WEEK ONE NFL (STRAIGHT PICK-EM)

Week one in the NFL is always a crap shoot. We know we have to amp up a game and try some different methods of picking winners for week 1 and in general for the future weeks. After some injuries, we fine tune everything and we may have this down to a science. Cross your fingers. Perhaps cross your toes as well. Carry that rabbits foot if you’re going to roll with our picks. Week one – enjoy.

THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

DETROIT LIONS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

My thought process on this game between the Lions and Chiefs is that Detroit would not quite make a splash on the first game of the year on prime time television. The Chiefs getting their rings from last year’s work and being at home meant I was thinking no brainer Kansas City will win this one.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS X

THE SUNDAY SLATE

CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS

Panthers picked QB 1 in the draft in Bryce Young. The Falcons went with a talented running back in the draft, but their quarterback Desmond Ridder only has 4 starts under his belt. The Falcons are one dimensional and will establish running game. I like the Panthers’ younger defense and the way this unit played down the stretch last year. Falcons defense is suspect which will be easy pickings for a rookie QB making his first ever start in the NFL.

OUR PICK: PANTHERS

HOUSTON TEXANS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS

The schedule makers do not like Houston sending their rookie quarterback CJ Stroud into uncharted territories in the deep end of the pool with that Ravens defense.

The Ravens are at home. Lamar Jackson will make his first statement back from injury & signed a new contract. He will be ready to put up video game numbers in his first game of the year.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS

I fear the Bengals will have their usual hiccup in the first game on the road visiting the Dawg Pound. Joe Burrow will be dealing with that pre-season injury and the offensive line the Bengals have will be in for a rude awakening. The rapist quarterback, Deshaun Watson, is not going to win this game for the Browns, but he’ll have a decent game at home with no one getting on his case about his Slick Willie adventures on the massage tables. The Browns defense new coordinator is Jim Schwartz and he’ll be sending everything including the kitchen sink after Burrow.

OUR PICK: BROWNS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The Colts will not have Jonathan Taylor who’s holding out. The Colts have a rookie quarterback behind center. The Jaguars have had success versus the Colts the last few seasons, even on opening days, playing them. Even the Jaguars when they were the bad team and Indianapolis had all the talent in the world, Jacksonville would rise up to the challenge. I don’t see the Colts keeping up with the Jaguars on the scoreboard as the script has been flipped.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS

I’m not jumping on the Baker Mayfield band wagon. Mayfield did pretty good when he latched on to the LA Rams at the end of last year. The Buccaneers is an aging team. The Vikings lost some big name players last year on both sides of the ball due to the salary cap. I like the replacements.

The Vikings offense can still put points on the scoreboard. I like the new defensive coordinator Brian Flores with a new looking Viking defense. They may be able to exploit that old rusty Buccaneer Offensive line to make Baker’s day pure hell.

OUR PICK: VIKINGS

TENNESSEE TITANS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

This should be a really good game. Will the Titans light up the scoreboard with their new wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins? Then the Saints have Derek Carr who has lots to prove being basically kicked off the Raiders team last season. The Titans like to play physical. The Saints have the better defense as this should be a close game. The Saints defense will force Ryan Tannehill to make one big mistake that will benefit the home team.

In the end, Carr will feed off the home field crowd, engineer a game winning drive, and make a successful debut in a Saints uniform.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

In week one of the NFL, anything goes and the 49ers fly across the country to face the Steelers. Last year the 49ers went to Chicago for their first game of the season and lost to the Bears. The Steelers have a healthy defense and when healthy, they are one of the elite units in the league. Brock Purdy is coming back from that playoff injury. Mentally, is he ready to go? Mike Tomlin, is coming off a losing season, which Steelers don’t have many of those. I like Pittsburgh making an early statement in the first week in Steel Town.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

ARIZONA CARDINALS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

The Cardinals are probably the worst team in the league this season. No Kyler Murray. Joshua Dobbs is the Cards starting quarterback and he was traded over to the desert by Cleveland and is a former Steeler with only a few starts under his belt. Talk about sacrificing a virgin facing that Washington ferocious defense.

