NFL Week 1 Predictions

NFL Week 1 Predictions

Cam Newton is poised to have a huge campaign with Kelvin Benjamin out for the year (Getty Images)

Washington @ Miami – 1PM - CBS

Fantasy Starters

     Redskins – Alfred Morris, DeSean Jackson

     Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill, Jarvis Landry, Lamar Miller, Defense

Prediction - 21-13 Dolphins. The Redskins may have given Kirk Cousins the starting job, so that RGIII wouldn’t be mauled during the 1^st game of the season. If Haloti Ngata can break Griffins MCL, imagine what Suh would do. Cousins might not make it through the entire game, seriously.

New Orleans @ Arizona – 4:05 – FOX

Fantasy Starters

     Saints – Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, Brandin Cooks

     Cardinals – Carson Palmer, Andre Ellington, John Brown, Defense

Prediction - 20-17 Arizona. I like the Saints but I like the Cardinals even more. They have arguably the best head coach in the NFL, and bring Carson Palmer back. The D will miss Todd Bowles and Antonio Cromartie but they will still make plays. Brandin Cooks goes for 100 yard and a TD.

Green Bay @ Chicago – 4:05 – FOX

Fantasy Starters

     Packers – Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Randall Cobb, Defense

     Bears – Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery

Prediction – 31-14 Green Bay. A-Rod will get the job done without Jordy Nelson. There is no way you can get me to pick the Bears in this game. No way at all.

Minnesota @ San Francisco – Monday 9/14 – 10:20 – ESPN

Fantasy Starters

     Vikings – Adrian Peterson, Teddy Bridgewater, Kyle Rudolph, Defense

     49ers – Carlos Hyde, Anquan Boldin

Prediction – 27-17 Minnesota. The Vikings’ defense is better than the 49ers’. Minnesota also has the best RB in the NFL, who is ready to take his anger out on every opponent this season. The Vikings O-line has lost 2 starters in a month, but nothing will stop AP from making his mark.

Kansas City @ Houston – 1:00 – CBS

Fantasy Starters

     Chiefs – Jamal Charles, Travis Kelce, Jeremy Maclin

     Texans – Nuke Hopkins, Defense

Prediction – 21-20 Kansas City. If the Chiefs can block JJ Watt and Clowney for at least half the game, they have the best chance to win. And as hard as this is to admit, Alex Smith is more clutch than Brian Hoyer.

Detroit @ San Diego – 4:05 – FOX

Fantasy Starters

     Lions – Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Defense

     Chargers – Danny Woodhead, Philip Rivers

Prediction – 31-17 Lions. Detroit has a top 5 defense in the NFL this year.  And by possessing two dominant receivers, the Lions don’t have to play clock control. San Diego is a feisty team but they don’t have the weapons that Detroit has.

New York @ Dallas – 8:00 – NBC

Fantasy Starters

     Giants – Odell Beckham, Eli Manning

     Cowboys – Dez Bryant, Tony Romo, Jason Witten

Prediction – 33-28 Cowboys. Analysis – The Cowboys are better in the trenches that the Giants. Everyone is looking for this to be a high scoring game and it should be.

Cleveland @ New York Jets – 1:00 – CBS

Fantasy Starters

     Browns – Isaiah Crowell

     Jets – Brandon Marshall

Prediction – 17-13 Browns. This will be a very low scoring contest. Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Josh McCown? I don’t know who in their right mind would watch this game intentionally. Browns and Jets fans included…

Philadelphia @ Atlanta – Monday 9/14 – 7:10 – ESPN

Fantasy Starters

     Eagles – Sam Bradford, Demarco Murray, Darren Sproles, Nelson Agholor

     Falcons – Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tevin Coleman

Prediction – 35-30 Eagles. Matt Ryan will not back down from this challenge and should be ready to keep up with the Eagles. But when it comes down to it, Philly just has too much for the Falcons to handle.

Tennessee @ Tampa Bay – 4:25 – CBS

Fantasy Starters

     Titans – Marcus Mariota, Delanie Walker, Kendall Wright

     Buccaneers – Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans

Prediction – 28-13 Titans. The Bucs O-line will get dominated by Tennessee’s front 7. With that said, it’s hard to see the Bucs offense be productive without a run game. Marcus Mariota is the complete opposite of what I thought he was coming out of college: a future superstar. If he can improve his arm strength over the next 2 years, we are looking at the next Aaron Rodgers.

