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NFC Preview For 2024 Season
In the past few days, I gave my predictions for how the divisional races will go this season in the NFL, both for the AFC and the NFC. I also gave my prediction for the Chiefs-Ravens game, although I completely forgot about Philly and Green Bay.
Now, however, the new season begins fully, as all the remaining teams will take the field and see action. Finally, we'll catch a glimpse of how each team might just fare in this new season, although with the understanding that how a team does in Week 1 is not necessarily indicative of how their season will go generally speaking. Remember, quite a few eventual Super Bowl champions lost their first game. That includes last season's Kansas City Chiefs. Off the top of my head, I remember that the 1986, 2007, and 2011 New York Giants all started their seasons off with a loss, and wound up winning the Super Bowl. Ditto with the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, the 2020 Tampa Bay Bucs, and the 2001, 2003, and 2014 New England Patriots. All of those teams wound up wining the Super Bowl by season's end.
For that matter, I remember a number of teams starting off the season red hot, even enjoying decent undefeated streaks, but failing even to qualify for the postseason.
So I guess what I am saying is that Week 1 matters and gives us some idea of what a given team may look like, but you cannot count too much on results from Week 1.
In any case, it is here. So here are my predictions for this opening week of NFL action in the brand new 2024-25 season:
Minnesota 28, NY Giants 6 - Yup, my pick definitely turned out to be mere wishful thinking. The Giants honored their top 100 players of all time during this game, but they did not do those players honor with what the current Giants roster produced on the field. The defense did not look especially great, but the offense looked just terrible. Daniel Jones once again produced nothing but questions and doubts about why the remains the starting quarterback. The O-Line was not great. Same issues, different season. Not good. On top of all of that, those uniforms were, frankly, ugly. My pick: Inaccurate
New Orleans 47, Carolina 10 - Yikes! If you are a fan of Carolina, this most definitely was not the kind of start that you wanted. Are the Saints actually this good, or are the Panthers truly this bad? Or perhaps was it just an amazing day for the Saints, or a particularly horrific day for the Panthers, and not necessarily indicative of how the rest of the season will go for either team? None of those answers are clear just yet. What is clear is that New Orleans looked amazing on both offense and defense, winning handily and, frankly, a bit too easily. As for Carolina, I suspect that this was a miserable start to what will prove to be a very long season for them. My pick: Accurate
Pittsburgh 18, Atlanta 10 - This game went more or less the way that many people (myself included) would have expected it to go. The Steelers did not win beautifully. In fact, it was kind of ugly. Yet, they found a way to win, and relied on the traditional strength for this Pittsburgh franchise, the defense, in order to do it. The Falcons should not get overly discouraged. After all, there is no shame in losing to the Steelers, who very well could be a playoff caliber team, and might even make some noise once there. Still, the Falcons looked a bit too lethargic at times, although there is still plenty of time obviously to recover. My pick: Accurate
New England 16, Cincinnati 10 - The Pats surprised me with this one. Admittedly, I expected the Bengals to make pretty short work of New England. Instead, it was the Pats who put the Bengals to shame in front of their home fans. The Pats defense was tough, and produced two turnovers, while the Pats held onto the ball and took advantage of their opportunities in a low-scoring affair. A big win to start the season off right for New England. My pick: Inaccurate
Miami 20, Jacksonville 17 - While I predicted a Miami victory, this game certainly did not really play out the way I had originally expected it to. First of all, it felt like the Dolphins might put up some real fireworks on offense. In reality, they looked lethargic and borderline lifeless early on, and needed to rally late to pull this one off. Still, they got the job done, and earned a "W" to open up their season, so they can feel good about things right now. As for the Jaguars, they seemed to have the Fins on the ropes, only to see themselves KO'd when it counted most. A disappointing start, and they have to be careful now in the coming weeks, as they play the Browns, the Bills, and the Texans in their next three games. All of those teams reached the playoffs last season and have realistic hopes of going again this season. The Jaguars cannot afford to have collapses like this again, because none of those coming games in the next few weeks are gimmes. My pick: Accurate
Houston 29, Indianapolis 27 - An AFC South divisional showdown right in Week 1 which figures to have ramifications for both teams for divisional positioning, and it winds up being a shootout. My pick had been for the Texans, and this was more or less the kind of game that was predictable. A close win against a tough opponent, but Houston pulled it off. A disappointing loss for the Colts, but this season is clearly still young. My pick: Accurate
