Thursday Night Football: Ravens @ Chiefs 7:20 PM (NBC)

The NFL season will again begin with the Kansas City Chiefs lifting a banner to celebrate another Super Bowl Championship as they start their quest for the first three-peat in the Super Bowl era. Last year, however, the Chiefs party was dampened by a mistake-prone performance that allowed the Detroit Lions to walk out with a statement victory.

It’s also important to mention that in last year’s opener, Chris Jones and Travis Kelce did not take the field for week one due to a holdout and an injury, respectively. The Chiefs are dealing with an injury to Hollywood Brown that will keep him out of the lineup, but for the most part, they are at full strength for week one.

The Baltimore Ravens will also be at full strength and looking for revenge after losing to the Chiefs at home in the AFC Championship Game. Lamar Jackson will also begin his quest to defend his MVP title, but the most electrifying man in the NFL has struggled against the Chiefs in his career, with a 1-4 record and six turnovers in five games.

History shows us that since Jackson and Patrick Mahomes became starters, they have lit it up in week one with only one loss each, averaging just over 34 points per game. This is a classic coin-flip matchup between two great teams and two great QBs, which is why this game was picked to open up the regular season.

Prediction: 28-23 Kansas City

Friday Night Football: Packers vs. Eagles 7:15 PM (Peacock)

It’s a shame the NFL put such a compelling matchup on one of the worst streaming services known to man. But NBC needs something to put on its streaming service besides the WWE and re-runs of The Office and Parks & Rec.

Did I mention that this game is in Brazil? The NFL, however, was at least smart enough to schedule it in a time slot that won’t see all of America trying to keep up with it while pretending to be doing actual work.

Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts have both gotten paid and want to prove they are worthy of the Brinks trucks rolled up outside their houses. Especially Jordan Love, who went from bottom 10 QB in the league in the first half of the season to a top 10 QB in the second half while dominating the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs.

This matchup will also feature an elite matchup at the running back position. Josh Jacobs will debut for the Packers, while Saquon Barkley will wear the Philly green after spending the first six years of his career with the Giants.

However, the overall skill position edge goes to Philly, as the Eagles possess some of the best offensive weapons in the league. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith went for over 1,000 yards last year, and Dallas Goedert is a top-five tight end. Green Bay’s underrated defense is sure to have its hands full. They’ll need to find a way to create takeaways if they want to win this week one showdown.

Prediction: 24-20 Eagles

Sunday Noon Window

Vikings @ Giants (FOX)

Honestly, Vikings fans are just happy the regular season is finally here after JJ McCarthy and Dalton Risner on offense in the preseason, while Tight End TJ Hockenson was put on the PUP (Physically Unable to Play) list and won’t return until at least week five.

The good news for Vikings fans is that they are playing one of the NFL’s most inept franchises, the New York Giants, who willingly grabbed a boat anchor, wrapped it around their legs in the form of a massive extension to Daniels Jones, and then threw it into Lake Minnetonka.

Look for newly minted Vikings running back Aaron Joens to have a big day. The Giants were terrible on run defense last year, and Jones is also a weapon in the passing game, which will give Sam Darnold some easy reads early in the game. Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson rival the Eagles and Bengals for the best one-two wide receiver punch in the league.

However, their impact could be limited by how much Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell trusts Darnold to air it out. If the Vikings want to survive the early part of their menacing schedule, they need to find a way to move the ball through the air consistently, and the Giants’ mid-ranked pass defense might be a good litmus test.

If the Vikings’ pass-rushing trio of Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Grennard, and Dallas Turner can take advantage of a leaky Big Blue O-Line, the newly revamped linebacking core and the experienced secondary shouldn’t have too much to worry about.

Prediction: 23-10 Vikings

Arizona Cardinals @ Buffalo (CBS)

So Josh Allen is officially the guy in Buffalo, as his two biggest weapons, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, left in the offseason. This means we will find out how good Dalton Kincaid, James Cook, and Khalil Shakir are because they have all been elevated from bit player to go-to player status.

After returning from injury, Kyler Murray was good but unspectacular in his eight games. But with an entire offseason to get back into the swing of things, the drafting of Marvin Harrison Jr. at wideout, Trey McBride elevating himself to elite TE status, and the veteran presence of RB James Connor, the Cardinals’ offense could be fun to watch.