Cincinnati @ Oakland – 4:25 – CBS

Fantasy Starters

     Bengals – Jeremy Hill, AJ Green

     Raiders – Amari Cooper, Marcel Reece

Prediction – 27-24 Raiders. Oakland will keep this game closer than you think. And although I don’t trust Andy Dalton, the Bengals shouldn’t lose their opener.

Carolina @ Jacksonville– 1:00 – FOX

Fantasy Starters

     Panthers – Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, Jonathan Stewart, Defense

     Jaguars – Allen Robinson

Prediction – 31-20 Panthers. I know the Jags are expecting a fight but I seriously doubt they fully realize what they are up against. Carolina’s D should stifle Jacksonville’s offense. And with Cam Newton healthy for probably the only game of the year, you can expect fireworks.

Seattle @ St. Louis – 1:00 – FOX

Fantasy Starters

     Seahawks – Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Jimmy Graham, Defense

     Rams - Defense

Prediction –20-13 Seahawks. With Tre Mason not at 100% and Todd Gurley not playing, St. Louis will find it hard to move the ball on Seattle. The Seahawks are very motivated after losing what should have been their 2^nd Super Bowl in a row.

Indianapolis @ Buffalo – 1:00 – CBS

Fantasy Starters

     Colts – Andrew Luck, Andre Johnson, Dwayne Allen

     Bills – Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins

Prediction – 24-23 Bills. Tyrod Taylor passes for 200 and runs for 100. Rex Ryan is going to throw the kitchen sink at Andrew Luck.

Baltimore @ Denver – 4:25 – CBS

Fantasy Starters

     Ravens – Steve Smith Sr., Justin Forsett

     Broncos – Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders

Prediction – 24-16 Broncos. – I don’t think the Denver is going to run the ball as well as they would like to. The Ravens offense doesn’t have any trustworthy receiving option outside of Steve Smith. I’m going with Denver because it’s the logical choice

Jim Caldwell, This Is Why The Lions Hired You

Jim Caldwell, This Is Why The Lions Hired You

Can Jim Caldwell get the Detroit Lions over the hump and into the playoffs?

          Last season, the Detroit Lions started the the year off with a 6-3 record under head coach Jim Schwartz.  The team had finally seemed to get over the hump after missing the 2012 playoffs the previous year. The defense had finally started to play up to it's expectations, and Matthew Stafford provided several highlight reel throws to Calvin Johnson. The Green Bay Packers had just lost Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone, Detroit was finally 1st in the NFC North, and Reggie Bush looked like the Heisman winner from 2005. But when things look too good to be true, they usually are. Especially when it comes to the Detroit Lions. The next 7 contest would result in 6 losses with only 2 of them coming from playoff teams. And to make matters worse, one of those playoff teams managed to beat Detroit with Matt Flynn. Not Aaron Rodgers, but Matt Flynn. Not only did things return to normalcy in the Motor City, but General Manager Martin Mayhew had seen enough of Jim Schwartz as his a head coach. There was plenty of blame to go around for the Lions' disastrous meltdown but it should always come back to the head coach. With the belief that Detroit was in a Mike Singletary/49ers situation, it was time to make a change. The talent is clearly there but the leadership style isn't working in favor of the franchise. In, step...Jim Caldwell.

Golden Tate is looking like the NFL's best off-season free agent signing

          There isn't anything wrong with having a defensive mined coach in the NFL, but the Lions upper management know their team's strengths.  Calvin Johnson is quite possibly the best wide receiver to play in the NFL since Jerry Rice, and Matthew Stafford is one of the league's most talented passers. In addition to those facts, one could even argue that Detroit has the NFL's top defense because they have allowed the least amount of points through 10 weeks. But if the Lions are going to win a super bowl, it's going to be on the strength of Matthew Stafford making accurate throws in the clutch and not turning the ball over. It makes too much sense. In the off-season Detroit drafted Eric Ebron with the #10 overall pick, and this was after signing Golden Tate to a 5 year/$31 million contract. Speaking of Tate, he looks like the best off-season free agent signing not named Steve Smith. He has 800 yard receiving and has proven to be a solid #2 slash good #1 when you need him to be. Translation - money well spent. The Lions won 3 straight games without Calvin Johnson and added another victory when Megatron returned on Sunday. Has this made a statement to the rest of the NFL I think that Barry Sanders is very jealous of the Lions consistency. I don't know about you, but it sounds nothing short of great coaching to me.