Buffalo 34, Arizona 28 - Yet another game this week which I predicted the winner correctly, but which actually went nothing like what I expected. Admittedly, my expectations were for the Bills to earn a blowout win over the Cardinals, something that would probably have iced it for them by the third quarter at latest, and which could even have gotten out of hand. Instead, they promptly fell behind the Cardinals early, and then had to rally in a comeback effort. They pulled it off, but this probably should serve as a wakeup call for them. As for Arizona, they played quite well, even if they could not ultimately seal the deal. This nevertheless felt like the kind of game that they could walk away from feeling good about, despite the "L." My pick: Accurate
Chicago 24, Tennessee 17 - Yet one more game in which I predicted the winner accurately, but where the actual game went nothing like what I expected. My assumption - clearly mistaken - was that Da Bears would come out firing on all cylinders, and earn a comfortable, possibly even a blowout, win. Instead, the Titans came out roaring, and it was the Bears who had to stage a serious comeback, from down 17, in order to win. And the most amazing thing is that the Bears did not score any offensive touchdowns. The two touchdowns that they did manage were from a blocked punt and, later, a defense turnover. Frankly, Chicago is lucky that Will Levis, Tennessee's quarterback, threw a very ill-advised and, truth be told, ridiculous looking pass at the worst possible time. The Titans were nursing a very narrow 17-16 lead at the time, and it felt like that play gave the game away. Still, a win is a win for the Bears, even if there are obvious concerns regarding how poorly the offense played. As for the Titans, they came so close, only to fall apart when it mattered the most. Very discouraging start for Tennessee. My pick: Accurate
Las Vegas at LA Chargers 22, Las Vegas 10 - The Raiders have had their difficulties in recent seasons, and this loss feels like a bad sign. The Chargers felt like the favorites with good reason. They enjoyed home field advantage, have the up and coming (most likely) young quarterback, and the head coach who has enjoyed success in both the NFL and college levels, who seems to be taking this team in the right direction. It was up to the Silver and Black to spoil the party with an upset and try to derail the enthusiasm and hype surrounding the Chargers this season, and they failed to do it. The Bolts did not exactly strike lightning by lighting up the scoreboard in this one, but this was nevertheless a solid win to start the year off right. My pick: Accurate
Seattle 26, Denver 20 - Didn't these two teams meet early in the season in Seattle like this just months after meeting in the Super Bowl, and with the same score and results? It just struck me as odd. In any case, the Seahawks earned a solid win to get this season off on the right foot, while the Broncos suffer an early setback, and already fall behind the favored Chiefs and Chargers in the AFC West. My pick: Inaccurate
Tampa Bay 37, Washington 20 - This one went more or less as expected, it seems. Maybe the Bucs scored more points than I assumed they would, admittedly. However, Tampa Bay earned a solid win at home to open the season against a Commanders team that is still struggling to try and get past their myriad issues. My pick: Accurate
Dallas 33, Cleveland 17 - Well, I was expecting the Browns to show a lot more life than they actually did in this one. But give the Boys credit. They came out firing, scored a good amount of points, and earned themselves a tough road win against a team that at least appears to be a quality opponent. Disappointing start for Cleveland, but what a great way for Dallas to start this new season. My pick: Inaccurate
Sunday Night Football - Detroit 26, LA Rams 20 (OT) - This one was not looking like a particularly great game for a while. It was low-scoring, which itself is not an indicator of how good a game is or not (in my humble opinion). But after falling behind 17-3, with the game seemingly all but over, the Rams suddenly came roaring back to life, eventually taking a 20-17 lead. The Lions managed to force overtime with a last second field goal. Once there, the Lions just kept pounding the Rams defense with their running game, which it was clear LA could not stop. That led to the clinching touchdown and this big home win for Detroit to open up a promising season. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football - San Francisco 32, NY Jets 19 - This one was not even close, yet the final score makes it look more competitive than it actually felt. In fact, San Fran was pretty much in control of this game throughout, and were never really threatened. Gang Green continues to ride the tidal wave of high billing and lofty expectations, with Aaron Rodgers seemingly leading the charge. But the fact of the matter is that the product on the field never quite seems to match that level of hype surrounding this team. Losing to the 49ers is nothing to be ashamed of, and the season is obviously still young. However, this was a terrible start for the Jets, who are the only team in the AFC East to have started the season with a loss. Not good. My pick: Accurate
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