Poor Dobbs is like a lamb running around Greek Town. Does anyone want a Gyro?

OUR PICK: COMMANDERS

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT CHICAGO BEARS

Since Aaron Rodgers, Chicago’s slum lord, left town, Bears fans have some swagger. The Bears revamped their entire roster with quality additions to both sides of the ball in free agency. Can Jordan Love be the next quarterback for the Packers to hold the Bears hostage for another decade? How lucky can one organization get as the Bears faced Brett Frave and Rodgers, for over twenty years. I think it’s time the Bears show Jordan the Love Chicago-Style and flip this script in their favor. I like Justin Fields having the higher ceiling than Jordan Love who right now has too much on his shoulders feeling the pressure of Rodgers kicking and screaming as he left town.

OUR PICK: DA BEARS

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DENVER BRONCOS

Jimmy Garoppolo versus Russell Wilson – only this time it’s a showdown in the AFC West, not like the olden days in the NFC West. When it comes to head coaches in this match u,p I have more faith that Sean Payton will fix Wilson than Josh McDaniels inserting his play book in Jimmy G, who may still be dealing with last year’s injury. McDaniels does well against his former team he once coached and brought them to the bottom of the barrel of the league. I predict we will see Wilson like Seattle Wilson rather than Jimmy looking like his old 49er self.

OUR PICK:BRONCOS

MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LA CHARGERS

Does the east coast team playing on the west coast in week one play a factor? This match up screams shoot out. Both the Chargers and Dolphins have weapons of mass destruction at their quarterbacks’ fingers. Both these teams’ defense have improved. The Chargers defense is healthy while the Dolphins have Vic Fagio as their new D-Coordinator, and he is good at that. I think Justin Herbert is better than Tua Tagovailoa when it comes to staying on the field and makes less mistakes. Tua is one hit away from a guy like Khalil Mack serving up a pick six or being knocked out of the game completely.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

This is the first time that Jalen Hurts faces the Belichick style defense. The Eagles will score points. Belichick’s defense is less scary when your team has the lead. Mac Jones is not Tom Brady as Belichick has tried to work on him in the lab, but he still will be an average Jones. The Patriots defense will keep them in this game until Hurts and company figure it out and eventually the tea will be dumped into the Boston’s harbor.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

LA RAMS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The Rams roster is filled with rookies. Seattle rolled the dice on Geno Smith and punched their tickets to the post-season. Cooper Kup may not be able to go with an injury. Matthew Stafford isback from an injury he had last season that kept him out for most of the year. Rust? Yes. Seattle’s offense is not going away as they will out score a Rams team that are still in search of Spock to find themselves a new identity.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS

Here we go again as the Cowboys will be stuffed down all our throats with prime time games every week. The Giants shocked everyone last year with a magical season for the G-men. The Cowboys added Brandin Cooks to the Receiving core and Tony Pollard will be a one man show without the chubby Ezekiel Elliot to take away important carries. Those factors and the Cowboys defense can pressure the quarterback make a nice recipe for a road win. It’s easy to be the hunter, but now the Giants have a target on their backs and are being hunted with a difficult schedule in the making.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW YORK JETS

All the hype in this game is all about Aaron Rodgers. Former Packer, now Jet, has taken his talents to AFC East. Rodgers will have no teams in his new surroundings like the Bears that he will own. Rodgers called the Lions that team, and that team beat him twice last year. The Jets have a great young defense. The team needed to address the quarterback situation in the off-season. The Bills, let’s not forget, have Josh Allen. Let’s not forget the Bills are last year’s AFC East champs. I like Allen’s ability to get points on that very talented Jets defense. With Sean McDermott calling the plays now and they have had a talented defense of their own. Rodgers did not have a very good year last year. The Bills defense is not a choice any team would make from a guy learning about his new teammates.

OUR PICK: BILLS