NFL Picks Week 1: Picking Six Winners
We are now two days away from the first week of the NFL season. Every week I will choose winners for six games including the Jets and Giants.
For opening week, there are some great games in the league, with the best probably being Thursday night. So, without further ado, here are my six picks for this week's NFL action.
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
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The first game of the 2010 NFL season will feature a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. It's an epic matchup between Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees and the great Brett Favre.
Both teams have a pretty good offense and of course great quarterbacks. In last season's battle for the NFC title, Brett Favre gave the game away with an overtime interception.
He still threw for over 4,000 yards last season, and if his ankle holds up, he should have a decent season. It'll depend on the protection he gets from the Vikings offensive line, but he has some weapons to throw too.
The Saints are a great passing team, and they play great in their home at the Superdome. It should be a great game with a lot of points being scored.
Winner: Saints
Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots
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Are you looking for an early potential playoff matchup? How about the Bengals and Patriots? Nobody really gave much thought to the Bengals preseason of 2009, but they stunned everyone and won the AFC North.
They lost out in Wild Card Weekend to the Jets, but brought in Terrell Owens in the offseason. Teamed up with fellow receiver Chad Ochocinco, that should be a fascinating duo to watch perform.
The Patriots may be getting older and they don't have a great defense, but they're still run by Tom Brady. The last vision of the Patriots in action was getting torched in their own home by the Ravens in last year's playoffs.
There will be some divas on the field as along with the Bengals two receivers, the Patriots have Randy Moss. It should be a fun game to watch to see who'll outperform the other.
Winner: Bengals
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
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This next game is a battle between the top two teams in the AFC South, Houston and Indianapolis. People may want to say that the Titans are better than the Texans, but I have Houston winning 11 games and a Wild Card spot.
The Texans have been and up and coming team for some years now, and came within a game of their first playoff appearance last season.
They have a quarterback that is becoming elite in Matt Schaub, who threw for a league-high 4,770 yards last season. With a receiver of Andre Johnson's caliber to throw to, the Texans are an explosive offensive team.
Of course the team they're facing, the Colts, are the best offensive team in the AFC. Peyton Manning and his crew should lead his team to another division title.
Don't be surprised to see the Texans matchup with the Colts well in this game being played in Houston.
Winner: Texans
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Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
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The first regular season game at the New Meadowlands Stadium will feature the Giants, as they try to open the new stadium better than they finished out at the old one.
The Panthers have some talented receivers and a young quarterback in Matt Moore, but they're defense is a major problem.
The last game at the old stadium, the Giants lost lost to Carolina, 41-9. The Giants defense was the worst in the NFL over the final couple of weeks, and they have a lot of injuries entering the season.
The Giants though, still are a much better team than Carolina and they have the proven Super Bowl winning quarterback. It would be hard to imagine the Giants losing the first game at a new stadium to a below-average team.
Winner: Giants
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
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An opening week just wouldn't be the same without the Dallas Cowboys as a nationally televised game. All the years we were used to seeing Romo versus McNabb. We will once again on Sunday night, just this time the Cowboys are facing the Redskins.
Donovan McNabb was traded to Washington from the Eagles in the offseason, and the Redskins will hope to finally get something out of the quarterback position.
With rumors swirling around about Albert Haynesworth's future with the Redskins, the way the defense will play is uncertain.
The Cowboys are way superior to the Redskins, and should really win this game in a route. The Cowboys are actually my pick to win the Super Bowl, so it would be stunning to see Tony Romo and company start 0-1 against an average divisional opponent.
Look for Dallas to score in the 30s against the Redskins defense.
Winner: Cowboys
Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets
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This is probably the game everyone has been waiting for. The New York Jets, after making the AFC Championship Game last season, were this offseason's loudmouths and show-offs.
They were this year's featured team on Hard Knocks and they have a boisterous coach who predicts a Super Bowl ring every press conference.
They were nearly embarrassed by the whole Darrelle Revis holdout, but they got him to sign on a week before the opening game, and are now primed for a championship push.
The Jets are my pick to make the Super Bowl and lose to the Cowboys, and I think they're the class of the AFC East.
Both quarterbacks in this game are almost similar with Joe Flacco being better. Mark Sanchez had a below-average rookie season, and Flacco had an average year.
The Ravens will be without Ed Reed in this game, and that'll give Sanchez an advantage to pass to his open receivers. Look for Dustin Keller to be heavily involved in the game, especially late.
If the Jets defense could live up to the hype and stop Flacco, and if Sanchez can make some plays, the Jets should win this game.
Winner: Jets
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