          Ndamokung Suh is in the best shape of his life and still dominating at the line of scrimmage. But unlike the Suh of past, we haven't seen the constant bonehead mistakes such as unnecessary roughness and late hits on the quarterback. Suh credits changing his mentality to watching a Tony Gonzalez interview and his play is definitely showing it. Should any of that credit go to his head coach through 8 games of the season? Absolutely. Jim Caldwell deserves a lot of credit for not just the maturation of Matthew Stafford but the overall make up of the Detroit Lions. It was only 2 years ago that Caldwell replaced Cam Cameron mid-season as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. The only affect that had was Joe Flacco turning into a Super Bowl MVP and earning a $100 million contract. Hhhmmm. Think the Ravens made the right move? You tell me. Now...Caldwell has yet to prove that he can avoid the slide that Jim Schwartz experienced last season but this Lions team is completely different than previous years. The talent has always been there, it's just the coaching that hasn't put it all together. This year Detroit looks poised to make the playoffs and compete for the NFC North crown. Fortunately for Lions fans, this is no fluke. The defense is top notch and Megatron's healthy return is music to everyone's ears. Look for the Lions to finish with 4-5 losses at the most and make a return to the post-season this year.

NFC Wild Card Preview

Tom Brady is out to prove how hungry he is for another title

   Whoever thought Tom Brady and the New England Patriots would be down and out this year have another thing coming. Brady had the Pats sitting high at 1st in the AFC East and has been good enough to win ball games. When I say good, I have to mention the fact that he hasn't been great. But who cares? Just because he doesn't have the same stats as Drew Brees or Peyton Manning doesn't mean he isn't a better leader than the two. And if New England makes it to the Super Bowl, it's hard to pick a team that will beat them(The game is being play OUTSIDE in New York). Regardless of what happens to Bill Belichik and his team the rest of regular season, expect them to make a serious playoff run. The Panthers game was a hiccup that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. I would actually pick the Patriots if the teams met in the Super Bowl next year and I would be surprised if big time football analysts disagreed with me.

Jason Pierre Paul is proving that he is still an NFL superstar

     The Wild Card spot looks very interesting in the NFC. You have the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers have their spots to lose. Because if the season ended tomorrow, that's exactly who we would see play on Wild Card Weekend. New Orleans and Seattle would get 1st round byes, while there are a few more teams looking to sneak in. Those team include the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears...all of whom are possible candidates to take spots away from those who currently "would" make the playoffs. So, which of these teams present the most legitimate chance at getting a spot? What squad has the easiest schedule and who has the most clutch quarterback of the 3? Is it the Giants, sitting at a lowly 4-6 but only 1.5 games out of the division lead? Or is it the Dallas Cowboys who has an awful defense but looks great on offense when DeMarco Murray is healthy? With Jay Cutler appearing to be healthy and Carson Palmer playing like a 1st year QB, I don't expect it to be either of these teams.


     Surpringly, I believe the NY Giants have what it takes to win the NFC East this year. Based off the inconsistency that Philly has shown all year, it's not at all imaginary. The Eagles have a much harder schedule as they have to play Arizona, Detroit, Dallas, and Chicago at home. Away, they travel must travel to Dallas and to Minnesota. In my personal opinion, I believe that Philadelphia doesn't match up well against any of these teams in November. Their defense has yet to show any dominance and they just won't their 1st home game of 2013. The Eagles going 2-4 over this stretch is very believable if the Eagles play like themselves. In the meantime, New York has to compete against the following teams:

Opponent       Prediction
Dallas                  W
@ Washington     W
@ San Diego       W
Seattle                  L
@ Detroit            W
Washington          W

     Dallas' secondary will get torched and the Giants pass rushers are finally stepping up. Washington can't stop the run OR the pass, San Diego has lost 3 in a row and Detroit doesn't stand a chance against NY if both RBs can't stay healthy. In the beginning of the season, we saw a terrible Giants squad that couldn't win a contest for squat. Big Blue lacked a running game and pass rush, but honestly boast the most legit threat with both aspects of the game going forward. I say all that to say this...I believe the Giants will do the impossible, starting the season 0-5 and making the NFL Playoffs this season. Get ready for a great end to the NFL regular season, as always!