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I got to these picks late, so I will have to try and keep this brief and to the point.
Hence, predictions mostly, with very little talk about why I am predicting the teams to win or lose:
San Francisco at Detroit - Wish I could pick the Lions as the team that I honestly think will come out of this one with a win. However, it feels like Detroit is in rebuilding mode, while the 49ers are a talented team just a year removed from being the defending NFC champs. They had a bad season last year, and they will want to begin recovery with a road win more or less on the opposite coast. My pick: San Francisco
NY Jets at Carolina - Like with the Detroit-San Francisco game, I wish that I could comfortably and honestly predict the Jets to pull off a win here. But the Panthers, with former Jets quarterback Sam Darnell, have home field advantage, and it feels like Darnell will make a point of playing as well as possible to kind of get some revenge on his former team. Both of these teams were bad the last few seasons, so it is not impossible that either of them will suffer a letdown in their season opener. However, it just feels like the kind of game that Gang Green will lose. Again, hope that I am wrong, but we shall see. My pick: Carolina
Minnesota at Cincinnati - Vikings are much closer to being a contender again and qualifying for the playoffs than the still rebuilding (perennially rebuilding, it sometimes feels) Cincinnati Bengals. Have to go with the road team for this one. My pick: Minnesota
Seattle at Indianapolis - One of the feature matches for this week. Two teams that figure to be quite competitive, and likely playoff caliber teams. Still not sure that the Seahawks have risen to the level where they can compete with the elites, and I like the Colts with the home field advantage in this one. My pick: Indianapolis
Philadelphia at Atlanta - Both of these teams made fairly recent Super Bowl appearances against New England. The Eagles, of course, won, while the Falcons, of course, infamously gave up that 28-3 lead and lost. It feels like the Falcons have never quite recovered. Hard game to predict, as I could see either team winning this one. But if I have to make a pick, despite it being a difficult one to have to choose a winner here, I suspect the home town Falcons pull off the win. My pick: Atlanta
LA Chargers at Washington - Another hard game to choose. Two teams that rarely see one another, and neither one of them are where they would want to be. But Washington is coming off a division title, and they are at home. So, they are also the team that figures to have the advantage. My pick: Washington
Pittsburgh at Buffalo - The Bills enjoyed one of the toughest home field advantages in the league last year. And what a year it was! While the Bills ended their drought of playoff appearances four season ago, they ended a number more droughts last year by winning the AFC East for the first time in a quarter of a century, then winning a playoff game for the first time in the same amount of time, and finally reaching the AFC title game for the first time since 1993, which was the last of their four year Super Bowl run. They host the Steelers, who began last year looking super, racing off to an 11-0 start, which was the best start in franchise history. But they got ice cold the rest of the way, losing all but one of their last five games, including that home playoff loss to the Browns. This is a tough way for them to begin this season, on the road at Orchard Park against a team that figures to be among the favorites in the AFC this year. My pick: Buffalo
Jacksonville at Houston - Another game that feels like it is a bit more difficult than most to make a pick for. However, the Texans still seem like the better team, and with home field advantage in this one, they should earn the win. My pick: Houston
Arizona at Tennessee - The Cardinals are improving, but the Titans have been a consistent playoff contender now for a few seasons. They won the division last year, and actually made a playoff run the year before. Arizona could prove unpredictable, and that might give them a chance. But I still figure that the Titans are the better team, especially at home. My pick: Tennessee
Denver at NY Giants - My team hosts the Broncos, which is rather an odd game. Two teams not particularly familiar with one another, and both trying to get back on track after winning Super Bowl titles before falling into relative obscurity. Denver's title was more recent, and they maybe have been slightly better in recent years, but neither of these teams has been particularly impressive in recent seasons. The G-Men have loads of talent, especially on offense. Yet, they have struggles staying healthy. If they are to finally put some of their ongoing issues aside this season, then it would not do to get off on the wrong foot to start the season. They probably need this win more than Denver, being the home team and all. My pick: NY Giants
Miami at New England - While the Bills clearly appear to be the new bullies in the AFC East, replacing the Patriots, the Dolphins looked solid and seemed like legitimate playoff contenders right until the final week, when they got humiliated and eliminated from playoff contention with a blowout loss up at Buffalo. The Fins figure to be at least similarly competitive this year, yet they need to prove that they can beat the Pats up at Foxboro. This is their chance, but you better believe that Bill Belichick will have something up his sleeve. My pick: New England
Green Bay at New Orleans - A fairly tough game to call. True, Da Saints are without Brees, while the Pack have a strange situation with Aaron Rodgers, who seemed almost ready to retire in the offseason. But he is back, and while this game could go either way, my guess is that his presence helps lift the Packers to victory in this one. My pick: Green Bay
Cleveland at Kansas City - The Browns will likely be a serious contender this year. But what a tough way to start the season, on the road against the team that has represented the AFC in the last two Super Bowls, and has the best quarterback in the league for the past three seasons (arguably, since Brady still plays, and beat him in the playoffs during that stretch, twice). If the Browns are ready to compete for a Super Bowl berth - also questionable right now - then this might be a kind of wonderful opportunity to make a statement, like last January's win at Pittsburgh was for them. However, KC won two AFC titles in a row for a reason, and they can be tough to be at Arrowhead. My pick: Kansas City
Sunday Night Football: Chicago at LA Rams - Another good game against serious playoff contenders. The Rams have a tough defense, and a quarterback who should help them quite a bit on offense. Are they ready to make a run to get back to the Super Bowl? Maybe, but they need to win games like this if they are a serious contender. But I think they will indeed likely win this one. My pick: LA Rams
Monday Night Football: Baltimore at Las Vegas - This should be a good game. The Ravens, with the always dangerous and unpredictable Lamar Jackson, who was the league MVP a couple of years ago, travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. The Ravens have been a serious contender for the past couple of seasons, while the Raiders appeared to be on their way to fighting for the playoffs before kind of collapsing late last year. This is a tough one to call, but I kind of figure that the Ravens are the better team, and down the line, late in this game, they will probably do just enough to prove it. My pick: Baltimore
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