 49ers 31-27

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints: Buccaneers 38-35

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams: Cowboys 34-27

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants: Steelers 23-19

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos: Titans 24-13

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs

The Texans just committed to Deshaun Watson in a major way, granting the two-time Pro Bowler a shiny new four-year, $156 million extension.

That's generational wealth for the Watson family, yet it feels a little like loose change compared to what the Chiefs gave Patrick Mahomes. The former MVP and reigning Super Bowl MVP scored a 10-year (not a typo), $503 million (neither is that) extension of his own back in July.

But that's enough about the economics of the matchup.

The real intrigue lies in the combined quarterback prowess. Mahomes missed two games last season and still threw for 4,031 yards (on 65.9 percent passing) and 26 touchdowns (against five interceptions). Watson, who suited up 15 times, passed for 3,852 yards and 26 touchdowns, rushed for another 413 yards and seven scores and engineered five game-winning drives for the second straight season.

These are two of the best in the business, but our projections see Mahomes' superior supporting cast as the difference.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

The Packers won 13 games last season. The Vikings "settled" for 10 victories. Both clubs should know their path to the NFC North crown runs through the other.

While Aaron Rodgers played almost mistake-free football last season (26 touchdowns on four interceptions), the Packers minimized his role to see maximum results. His 569 passing attempts were his fewest in a 16-game season since 2014, which was coincidentally Green Bay's last campaign with more than 10 wins (12). This time around, the Pack leaned heavily on rusher Aaron Jones, who delivered 1,084 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns.

The Vikings, meanwhile, molded Kirk Cousins into more of a game manager (444 attempts, his fewest as a full-time starter) and watched his efficiency shine. He threw 26 touchdowns against just six interceptions and posted his best quarterback rating to date (107.4). The offense's new approach put Dalvin Cook in the spotlight, and he delivered with 1,654 scrimmage yards and 13 scores.

Minnesota enters 2020 as something of a mystery, though, after a wealth of offseason activity. The Vikings saw a number of notable departures, including Stefon Diggs, Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Everson Griffin, Linval Joseph and offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. They'll be hoping their record-setting draft class can make a major impact sooner than later.

Green Bay's stability could be its key to victory on Sunday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Tom Brady and Drew Brees sharing an NFC South division rivalry? Yes, please.

Brady, who defected from New England to Tampa Bay back in March, should have more offensive firepower than he's had in years. It starts at wide receiver, as both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans cleared 1,100 receiving yards and combined for 17 touchdowns last season. But Brady also has his former favorite target, Rob Gronkowski, along for the ride, and Leonard Fournette, the fourth pick in 2017, was a recent addition to this backfield.

The Saints didn't have nearly as flashy an offseason, but after a 13-3 campaign, they hardly needed it. Instead, they'll again pin their hopes on the Drew Brees-Michael Thomas-Alvin Kamara triumvirate, while wishing veteran addition Emmanuel Sanders can provide some consistency to the WR2 spot.

While New Orleans looks like the better team on paper, Tampa Bay has a chance to start off the Brady era with a statement victory. Our crystal ball likes the Bucs' chances in a shootout.