NFL Picks Week 1: Previewing All 16 Games Of The 2010 Season Opener
Week 1 is nearly upon us. I swear I'm not peeing myself in excitement.
Okay, maybe a little bit.
The rosters are set, the pretense is over, and now we can just get down to football.
There's a lot to look forward to in Week 1, with many divisional match-ups and even a Championship game re-match. Here are my picks for winners in Week 1, and my prediction of the final score, as well as a match-up that I think could ultimately determine the flow of the game.
Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
1 of 16
It's been hyped to the point of no return. Now, it's time for the two teams to square off and leave it all on the field.
It's been called Brett Favre's revenge game for what the Saints defense did to him in the NFC Championship game, leaving him to hobble off the field like a feeble old man (stop looking at me like that).
The two went at it in a blow-for-blow slugfest in January, and I think we have another shoot-out on our hands in Louisiana. I like Drew Brees and the potent Saints offense more than the Vikings offense sans Sidney Rice.
New Orleans 38
Minnesota 34
Match-up to watch: Adrian Peterson vs. Saints rush defense
Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2 of 16
It's almost a shame that I have to follow up the last slide with this one. The two teams combined for eight wins in 2009, and both enter rebuilding seasons in 2010.
The Bucs and the Browns are thin in the secondary, but that shouldn't be a problem against thin receiving corps for both teams.
Besides, the Browns want to be a smashmouth rush attack, despite losing Montario Hardesty for the year. The Bucs drafted two talented defensive tackles, though, so running the ball against them could be difficult unless the offensive line can control the point of attack (which it did very well last year).
Browns 17
Buccaneers 12
Match-up to watch: Jake Delhomme vs. Bucs secondary
Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
3 of 16
Does anybody have the Bills in this game? Anyone?
The Dolphins love to run the ball. The Bills love to let teams run all over them. Okay, maybe they don't love to, but they certainly don't look too thrilled about tackling anyone. They were one of the league's worst against the run last year and did nothing to improve on that.
Dolphins 20
Bills 7
Match-up to watch: Trent Edwards vs. Sean Smith and Vontae Davis
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Cincinnati Bengals @ New England Patriots
4 of 16
Key injuries have depleted the Patriots defense, and they could be no match for the Bengals and their high-octane offense. Keep an eye on the young Patriots secondary against Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens.
Still, I like the combination of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on opening day at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots 31
Bengals 30
Match-up to watch: Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco vs. Darius Butler and Devin McCourty
Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans
5 of 16
This has been perhaps the most lopsided division rivalry of the past decade, as the Colts have dominated the Texans to the tune of 15-1 in the history of the young franchise. The Texans are looking to turn the page on their history as a perennial .500 team, having just defeated that record last season. Starting off against the Colts, though, means they could be at .000 for Week 2.
Colts 34
Texans 27
Match-up to watch: Mario Williams vs. Ryan Diem
Denver Broncos @ Jacksonville Jaguars
6 of 16
These two teams are on different fences. The Broncos could be good, but also could be pretty bad. The Jaguars could be pretty bad, but also could be really bad.
The Broncos offense figures to run prominently behind Knowshon Moreno against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but even Kyle Orton should be able to abuse a pass defense that ranked 27th against the pass.
Things look bad for the defense, but if Maurice Jones-Drew isn't ready to go Week 1, it could be even worse for the offense.
Broncos 20
Jaguars 17
Match-up to watch: Knowshon Moreno vs. Tyson Alualu and Jags d-line
Atlanta Falcons @ Pittsburgh Steelers
7 of 16
A 9-7 record can mean so many things for so many different franchises.
The Atlanta Falcons haven't had back-to-back winning seasons in team history, so 9-7 was something to cheer about although they didn't make the playoffs. That same record ended Pittsburgh's hope of repeating as Super Bowl champions, as they lost the division to the Bengals and a shot at the Wild Card to the Ravens.
The Falcons are a team on the rise, and the Steelers will go into Week 1 without Ben Roethlisberger.
Falcons 24
Steelers 20
Match-up to watch: Michael Turner vs. Casey Hampton and Steelers LBs
Oakland Raiders @ Tennessee Titans
8 of 16
Titans RB Chris Johnson looks to begin a repeat 2,000 yard performance against the Oakland Raiders, a defense that ranked 29th against the run last year but added a few key players to help improve on that. This will be a huge proving grounds for both Johnson and the Raiders, because it will set the pace for their season in terms of their goals.
If the Raiders can shut down the run and force Vince Young to throw, the match-ups of Nnamdi Asomugha and Raiders DB Chris Johnson against Nate Washington and Kenny Britt.
The Raiders, however, could look to air it out with Bruce Gradkowski to deep threats Louis Murphy and others. This is one of those that's really hard to pick because it looks like both teams improved in the offseason, the question is how much.
