NFL Week 1 Predictions

A glorious new season is upon us.

There are many things to watch for this coming season and it all starts in Week 1. As fans, we are going to be spoiled early on with a plethora of great divisional matchups. Right from the start, the likes of Pittsburgh-Baltimore and Indianapolis-Houston will dominate the chatting at the water cooler on Monday morning.

Regardless of your favorite team or Super Bowl picks, two things are for sure: you're either going to love the picks and analysis or you're going to blatantly hate the picks and analysis.

Check back all season for the record keeping.

Let's get to it.

Thursday, New Orleans at Green Bay

Battle of the last two Super Bowl winners.

Green Bay comes into this game healthy, something they couldn't say all of 2010. Returning to the field are running back Ryan Grant and tight end Jermichael Finley. They will more than add to one of the NFL's most potent offensive attacks.

The Saints have quite a bit to prove. It seemed as if the hangover from the 2009 title run lasted all the way through a deplorable loss to the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs. The addition of rookie draft choice Mark Ingram will make fans forget all about the less than productive Reggie Bush and add a consistent approach to the running game that Drew Brees has not had since LaDanian Tomlinson in San Diego.

Prediction: Night game, kicking off the season at Lambeau, Aaron Rodgers. Pack win a shoot out with defense as time expires 35-31.

Atlanta at Chicago

Oddly, these are two teams that, when we last saw them play, were embarrassed by the eventual Super Bowl champs.

Atlanta has had many months to stew over the 41 point outpouring at home by the Packers. In the draft, they mortgaged some of the future to move up and grab Julio Jones—who looks to be worth every penny. They already have Roddy White and Michael Turner, but Jones will help spread the defense out because he cannot be left one-on-one for 60 minutes. Expect a big year from Matt Ryan.

Jay Cutler has been a media whipping-boy since he allegedly cowered from the NFC Championship game with an apparent knee injury. Truth be told, he was actually hurt. However, the way that Caleb Hennie moved the offense in Cutler's absence (and nearly brought the Bears back) was telling of the type of player Cutler is—think Brett Favre.

Prediction: Atlanta runs the ball just enough to keep the defense honest and Jay Cutler plays like Jay Cutler. Atlanta wins big, 34-10.

Cincinnati at Cleveland

The Battle of Ohio takes to the shores of Lake Erie in sunny September.

Missing from the Bengals roster from last year are starters Carson Plamer (retired), Chad Ochocinco (New England), Terrell Owens (Free Agent) and Jonathan Joseph (Houston). In their place are rookies Andy Dalton (quarterback), A.J. Green (wide receiver) and second-year pro Jordan Shipley (wide receiver). That's a lot of experience to replace with such a young group of players.

Cleveland is one of the many teams that were substantially hurt by the lockout—but judging by the leadership in the preseason, you wouldn't know it. The team replaced its entire coaching staff during the "offseason" and they've been able to integrate a new offense and defense with precision. While the team has an excellent running back in Peyton Hillis, they are still searching for a suitable backup (Montario Hardesty's health) and weapons on the outside to spread the defense.

Prediction: The Browns have only won one season opener since returning in 1999. This year makes two. Cleveland dominates on their home turf 27-6.

Buffalo at Kansas City

Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. First, the Bills are not terrible. They have a heady quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick, reliable runner in Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson on the outside. They addressed the defense in the draft by taking Marcel Dareus and Aaron Williams. Jamaal Charles' 177 rushing yards in last year's meeting should not be duplicated.

The Chiefs had a dominant one-two punch in the ground game last season with Charlie Weis (now coaching Florida's offense) calling the plays. What we saw them lack in the postseason was another compliment in the passing game to Dwayne Bowe. So, they drafted Jonathan Baldwin out of Pittsburgh in the first round—and he just punched a guy at practice. The biggest difference-maker they acquired in the offseason is going to prove to be Steve Breaston.

Prediction: KC has looked sloppy, sloppy, sloppy! It's one thing to lose in the preseason. It's another to lose because you're not executing and look disorganized. Buffalo steals a win 16-10.