The difference is the defense for these two sides; the Bills have a good one, and the Cardinals do not. Despite losing LB Matt Milano, Buffalo still has enough to be a headache for any offensive coordinator. However, If Josh Allen gets careless with the ball, the Cardinals’ safety tandem of Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson could feast on those mistakes.

Prediction: 27-21 Bills

Panthers @ Saints (FOX)

If you’ve ever been to a sports bar during NFL season, you’ll usually see all the TVs tuned to the week’s biggest matchups or the hometown game. However, there’s always that one TV tuned to a game only one guy wants to watch. That guy is usually sitting alone, drinking bottom-shelf liquor, pondering his life choices while eating jalapeno poppers. This Panthers and Saints game is the game the guy would be watching.

This is a miserable matchup between two uninspiring teams; hoping they won’t be picking inside the top five next year. The Saints and Panthers have excellent pass defenses, with the Saints’ defense ranking just outside the top 5 in points allowed. However, both teams struggled to stop the run, so we could be in for a slow and plotting day if either team wants to move the ball. The problem is that neither team was great at running the ball last year.

Offensively, the Saints have a proven veteran quarterback in Derek Carr. In contrast, the Panthers have a quarterback in Bryce Young, who is trying to avoid joining the likes of Jamarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf as one of the biggest quarterback busts in NFL history. The Saints also have more proven talent skill position-wise with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Alvin Kamara.

Prediction: 17-6 Saints

Steelers @ Falcons (FOX)

Two veteran QBs debut in Hotlanta for a week one showdown. The Falcons wanted Kirk Cousins so badly that it cost them a fifth-round pick and $250,000 for tampering outside the free-agency window. The Steelers, meanwhile, found Russell Wilson in the bargain bin after Denver decided to pay the self-titled “Mr. Unlimited” $39 million not to play for them this season.

Despite what many would like you to believe, Russell Wilson had a solid season in Denver with 26 touchdowns, only eight interceptions, and over 3,000 yards in 15 games. So, clearly, there is still something there, as the Steelers will now be on their fourth different starting quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired.

Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, was putting up MVP-caliber numbers in Minnesota before he got knocked out for the season. The Falcons have felt like they’ve been a quarterback away since they traded Matt Ryan to the Colts, and now they have their new Matt Ryan. However, while Kyle Pitts and Drake London are nice targets to throw to, they are far from the caliber of the weapons Cousins had in Minnesota.

The defensive matchup features a Pittsburgh squad that was mediocre in terms of yards given up but elite at keeping points off the board vs. a Falcons unit that shut down the passing game but was mediocre against the run. But the Steelers have TJ Watt, who might just be better than his future hall-of-fame big brother, JJ Watt, and when healthy, there is no more dominant defensive force in the game.

Prediction: 24-20 Pittsburgh

Titans @ Bears (FOX)

The Caleb Williams era in Chicago has begun. Bears fans worldwide hope it’s better than the Justin Fields era, the Mitch Trubisky era, the Rex Grossman era, the Cade McNown era, or the Erik Kramer era. Bears fans are so excited for Williams that they are willing to overlook his 50% completion percentage and his 0 passing touchdowns in the preseason and have already started dreaming of the playoffs.

The Bears are, without a doubt, the offseason champions, having overhauled their roster and added almost a “too good to fail” number of weapons for their young quarterback. The Bears’ defense will likely duplicate its elite run-stuffing season from a year prior and fix a leaky pass defense that allowed the eight most passing yards.

The Titans lost Derrick Henry to the Ravens but added the underappreciated Tony Pollard from Dallas and Calvin Ridley to the pass-catching fray to join DeAndre Hopkins. If Will Levis can prove he’s a starting-caliber quarterback in the league, the Titans can make some noise in a wide-open AFC South.

The X-factor in this game is the Titans’ defense, which added CB L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason to complement what has always been a stout, if unflashy, unit. The worst thing Williams and the Bears can do is underestimate the Titans; ask Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson how that turns out.

Prediction: 21-20 Titans

Patriots @ Bengals (CBS)

This year, the Patriots are definitely putting the new in New England, with a new signal caller and a new head coach after Bill Belichick’s departure. The Patriots will be marching into Cincinnati for their week one showdown against a Bengals squad looking to prove that when Joe Burrow is healthy, they are still among the NFL’s elite teams.

