NFL Week 1 Predictions

So the first week of the NFL is upon us…finally!

Every week I am going to make my NFL predictions and keep a running total of my prediction Win-Loss ratio at the bottom of the following outcome post every week (like every other NFL fan with a blog). Am I destined for greatness or am I a no talent hack? We shall see…

Redskins @ Giants
While the Super Bowl hangover can be hard to overcome, the ‘Skins are a new team, with a new coach, and too many question marks on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Can Jason Taylor still perform well and provide the pass rush the Redskins so desperately needed last year? Will Jason Campbell be able to pick up his seventh new offensive system and lead his team to victory?
Redskins 14 – Giants 28

Seahawks @ Bills
I have never been high on the Seahawks and think that they play in the weakest division (NFC West), in the weakest conference (NFC). While they do have some weapons, their receiver core has been decimated this year by injuries while the Bills were plagued by injuries and a rookie quarterback under center last year. The Bills look healthy this year, Edwards has more experience, and while Jason Peter will not play due to his recently ended holdout, the news of the holdout ending should boost the morale of the offensive line. Leodis McKelvin is an instant upgrade to the secondary and is a dynamic addition to the special teams.
Seahawks 21 – Bills 24

Buccaneers @ Saints
Last year was a fluke for the Saints and they will be back in step for the NFC South title. A healthy Deuce McAllister will mean Reggie Bush will be hard to contain and Sedric Ellis will center a struggling offense. While Gruden loves his quarterbacks, he has a game manager rather than a game changer in Jeff Garcia. Look for the Saints infamous high powered offense, especially with the addition of Jeremy Shockey, to take over.
Buccaneers 17 – Saints 35

Jets @ Miami
This is going to be the game that everyone is watching and we will have to hear the commentators talk about for the next month because the Jet’s new quarterback’s name begins in F and ends in E. The drama of this story is admittedly good though; Brett Favre leaves his Depends and walker behind with retirement, signs with the Jets, and leaves the Jets starting quarterback Chad Pennington, without a J-O-B. Pennington then signs with the Dolphins who went 1-15 last year. Pennington is the obvious starter and should mentor both Beck and Henne who are the quarterback(s) of the future. While it is almost guaranteed that Miami will double their win amount of last year (2 wins this year!), the Jets have been aggressive in the off-season and look to threaten Buffalo for the second spot behind the Patriots in the AFC east.
Jets 28 – Miami 16

Texans @ Steelers
The Texans are an up and coming team in arguably the toughest division in the NFL while the Steelers are proven playoff contenders year in and year out. The Steelers look to have two good high draft picks in Mendenhall and Sweed that should contribute immediately. While it looks like the Texans have not made any huge splashes in their own off-season, their drafted defense started making waves last year and should improve more this year. Look for this to be a hard hitting, punch you in the nose, run it down your throat game.
Texans 14 – Steelers 21

Jaguars @ Titans
The Jags have proven that they are here to stay with a pretty young team that is extremely physical on both offense and defense. Gerrard, while no game changer, is the perfect manager for the Jags two headed run first and last offense. It looks like everyone is starting to jump on the Vince-Young-is-a-bust bandwagon that I’ve been saying since day 1. Young is a quarterback that plays like a fat running back. While his moves worked great in college, this is the NFL and you need to pass first. His mechanics and stats are both horrible and look for him to be a back-up in 2-4 years. I was hoping that Chris Johnson would be picked up by the Broncos late in the draft but instead he went to the Titans in the first round. While Johnson is potentially a game changer, was he worth a first round pick?
Jaguars 28 – Titans 14

Lions @ Falcons
Ugh and Ugh. I don’t care what people say about the Lions; neither team is very good. The Falcons will be a lot better this year despite what everyone says. The Lions will limp their way to a victory however in a mistake and turnover filled game.
Lions 31 – Falcons 28

Chiefs @ Patriots
While the verdict is still out, it looks like the Chiefs pulled off a blockbuster draft this year and potentially drafted 4 starters in 1 year; that’s huge. The Chiefs will struggle this year but their young team will gain invaluable experience. This one isn’t really a contest at all but the Chiefs may surprise a few people with how well they play.
Chiefs 14 – Patriots 35