Philadelphia at St. Louis

Philly's "Dream Team" has looked less than spectacular. They've spent a lot of money (Mike Vick just signed for $100 million, $40 guaranteed) this offseason in building a Super Bowl contender. Unfortunately, their offensive line stinks. Luckily, Michael Vick is fast—but he still takes way too many open shots.

The Rams are coming off a rebuilding year in which they challenged for a playoff spot and division title. They beefed up the defensive line by adding Robert Quinn, and he has not disappointed. If anyone can develop as a true No. 1 receiver for Sam Bradford, the Rams will have a nice combination of threats with Steven Jackson still in the backfield.

Prediction: Too great of a test for the Rams, Eagles win in a romp 35-13.

Detroit at Tampa Bay

Two teams on the upswing.

Detroit has had one glaring issue they need to address—keep Matt Stafford upright and healthy. They have all the pieces to be successful. Can they put it all together? They have some issues with depth, but if they can stave off the injury bug, they could push for that final playoff spot.

Tampa has one of the best young quarterbacks in the league with Josh Freeman. LaGarrette Blount has solidified the running game with his efforts last season and there are two young wide receivers (Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn) that are building a heck of a reputation around the league. Defensively, they have a fantastic, and extremely young, group on the line. They may also be losing their top corner, Aqib Talib, to a felonious assault charge.

Prediction: The trenches—whichever team wins this battle on both sides of the ball will win this game. Advantage, Tampa Bay. The Bucs win a barnburner 21-17.

Tennessee at Jacksonville

The Titans, another of the teams crushed by the lockout, have brought in a new coaching staff and quarterback. They just got their top runner, Chris Johnson, back from his contract holdout. I'm not sure this team did enough in the offseason to close the gap in their division. This is going to be a big test for them in rival Jacksonville.

The Jags were much improved last year as they finished 8-8. David Garrard played very well, but still has room to improve and the push from rookie Blaine Gabbert may be the kick in the behind he needs. Two drafts ago, they fixed the teeth of their defense and although they ranked 22nd against the run, they should be even more improved this season and will be facing a rusty Chris Johnson.

Prediction: Jags just put more talent on the field but Chris Johnson nearly carries the team on his back. Jacksonville wins it 17-14.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore

These teams do not play boring games, especially if last season has anything to say about it.

One thing you can say about the Steelers, and it almost sounds faux pas is they have speed on the outside. Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown can fly. Then, there is Mr. Consistency, Hines Ward. Throw in Heath Miller at the tight end position and Rashard Mendenhall at the back, and this might be the most potent offense in the NFL. Can they cover opposing wide receivers when spread out? That will be the test this season.

Baltimore made one move on the cheap, and I happen to think it was one of the best moves of the offseason: Lee Evans for a fourth-round pick. Evans isn't just a deep threat, he's a solid and proven pass catcher that will give this offense a dimension that old man Derrick Mason could not. The defense is aging and is far from solid in pass coverage. I'm interested in seeing what former first rounder, Sergio Kindle, can bring to the table.

Prediction: There will be points, but as always, this comes down to which team's defense makes the biggest stop or play at the biggest moment. My pick: Troy Polamalu does something incredible and preserves a win. Steelers leave Maryland with the win, 28-24.

Indianapolis at Houston

Colts fan, not much to say. No Peyton Manning, no win.

Houston started last season off by beating the Colts largely on the running of Arian Foster. They went 6-10 because of poor defense. They can throw the ball on anyone, they can run the ball on anyone. Can they stop the opposition when they are on defense? Oh yeah, and a new 3-4 alignment.

Prediction: Texans win it big, 31-7.

NY Giants at Washington

The G-men are banged up. The defensive backfield is on IR and the line is barely better. At the helm, they have a healthy Manning (Eli) and several solid pass catchers paired with a potent running attack.

Here's an interesting list: Cleveland, San Diego, Jacksonville, Green Bay, Tennessee and Detroit. Those are teams with better backup quarterbacks than Washington has starting. Stanford has a better quarterback situation than do the Redskins.

Prediction: Minus all of their injuries, the Giants pull it out in a very low scoring affair, 10-6.

