Week 1 Game Picks

By Jacob Sanders

Football season is back! And while I normally have a really long paragraph on why the beginning of the season is so great, as it turns out, I have a lot going on this weekend. So. I’ll keep it short. It’s a new season. There might be favorites to win in Week 1. But if you ask me, nearly all of these matchups except for a select few are coin-flips. So, I don’t expect to pick that well this week.

FOOTBALL IS BACK EVERYONE! Hope your team wins unless they are playing mine.

Sanders is 1-0 so far after picking the Packers to beat the Bears 35-17 (WHICH DID NOT HAPPEN IT WAS 10-3 WHAT THE HECK)

Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles

So this is one of the few matches that I don’t view as a coin-flip. To be frank, the Washington Redskins haven’t been in the media all that much because of other, let’s say, more dramatic things going on in the NFL. However, if not for surprise retirement and wild behaviour, the Redskins would probably be getting panned for mishandling the best player on their roster (Trent Williams) and not finding a quarterback to be competitive while Dwayne Haskins learns the ropes. As for Philadelphia, their roster is loaded. In your friendly writer’s opinion, they had the best offseason of any NFL team. All signs point to the Eagles getting off to a hot start.

Eagles 30 Redskins 13

Atlanta Falcons vs Minnesota Vikings

You wanna talk coin-flip, here you go. This is a coin-flip matchup. What’s even crazier, is both these teams have legitimate shots at the playoffs this year and this matchup can determine who is in and who is out. That’s insane. As for the matchup itself, you have to ask yourself who is going to show off their potential. Will the Vikings defense return to form? Will the Falcons offense explode again? We really don’t know. Here’s something I do know. Kirk Cousins is under-rated. He did pretty well last year despite a lot of criticism. That being said, he will be facing a defense that was going to be stellar till injuries killed them last year. Now, they are healthy again. So who do you pick? Me personally, you gotta go with the home team here. Vikings start 1-0. Fun fact: the Falcons haven’t won in Minnesota since 2008.

Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins

At the risk of being called bias, I’m gonna say this is also one of the matches that isn’t a coin-flip. Barring Fitzmagic striking, this matchup is very lopsided. The Dolphins have sold away the present for the future where they will have four 1st round picks and two 2nd round picks in the next two drafts. That’s fantastic for their future but disastrous for the present. I won’t be surprised if the Dolphins finish with the worst record in the NFL considering how bare their roster looks at the moment. Compare that to a Baltimore team that has reloaded while rebuilding on the fly, and it’s hard to believe a talented team led by John Harbaugh is going to lose to a Dolphins team that sold it’s talent for going big and winning in the future. Did I mention that this is Brian Flores first game ever as a head coach?

Ravens 26 Dolphins 10

Kansas City Chiefs vs Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are trusting that Nick Foles will lead this team to be competitive. This may or may not happen but that’s not the important part of this game to consider. What’s important here, is the Jaguars defense returning to the status that originally led them to the AFC Championship game. If the defense can return to form, they can stop Patrick Mahomes. On the topic of Patrick Mahomes, reports are that he looks MORE COMFORTABLE with the offense. Uh, what? More comfortable than last year? That’s a scary proposition. And if it’s true, the Jaguars don’t stand a chance at keeping up with the scoreboard getting racked up.

Chiefs 31 Jaguars 17

Tennessee Titans vs Cleveland Browns

The Titans have a disastrous matchup to start with. Their O-line has some major concerns with Taylor Lewan suspended, and they are being asked to protect Mariota against a combo of Myles Garrett, Sheldon Richardson, and Olivier Vernon. Good luck with that one. Meanwhile, the Browns on-paper talent boasts offensive firepower that could rival the Steelers of years past if executed well. All this being said, the Browns may look to stomp out the Titans early in the game, and never loo back.

Titans 14 Browns 27

LA Rams vs Carolina Panthers

I’m keeping this one short. I LOVE the prospects the Panthers bring this year. What I don’t love, is their quarterback, after a full offseason, is STILL hurt. That’s a problem. Especially when you are facing the Rams defense. I anticipate the Panthers offense to struggle all day if Cam isn’t 100% healthy.

