The season kicks off tomorrow with the Patriots hosting the Steelers for Thursday night football. New England has been the focus of all the drama thanks to the cheating conspiracies and the Brady suspension, which is now irrelevant. Brady plays well against AFC teams at home, plus I bet he will go out there determined after all those accusations. The spread is -7 for the Patriots, but with both Bell and Bryant suspended for the Steelers look for New England to take it 34-24. Green Bay is headed into Chicago and coach McCarthy has already stated "we going to kick Chicago's ass" in his confident tone. Rodgers is missing Jordy Nelson, but the recent acquisition of bringing back James Jones should help the Packers offense stay strong especially if it turns out Cobb can play as well. I don't trust Cutler, it will take some good moves by Forte and strong defense for Chicago keep it close. I say Packers win it 27-14.
Chiefs are visiting the Texans and it should be a blast to see Charles go up against that defense. Alex
Smith has not hit a wide receiver for a TD since 2013, if that is to continue I don't see this being a good year for Kansas City. Houston is probably not the team that would allow that streak to break however, which is why I am picking them to take it 17-13. Browns at Jets should be interesting. Two teams I have really no hope in this season, and though I am just as surprised as you I will say I see more talent on the New York side of the ball and give them a 23-20 win. Colts at Bills will be an offense vs defense showdown. Though the Bills have improved their already great defense, Luck has so many weapons now and will lead his team to a 27-20 victory.
The beat up Redskins are hosting the Dolphins in a game that may cost RGIII his job. Kirk Cousins is starting for Washington and I see him having a good game. If he puts up good numbers, the Redskins may end up following through with the rumors and cutting RGIII. In the end, I think the offensive line will cost the Skins to much, leading to a close but 21-20 Dolphin win. The Panthers are missing their star receiver Benjamin, but I think this gives Funchess his time to shine as Carolina is starting off just down south in Jacksonville. Blake Bortles looks good and has a couple new tools to toss the ball to, including Julies Thomas who dominated for me in fantasy last season. Kuechly will be the difference maker in this game, as his defense will be what forces the Bortles mistakes and gives the Panthers the 23-17 edge.
If you want a defensive battle, take a look at the Seahawks vs. Rams game. These teams will be shutting the door on each other drive after drive. It will be a couple big runs by Lynch or Wilson that get the Seahawks to their 16-10 win. Saints are visiting the highly ranked Cardinals and I see an upset happening. The Cardinals are #6 in the power rankings, but are now missing some key pieces to the offensive line and have a QB coming back from an ACL injury at the age of 35. As long as Brees avoids any costly mistakes, the Saints will take this one 24-21. Lions Chargers is a tough call, the Lions have the bigger name players but they also make a good amount of errors compared to Rivers and the Chargers. Plus the Chargers beefed up their defense and will cost the Lions a few plays if not interceptions. Chargers take it 24-20.
The rookies are facing off in the Titans and Buccaneers showdown and I like Mariota more than Winston. Oregon handed it to Florida State the last time these two met up and I think Mariota will have a good time hitting Walker and Wright to lead them to the 20-17 win. The Raiders are going to surprise people this year. I can't wait to see what they can do on both sides of the ball. I don't see them getting more than 6-7 wins but one of them will be against the Bengals with a 23-21 win. Somehow the Ravens always have Peyton Mannings number. The Ravens get the least amount of coverage among teams that are a real Super Bowl threat, since Harbaugh stepped in their they are always contenders. Look for them to come through with a 31-27 win. Giants at Cowboys is a tough call. I honestly don't like either team, the only thing I do like is that Cowboys offensive line. While Romo is protected, Eli will make mistakes under pressure giving Dallas the 37-30 win.
Falcons and Eagles should be a great offensive game, as both teams have plenty of weapons on one side of the ball. Julio Jones has been getting a lot of hype with Matt Ryan, while the Eagles look at their two new running backs and QB for offensive power. The question is if Bradford can produce since he hasn't played a regular season game since 2013. What the Falcons are missing that the Eagles have at least a bit of is defense. That will make the difference leading to a 35-30 Eagles win. Finally the 49ers host the Vikings. Though there has been so much negative talk about the 9ers, I am going to take them. They have always been able to contain Peterson and are out there to prove everyone and their 3-13 record predictions wrong. I think the Vikings will have a good season thanks to Bridgewater and Peterson, but wont have a good start at Levis Stadium with a 23-21 final.
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