The Patriots aren’t predicted to do much this year, while Jacoby Brissett buys time until Drake Maye is ready to take over the reins. Usually, this would mean a quick and easy prediction in favor of the Bengals, but Joe Burrow is only 1-3 in week one games, which includes a 24-3 loss last year to the Browns. With Burrow also dealing with a wrist injury, it’s anybody’s guess which Burrow the NFL world will see in week one.

Add in the fact that star WR Ja’Marr Chase is holding out in search of a new contract, and you have all the potential ingredients for an upset. But the Patriots subpar O-Line figures to be a major factor in this game as Bengals pass rushers Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson will be in Brisset’s face all day.
Prediction: 23-14 Bengals

Texans @ Colts (CBS)

Depending on who you ask, this early window game could be considered the most intriguing. Clots quarterback Anthony Richardson was a top-five pick in the 2023 NFL draft out of Florida and made up for what he lacks in polish with freaky athleticism. The problem is that nobody got a great look at him last year, as his season ended midway through his fourth start. Even without Richardson, the Colts were a borderline playoff team last season, with Gardner Minshew at quarterback, who left for the Raiders in the offseason.

CJ Stroud, meanwhile, put up a dominant offensive rookie of the year season for the Texans, and many people consider him a dark horse MVP candidate. With Houston adding Stefon Diggs to an already-loaded WR room and the fact that Houston not only made the playoffs but won their Divisional Round game against the Browns last season, it’s easy to see why people are so high on Houston.

The difference in this game will come down to whether the Houston rush defense can duplicate its run defense success from last year. The Colts will want to keep it on the ground with the legs of Richardson and Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor. If the Texans clog up the running lanes, they’ll cruise out of Indy with the win.

Prediction: 28-17 Texans

Jaguars @ Dolphins (CBS)

This matchup will be a prove-it moment for Trevor Lawrence, who, much like Caleb Williams, was considered the can’t-miss prospect coming out of college. And while Lawrence has been far from a bust, he’s been more Drew Bledsoe than Tom Brady, with tons of promise and little consistency.

The Dolphins possess one of the league’s most dynamic passing attacks, with players voting Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill as the number one player of the 2023 NFL season. Jaylen Waddle is the perfect complementary piece to Hill, and because this isn’t a frigid road game in December or January, Tua Tagovailoa should be fine getting them the ball. The Jaguars had very few answers for stopping the pass last season, so this game could feature points aplenty.

While Jacksonville doesn’t have the name-brand talent that the Dolphins do, it still has enough to pinpoint and exploit an advantageous matchup if one presents itself. Jaguars tight end Evan Engram’s play could go a long way in deciding this week’s matchup, as he finished with just under 1,000 yards last season.

Prediction: 35-24 Dolphins

Sunday Afternoon Primetime Window

Raiders @ Chargers (CBS)

Make no mistake: even though this is technically a road game for the Raiders, there will be more silver and black in the stands than powder blue. Since abandoning San Diego for Los Angeles, the Chargers have played very few games in front of anything that could be considered a neutral crowd. Even with this being the first game of the Jim Harbaugh era in LA, expect a less-than-fruitful turnout from the Chargers faithful.

Antonio Pierce went from interim head coach to the actual head coach after leading the Raiders to some impressive performances to close out last year. With all that momentum, the Raiders would be considered a potential surprise playoff team if their quarterback situation was something more inspiring than being Gardner Minshew’s fourth team in six years.

Both of these teams have massive questions on offense. The Raiders don’t know whether or not Minshew is going to be good enough to get the ball to the solid weapons he has, and the Chargers are wondering who exactly their star quarterback Justin Herbert is going to throw it to with his options being perhaps the worst in the league. Add on to this that both coaches would instead make sure that their offense doesn’t get in the way of good defense, and we could be in for a week-one snoozer.

Prediction: 17-14 Raiders

Broncos at Seahawks (CBS)

The second season of the Sean Payton era in Denver begins in Seattle, a place that Denver has less-than-fond memories of after the first game of the Russell Wilson era ended with a comedic display of clock management and a loss to Geno Smith and the Seahawks.

