YES!!! It's finally time for some NFL football! And here are my picks:
Ravens at Broncos: Broncos. Well, here's a tale of two different offseasons. The Ravens lost major players on both offense and defense whereas Denver only grew stronger. Look for Peyton Manning to seek revenge for the divisional round playoff game that ended their season a year ago. I would not be surprised if the Broncos blew the Ravens out of the water in this one.
LOCK Patriots at Bills: Patriots. While the Bills have looked pretty decent in the pre-season, I just can't think of picking them over the Patriots for a second.
UPSET Dolphins at Browns: Browns. There was so much hype around the Dolphins in the off-season, but I'm definitely not convinced yet, especially Lamar Miller. I also think Ryan Tannehill will struggle in his sophomore year. The Browns, on the other hand, have a lot of potential this year. Trent Richardson is turning into a beast, Josh Gordon is a big-time deep threat, Jordan Cameron was a ton of potential at TE, and Brandon Weeden just might actually play half-decently this year.
Seahawks at Panthers: Seahawks. As a Panthers fan, I'm really not looking forward to their schedule this year (
statistically the hardest schedule of any team this year) and an opening day game against my NFC champion prediction will not help their morale. Cam Newton has to have an amazing and flawless game for the Panthers to pull this out.
Bengals at Bears: Bengals. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Bengals can do this year. It's Year 3 for the Dalton/A.J. Green combo, and the Bengals defense looks ferocious. Meanwhile, the Bears have definite problems in their o-line, which will inhibit their offensive production. But maybe their offense won't have to score too much with that defense
Vikings at Lions: Vikings. If Adrian Peterson plays like he did last year, he can carry this sub-par Vikings team to vicotry on his own shoulders. I think that the Lions have a ton of talent, but I think they'll come up short in this one.
Raiders at Colts: Colts. Poor Matt Fylnn. He'll never get to start another game. I think it'll be interesting to see how Terrelle Pryor does, but he won't beat the Colts. Look for Andrew Luck to have a big game.
Chiefs at Jaguars: Chiefs. I'm actually almost half-tempted to pick the Jags in this one. But given last year, the Jags have a track record of not wanting to win . . . but both of these teams aren't very good.
Falcons at Saints: Saints. This is going to be a big year for the Saints. With Sean Payton back, look for Drew Bress to be even more efficient than last year. The Falcons will put up a good fight, but I think the Saints win in the end.
Bucs at Jets: Bucs. This is going to be a LOOOOOONG season for the Jets. Geno Smith has the starting job, but I was certainly not impressed with what I saw from him in pre-season, which actually might ultimately lead to worse QB play than Mark Sanchez . . . and that's a scary thought. BUTT FUMBLE!!!!!
Steelers at Titans: Steelers. While I'm not sold on the Steelers this year, the Titans are a mess. Look for the game to be pretty low scoring, but for the Steelers to win by a decent margin.
WASH Packers at 49ers: 49ers. This should be an AWESOME game! Rematch of the NFC Divisonal round game. I think this game will be high scoring, but in the end, the 49ers defense will be able to stop the Packers on a few crucial drives and come out with the win.
Cardinals at Rams: Rams. I'm really excited to see what Carson Palmer can do with Larry Fitzgerald, but I don't think it'll be enough. The Rams are a team on the rise, and addressed some of the issues they had last year (particularly giving Sam Bradford some protection by signing Jake Long).
Giants at Cowboys: Cowboys. I really don't know what to think of any of the NFC East teams this year. Giants definitely show signs of mediocrity, but so do the Cowboys. I generally don't pick the Giants, so here you go Cowboys.
Eagles at Redskins: Redskins. I think it will be very interesting to watch the Eagles this year under Chip Kelly's offense, but I don't think the first year in the system is going to produce many wins. RGIII should come back strong, but he'll definitely be more cautious than last year. Look for Alfred Morris to carry the load in this game.
Texans at Chargers: Texans. I really don't understand the Texans. They're an incredibly good team, but always seem to fall apart at the end of the season. The Chargers are always up in the air, so look for the Texans to pull this one out with relative ease.