Rams 21 Panthers 13

Cincinnati Bengals vs Seattle Seahawks

I’d like this matchup to be more even if AJ Green were playing. But he’s not. AJ Green is a tragic story of being a HoF Caliber receiver but never being available enough to show himself off. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are having their own troubles at finding healthy receivers as well. That being said, the Seahawks have Russell Wilson. And that’s really all I need to see in order to think that the Seahawks can win a home game vs the Bengals.

Bengals 14 Seahawks 20

Indianapolis Colts vs LA Chargers

Look. Most people have written this off as a Chargers win thanks to the retirement of Andrew Luck. While I do get the sentiment, it’s not like the Colts are dead in the water. The Colts should be fine. But that’s the only word I would use. Fine. Like….7-9 fine. They receive their first loss here against a vastly superior Chargers team.

Colts 13 Chargers 17

San Francisco 49ers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This one’s a tossup too. But let me ask you this. Who do you trust more: Jameis Winston or Jimmy G? The correct answer is neither, but in this case, you have to pick one. For me, I am going with the coach that I think is better and that’s Bruce Arians. I think Bruce Arians is a perfect fit for the Bucs offense. While I don’t think they’ll make much noise in the NFL, they aren’t going to be the worst team in the NFL either. At the same time, I don’t think he 49ers will be horrible either but they are a very hard team to read at the moment. Giving the Bucs the benefit of the doubt here.

49ers 14 Bucs 17

NY Giants vs Dallas Cowboys

Keeping this one short. The Giants still have Eli Manning listed as their starting QB. The Dallas Cowboys have arguably the best defense in the league. You tell me how that’s gonna go.

Giants 6 Cowboys 20

Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals

This one is TOUGH. To pick this one, you have to ask yourself if you honestly think a college offense is going to work in the NFL. Well, if you want any recency, the Redskins, Eagles and Ravens have run college style elements in their offense to varying degrees of success. So there’s a chance that the Cardinals come out exploding and never looking back. There’s also a chance they look terrible. I’m taking my chances here, and saying the Cardinals go off. The Lions have no idea what’s coming and I think that gives the Cardinals a leg up. Also, Matt Patricia’s defense with Lions has been….uninspiring to say the least.

Lions 14 Cardinals 21

Pittsburgh Steelers vs New England Patriots

This is a great matchup with loads of potential across the board. The Steelers have gotten rid of every headache from their locker room and are ready to take back their spot as kings of the AFC. Meanwhile, the Patriots are the kings of the AFC and will continue to look at keeping their spot. The big talking point is that Tom Brady is 11-4 against the Steelers. That may be true, but let’s not forget something. The Patriots throw away a stupid game every year early in the season. Anyone remember the Chiefs-Patriots game where the Chiefs smoke the Pats in the second half and everyone questioned the Patriots dynasty? I remember. This is the game the Pats mishandle early in the season. They do it ever year. Almost like a tradition at this point.

Steelers 35 Patriots 31

Houston Texans vs New Orleans Saints

Over the last few years, the Saints have had slow starts to their year. The opposite has been true for the Texans. So, naturally, you wanna pick the Texans here. Not what I’m doing. I believe the Saints are going to get off to a hot start here. Home-crowd. Blood in their eyes from being robbed of a Super Bowl appearance. Mercy on the Texans for being the Week 1 matchup. By the way, I do like this Texans team this year. They swung for the fences to win now by grabbing another weapon in Stills and protection for Watson in Tunsil. In theory, it was the right move at the moment. I don’t like that they lost Clowney though.

Texans 20 Saints 23

Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are an EM EE SS SS, MESS! Wow. While I do feel bad for how AB treated them, I can’t help but wonder why the Raiders let it go on for so long. Also, I truly wonder what kind of offense Gruden is going to put out without a dynamic receiver like AB. There’s a lot of unknown about the Raiders. Their opponent though, has a lot more that can be said of them. If you ask me, Joe Flacco went to the perfect team. They have the exact type of offense he can succeed in, and Vic Fangio scheming for a Von Miller led defense makes my eyes go starry. I love this Broncos team. And I love them to start 1-0 this week.

Broncos 24 Raiders 14