The Broncos were one of the weirdest teams to figure out last year. Overall, they were one of the worst defenses regarding points allowed. However, if you remove that 70-point albatross against Miami, they were a solid unit, allowing only 21 points per game. Denver should be solid again on defense, but it all comes down to the quarterback.

Payton believes in rookie Bo Nix enough to give him the keys to the offense in week one against a less-than-stellar Seahawks unit. However, if you do the side-by-side comparison other than defense and head coach, Seattle has the edge everywhere else, and they are at home. Whatever quarterback takes care of the ball will win this game.

Prediction: 21-17 Seattle

Dallas @ Cleveland (FOX)

Another year and another season of America’s favorite soap opera, the Dallas Cowboys, is ready to get underway. This year, there is added drama surrounding contract talks between Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and Jerry Jones.

Dallas has enough talent to be a major contender in the NFC and, on paper, should also be considered a threat to make a deep playoff run. But since they have that star on their helmet, a cloud of uncertainty can’t help but hang over their heads. That being said, if Dallas can put all of the offseason distractions behind them, this is an excellent opportunity to get out of Cleveland with a week-one win.

The Browns will be without their best offensive playmaker, Nick Chubb, for the foreseeable future. While that defense should be one of the better units in football, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has to prove that he can be an actual starting-caliber player in this league.

Prediction: 26-20 Dallas

Commanders @ Buccaneers (FOX)

In minimal preseason action, Jayden Daniels looked promising enough for Washington to name this year’s second-overall pick the week-one starter. Washington will be looking for Daniels to be their first franchise quarterback since the days of Joe Theisman.

Meanwhile, the Bucs will be hoping that former number one overall pick Baker Mayfield will continue his success after throwing just shy of 30 TDs and leading Tampa Bay to a division title. Defensively, last year, the Bucs were among the league’s stingiest units. They return 10 of 11 defensive starters, along with head coach Todd Bowels, who has always been considered one of the league’s top defensive minds.

Tampa Bay will be coming into this game with a chip on its shoulder, as many pundits have predicted that Atlanta will win the NFC South. A good defense combined with a motivated Baker Mayfield going up against a rookie quarterback might have a chance to get out of hand if Daniels gets overwhelmed.

Prediction: 27-13 Buccaneers

Sunday Night Football: Rams @ Lions 7:20 PM (NBC)

Matthew Stafford is returning to Detroit for the first time for a regular-season game after just missing out on breaking his former team’s heart in the Wild Card Round last year. The Lions will be looking to prove that they are indeed the team of the future after starting week one last year with a win over the eventual champs before losing in the NFC Championship game to the 49ers.

Both squads’ defensive units left a lot to be desired last season, and with Aaron Donald retiring this offseason, the Rams might be left with more questions than answers. Amon-Ra St.Brown was one of the most underrated pass catchers in the league last season and will be looking to build upon what was a breakout season.

The Lions have a solid pass rush, but with a secondary with few shutdown options, the dynamic Rams duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua could be in for a big day. Also, Matt Stafford might be coming in with something to prove after failing to stick it to the team with which he spent the first twelve years of his career.

For those of you who love points and lots of them, this is the game for you.

Prediction: 33-28 Detroit

Monday Night Football: Jets @ 49ers 7:20 PM (ESPN/ABC)

Alright, everybody, take two. That’s what the NFL will say, as they hope Aaron Rodgers will last more than four snaps this time. Rodgers has always had a point to prove when it comes to playing the 49ers, who took Alex Smith before him in the 2005 NFL Draft. But as many Packers fans can attest to, Rodgers, as of late, has a habit of coming up short against his boyhood team.

The Jets are a volatile Molotov cocktail of expectations and hype. On paper, Rodgers, with a top-ten running back in Breece Hall and a borderline top-ten wide receiver in Garret Wilson, combined with a potentially great defense, is a recipe for success. The real question is, will the coaching staff be capable of holding this together if things get off to a rocky start? Robert Salah isn’t the motivator that he was built up to be, and the rest of the staff is not very inspiring.

Meanwhile, the 49ers are beginning the quest for ring number six after Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs again denied them at the last hurdle. The 49ers have everything you could want: elite talent on both offense and defense and a coaching staff that, while it constantly gets picked over by other teams, always seems to produce top-end coordinators. Kyle Shanahan is a great coach and will have his team ready to go for this Monday night showdown.

Prediction: 28-23 49ers