Seattle at San Francisco

I'm not sure it matters whether it's Charlie Whitehurst or Tavaris Jackson, the Seahawks—until proven otherwise—are going to be terrible. Pete Carroll is a very questionable NFL head coach. In college, he's fantastic. This is not college. What is being missed, in my opinion, is that college coaches are also coming to these NFL teams as GM's. Not a good recipe—they need the structure.

San Fran is not a winning franchise. Alex Smith is not the answer and Colin Kaepernick will need to grow into the offense. That being said, I think Jim Harbaugh is the right guy there and will eventually turn them back into a winner.

Prediction: Coin flip sides with the home team, 49ers win 20-10.

Minnesota at San Diego

Donovan McNabb is in an offense he is used to running. He has a few weapons in Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson and Visanthe Shiancoe. The defense is top five. If McNabb can keep the mistakes down, there could be three teams from the NFC North in the Playoffs.

Unfortunately, Norv Turner coaches San Diego. The team consistently starts out slow and finishes with a "close but no cigar" mentality. They featured a top 10 offense and defense. If they can get Ryan Matthews going, he will get them going to the playoffs.

Prediction: Nail-biter. Chargers win at home 20-17.

Carolina at Arizona

Carolina is rebuilding. They just publicly named Cam Newton the starter and I do not believe he will have a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco type effect on the Panthers. He could, because the running game is elite, but very doubtful. It'll be an interesting story to follow this season regardless how it plays out.

Did Arizona get the right guy to throw footballs to Larry Fitzgerald? I think so and apparently so does Larry's new contract. Will they be able to overcome the departure of Tim Hightower? That's a great question considering Beanie Wells has been woefully inconsistent.

Prediction: The pick I'm most unsettled on because I think Carolina runs wild on the Cardinals. Then again, how can you pick against Larry Fitzgerald with a team that is just "ok" against the pass? At the end of the day, the Cards were 30th against the run last season, didn't improve that area in my mind, and Carolina has two healthy back in Jon Stewart and Deangelo Williams. Carolina wins a tight game, 24-23.

Dallas at New York Jets

I want to say the Cowboys can rely on the head coaching of Jason Garrett. The sample size on him is just too small. I will say, they are headed in a better direction and are in a better place than with Wade Phillips. There is nothing sexy about this team, and sexy is a Dallas staple. I think that works to their benefit because a lack of distractions is what this group needs.

The smoke and mirrors Jets. I say smoke and mirrors in the most polite of ways. They win with defense and Mark Sanchez gets way too much credit for a much less than potent offense with a mediocre rushing attack. Even though they have seen their fair share of success over the past two seasons, a rough start against Dallas at home could start a downward spiral very early in the season.

Prediction: Dallas upsets NYJ at home 27-17.

New England at Miami

The Pats are the Pats: the team to beat in the AFC East, and maybe all of the AFC or NFL. Tom Brady is great and will probably be again this year. The young defense from last season is a year older and should be better. However, this team has failed to get younger at the skill positions on offense and perhaps we are watching the final hurrahs of the Bellichik-Brady era.

The Miami Dolphins are terrible. Their quarterback situation is terrible. No, they're really in bad shape. Their top two runners from last season are gone. They are disillusioned at quarterback with Matt Moore and Chad Henne after the Kyle Orton deal fell through. The coach is on his way out. Not going to be a good season in South Beach.

Prediction: Unlike the wildcat unveiling, the Patriots dominate start to finish, 38-3.

Oakland at Denver

The Raiders came off an 8-8 year by firing their coach. They've drafted better the last two years, but that has to translate into more wins on the field. Losing Nmamdi Asomougha hurts. The defense will have to pull together and grind it out for 16 games if this team is going to surpass the 2010 win total.

Denver has had one crazy offseason, most of which revolved around Tim Tebow. This is the real season and Kyle Orton is the guy—rightfully so. He's put up great numbers the last two years and with the emergence of Brandon Lloyd, should again. The bottom line: This team has got to win more games and getting swept by the Raiders again is not going to cut it in the Mile-High City.

Prediction: Denver gets the "W" at home, 20-10.