Ravens at Broncos: Broncos. Well, here's a tale of two different offseasons. The Ravens lost major players on both offense and defense whereas Denver only grew stronger. Look for Peyton Manning to seek revenge for the divisional round playoff game that ended their season a year ago. I would not be surprised if the Broncos blew the Ravens out of the water in this one.
LOCK Patriots at Bills: Patriots. While the Bills have looked pretty decent in the pre-season, I just can't think of picking them over the Patriots for a second.
UPSET Dolphins at Browns: Browns. There was so much hype around the Dolphins in the off-season, but I'm definitely not convinced yet, especially Lamar Miller. I also think Ryan Tannehill will struggle in his sophomore year. The Browns, on the other hand, have a lot of potential this year. Trent Richardson is turning into a beast, Josh Gordon is a big-time deep threat, Jordan Cameron was a ton of potential at TE, and Brandon Weeden just might actually play half-decently this year.
Seahawks at Panthers: Seahawks. As a Panthers fan, I'm really not looking forward to their schedule this year (
statistically the hardest schedule of any team this year) and an opening day game against my NFC champion prediction will not help their morale. Cam Newton has to have an amazing and flawless game for the Panthers to pull this out.
Bengals at Bears: Bengals. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Bengals can do this year. It's Year 3 for the Dalton/A.J. Green combo, and the Bengals defense looks ferocious. Meanwhile, the Bears have definite problems in their o-line, which will inhibit their offensive production. But maybe their offense won't have to score too much with that defense
Vikings at Lions: Vikings. If Adrian Peterson plays like he did last year, he can carry this sub-par Vikings team to vicotry on his own shoulders. I think that the Lions have a ton of talent, but I think they'll come up short in this one.
Raiders at Colts: Colts. Poor Matt Fylnn. He'll never get to start another game. I think it'll be interesting to see how Terrelle Pryor does, but he won't beat the Colts. Look for Andrew Luck to have a big game.
Chiefs at Jaguars: Chiefs. I'm actually almost half-tempted to pick the Jags in this one. But given last year, the Jags have a track record of not wanting to win . . . but both of these teams aren't very good.
Falcons at Saints: Saints. This is going to be a big year for the Saints. With Sean Payton back, look for Drew Bress to be even more efficient than last year. The Falcons will put up a good fight, but I think the Saints win in the end.
Bucs at Jets: Bucs. This is going to be a LOOOOOONG season for the Jets. Geno Smith has the starting job, but I was certainly not impressed with what I saw from him in pre-season, which actually might ultimately lead to worse QB play than Mark Sanchez . . . and that's a scary thought. BUTT FUMBLE!!!!!
Steelers at Titans: Steelers. While I'm not sold on the Steelers this year, the Titans are a mess. Look for the game to be pretty low scoring, but for the Steelers to win by a decent margin.
WASH Packers at 49ers: 49ers. This should be an AWESOME game! Rematch of the NFC Divisonal round game. I think this game will be high scoring, but in the end, the 49ers defense will be able to stop the Packers on a few crucial drives and come out with the win.
Cardinals at Rams: Rams. I'm really excited to see what Carson Palmer can do with Larry Fitzgerald, but I don't think it'll be enough. The Rams are a team on the rise, and addressed some of the issues they had last year (particularly giving Sam Bradford some protection by signing Jake Long).
Giants at Cowboys: Cowboys. I really don't know what to think of any of the NFC East teams this year. Giants definitely show signs of mediocrity, but so do the Cowboys. I generally don't pick the Giants, so here you go Cowboys.
Eagles at Redskins: Redskins. I think it will be very interesting to watch the Eagles this year under Chip Kelly's offense, but I don't think the first year in the system is going to produce many wins. RGIII should come back strong, but he'll definitely be more cautious than last year. Look for Alfred Morris to carry the load in this game.
Texans at Chargers: Texans. I really don't understand the Texans. They're an incredibly good team, but always seem to fall apart at the end of the season. The Chargers are always up in the air, so look for the Texans to pull this one out with relative ease.
No comments:
Post a Comment