Bengals @ Ravens
I really like the AFC North because every time likes to play smash mouth football. While Cincy thinks they can play smash mouth football, it should be fun to watch the Ravens beat up on the Bengals both offensively and defensively. Chad Johnson (I mean Ocho Cinco since he just had his name legally changed) will be hampered as he adjusts to playing with a brace this game but will do fine the rest of the year. Look for Johnson to play all well this year and keeps his mouth shut a little more as he tries to build up his trade value. The Ravens offense is aging but should still beat up an aerial Bengals offense.
Bengals 10 – Ravens 16

Rams @ Eagles
The Rams were a fluke last year and should be back to their normal high powered offense. Look for the play of Bulger to be solid this game and year as a weak performance could prompt the choice of a high draft pick being spent on a quarterback. Who knows what will happen out of McNabb this week / year as his game play needs some Prozac to regulate it; it’s either phenomenal or horrid. While Westbrook is always solid, look for a recently drafted Desean Jackson to help out McNabb but to little avail as Stephen Jackson’s new contract makes him play like a man possessed and the Rams take out their frustrations of last year.
Rams 35 – Eagles 28

Cardinals @ 49er’s
The battle of the 1st round bust quarterbacks. The Cardinals are coming to the realization that Leinhart is a bad choice just as the 9er’s are realizing that Alex Smith is a nobody. Neither quarterback is going to start and look for the 49er’s to draft another one this year and the Cardinals to soften the blow to Leinhart by drafting another one the next year. Both defenses look fairly solid though but while San Francisco has the edge on the defensive side, Arizona has a larger edge with their offense with Warner at the helm
Cardinals 28 – 49er’s 24

Panthers @ Chargers
The Panthers were bad last year and the Charges were great. While the Chargers will never be a dynasty like the Patriots or Colts because of the lack of good leadership on and off the field, they are still good; just not good enough. The Panthers have been running the ball like it’s the new thing to do in the preseason; but against the vanilla defense that everyone runs. The loss of Steve Smith for two games will not be a big of a loss as everyone thinks with the emergence of the running game the Panthers boast. Still, the Chargers are explosive offensively and solid defensively.
Panthers 13 – Chargers 28

Cowboys @ Browns
The Cowgirls are just like the Chargers in loaded with talent, but lacking in leadership. The Browns have really shocked everyone with their play of late but I guess that’s what happens when you have so many high draft choices for so many years in a row. I think that Derek Anderson was a fluke last year and look for Quinn to start towards the end of the season. The Cowboys will still win with a high powered offense and strong defense.
Cowboys 28 – Browns 18

Bears @ Colts
The Bears are looking to be horrible this year and should end up with a top 5 draft choice; hopefully they will spend it on a quarterback as they should have down 2 years ago. The offense is lacking weapons, the line is already crippled with injuries, while the Colts look strong. The only question mark on the Colts side of the ball is Peyton Manning and his recent knee surgery. While Peyton Manning could come off the couch at 50 and play in a Super Bowl, he will not be in top form as he hasn’t practiced at all this year. This one will be closer than people think.
Bears 17 – Colts 21

Vikings @ Packers
The Vikings were solid last year and will be even better this year. While Adrian Peterson played phenomenally last year, he did make some big mistakes that he will not make this year; that’s right look for him to play even better even if his stats don’t reflect it. While Peterson will have less of an individual performance, look for his contribution to team performance to be much better this year i.e. blocking, catching passes, and making smart decisions. The Packers have lost a great quarterback in Favre and just because I like drama, I think that Rodgers is going to struggle and there will be riots in Green Bay.
Vikings 35 – Packers 21

Broncos @ Raiders
What would the week be without some smack talking against the Raiders because I am truly a Raider Hater and I think that the faders are run horrible by the Corpse, a.k.a. Al Davis. The Raiders will struggle again this year and probably fire Lane Kiffin from his head coach position while he has done as best as possible with putting up with Al Davis. The Broncos are a real sleeper this year and everyone is overlooking them. While the Broncos will be without star receiver Brandon Marshall this game, it shouldn’t matter with the emergence of Eddie Royal, a solid receiver core, a vastly improved defense and defensive system, and a beefed up O-Line.
Broncos 24 – Raiders 16