Titans 23
Raiders 17
Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants
9 of 16
The Panthers and the Giants finished with the top two records in the NFC in 2008, but both were bounced from the playoffs in the divisional round and both posted unimpressive 8-8 records last year. The two are run-heavy teams that rely on stout defense to win games, so get ready for a jabbing contest of clock control and field position.
Giants 17
Panthers 13
Match-up to watch: Giants defensive line vs. Panthers offensive line
Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
10 of 16
Jay Cutler threw 27 touchdowns, six of which came against the Lions. Often criticized for his high interception total of 26, Cutler threw zero in his two meetings with the Lions. Those numbers mainly had to do with an absurd amount of time in the pocket.
The pass defense figures to be a lot better than it was last year, with improvements in the trenches across the board. Without much improvement on the offensive line, the Bears look like they could falter under Mike Martz's deep-pass system that asks the quarterback to hang in the pocket for awhile as routes develop.
Lions 14
Bears 10
Match-up to watch: Ndamukong Suh vs. Olin Kreutz
Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams
11 of 16
New eras begin for both franchises on September 12, as the Cardinals go into life after Kurt Warner and the Rams have their new golden boy in Sam Bradford. Despite the lack of a high-octane offense for the Rams, this one could end up a shoot-out. The Cardinals have a weak defense that could be exposed by Bradford, who performed admirably in the preseason, and Stephen Jackson.
It's not as though the Rams are a high-octane offense, but with Derek Anderson at the helm, the Cardinals may be better suited now to run the ball heavily and control the clock than the offense of old that aired it out almost two-thirds of the time last year.
Cardinals 16
Rams 13
Match-up to watch: Steven Jackson vs. rookie NT Dan Williams
Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles
12 of 16
Kevin Kolb has drawn many comparisons to Aaron Rodgers for having sat behind an all-time great for a few years before the team decided "out with the old and in with the new."
Kolb will have a tall order facing a Packers defense that preyed on young quarterbacks last year. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers could have a field day against a pass defense that gave up the 24th most touchdowns last year.
Packers 34
Eagles 28
Match-up to watch: DeSean Jackson vs. Charles Woodson
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
13 of 16
Pete Carroll has spent the past decade California Dreaming, but the San Francisco 49ers might make life a living nightmare for the Seattle Seahawks.
Frank Gore and Brian Westbrook figure to be the focal points of the offense, and could open up play action against a Seattle defense that ranked 30th against the pass. Granted, the Oceanbirds made a ton of changes to their roster in a mass overhaul rebuilding project by Pete Carroll, but to see it all come together and stop a 49ers team that's hell-bent on winning the division this year would be nothing short of miraculous.
49ers 30
Seahawks 16
Match-up to watch: Michael Crabtree vs. Marcus Trufant
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins
14 of 16
Tony Romo and the Cowboys pass attack didn't exactly go off against the Redskins last year. The star quarterback only racked up a 60-percent completion rate, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the two meetings last year.
The Cowboys also weren't very good against the pass. The presence of Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan makes the Redskins infinitely more threatening than that of Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn. The Cowboys have Super Bowl dreams, but their season could start off with a nightmare in DC.
Redskins 21
Cowboys 17
Match-up to watch: Redskins receivers vs. Cowboys cornerbacks
Baltimore Ravens @ New York Jets
15 of 16
Rex Ryan faces off against his old team in one of the most heavily anticipated Week 1 match-ups. We'll see if it was all talk or if the Jets plan to back it up.
The Ravens, meanwhile, have their eyes on the Super Bowl and have many pundits on their side, as well.
The Jets ranked No. 1 against the pass, but even with the addition of Anquan Boldin and TJ Houshmandzadeh, that may not be what they have to worry about. Instead, they may be better suited to focus on Ray Rice and the rush attack, which was the bread and butter of their offense last year.
The Jets will look to do the same thing against a monster of a rush defense that ranked fifth in the league last year. This has the makings of a defensive struggle for the ages.
Ravens 13
Jets 9
Match-up to watch: Mark Sanchez vs. Ravens secondary without Ed Reed.
San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 16
This divisional match-up has become an annual walk in the park for the Chargers. Even without Vincent Jackson, I expect Philip Rivers to blow the door off the Chiefs' defense. The only way he won't is if Ryan Mathews gets in an early rhythm and the Chargers decide to see what their young stud is made of.
Of course, the defense did suffer a key loss in Antonio Cromartie this offseason, so one has to wonder how that will impact the defense, but the Chiefs still don't have the firepower to keep up.
Chargers 34
Chiefs 17
Match-up to watch: Matt Cassel vs. San Diego secondary
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