And it will be kicked off this coming Thursday night when the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks play host to the Green Bay Packers. Without further ado, here are my Week 1 selections. BTW, Let's Go Rams!!! After they took Greg Robinson and Tre Mason in the 2014 Draft, they have become and will remain my NFL team.
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
Last time these two teams met was at CenturyLink Field in Seattle and it ended in controversy with what appeared to be a Packer interception got called a touchdown catch by now Detroit Lion Golden Tate. Instead of what would have been a 12-7 Green Bay win became a 14-12 Seattle win. The Packers have to be thinking revenge while the Seahawks have to be thinking about getting their Super Bowl title defense off on the right foot. I'm going with another close Seahawks victory in this one. They're at home and I trust their defense to make a stop when needed more than I trust Green Bay's. At least the Packers will avoid the controversial finish if that makes em feel better, although my guess is they'll be feeling a bit sour after another tough loss in Seattle.
My Call: Seahawks 23, Packers 20
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
The Saints bounced back from a rough 2012 and made it to the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs before falling a bit short in Seattle. Atlanta will be looking to do the same as they went into 2013 with possible Super Bowl aspirations only to see it all fall apart; largely due to multiple injuries. At least they will begin the season healthy which means they'll score some points given that you just can't expect to keep Roddy White and Julio Jones locked down all game long. That said though, the Saints led by QB Drew Brees and TE Jimmy Graham can score plenty of points themselves. Also watch out for rookie wideout Brandin Cooks. He's not big, but is electric with the ball in his hands. Ultimately what makes the difference in this one for me is the Saints are one year further along in their transition to a 3-4 defense than the Falcons are. They have playmakers such as Cameron Jordan and Kenny Vaccaro. Atlanta simply does not have guys on that level. Lots of points scored, but I trust the Saints defense a bit more.
My Call: Saints 34, Falcons 27
Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
Looking for a defensive struggle? This might be your game. Yes, the Vikings have a couple of dangerous offensive weapons in running back Adrian Peterson and WR Cordarrelle Patterson, but I don't see them lighting up too many scoreboards with Matt Cassel under center. The Rams got some bad news in the preseason, losing starting QB Sam Bradford for the year to another torn ACL. Shaun Hill will be the guy. This is one of the few games the Rams play where they won't be very outclassed at the QB position. I expect both teams will stack the lines to stop the running backs (Peterson and Rams RB Zac Stacy) and force the QBs to make the throws to win the game. The Vikings may have the best receivers on the field in Patterson and tight end Kyle Rudolph, but the Rams are better up front on both sides of the ball and football games are usually won in the trenches. Knowing that, it will be just enough for St. Louis to survive this one. Although I wouldn't bet my house on this pick. This will be the NFL debuts for those two former Auburn Tigers I mentioned above, offensive guard/tackle Greg Robinson and running back Tre Mason. Both are with the Rams.
My Call: Rams 17, Vikings 13
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Defensive struggle Part II? Could happen as the Browns will of course be without WR Josh Gordon as he was suspended for the season for a repeated violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy while the status of the Steelers top running backs, Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount are very much up in the air as both recently received citations for marijuana possession while Bell was also hit with a DUI, driving while high on marijuana. The recipe for an upset is there, but I just don't have the faith in Browns QB Brian Hoyer to pull it off. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger seems like a far better bet to make a play when needed; maybe find Antonio Brown or Heath Miller either deep or over the middle to escape Heinz Field with a win over their long time rivals.
My Call: Steelers 20, Browns 16
Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles
Big question for Jacksonville is whether to stick with their plan, which was to sit rookie QB Blake Bortles all of this season in favor of veteran Chad Henne or to deviate from it and start him against the Eagles. Bortles has certainly made their decision a difficult one as he's been outstanding in the preseason. I do expect Henne to start the season and obviously this game as the man under center, but sooner or later, he'll struggle enough to the point where the Jags decide to turn to Bortles. Even if the Jags did start the rookie, I'd still pick them to lose this one as I think the Eagles just have too much firepower offensively for Jacksonville. Things are certainly looking better though for the Jags than they did at this time a year ago. LeSean McCoy has a big opening game. Also, best of luck to former Auburn kicker Cody Parkey. He won the job as the Eagles kicker for this year. Hope he does a fantastic job for them.
My Call: Eagles 30, Jaguars 17
Oakland Raiders at New York Jets
It'll be rookie QB Derek Carr making his NFL debut for the Raiders. I guess that impressive performance in the last preseason game against Seattle was enough to convince head coach Dennis Allen to hand him the reigns rather than giving them to veteran Matt Schaub. There was no such controversy with the Jets, at least not yet as Geno Smith was named the starter. This to me is a game similar to the Minnesota/St. Louis game where I don't see a lot of points being scored. Maybe fewer here than in that one. I'll take the Jets since I believe in their defensive line as well as experience under center in the NFL. Not confident about this one either.
My Call: Jets 13, Raiders 10
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
No doubt in my mind that Cincinnati has the superior cast of characters in this matchup, so I am going to pick them in spite of the fact that this game is in Baltimore. I prefer Andy Dalton to Joe Flacco, Giovani Bernard to Bernard Pierce (Ray Rice is suspended for this one due to his domestic violence arrest), A.J. Green to Torrey Smith, you get the idea. The Ravens have generally had the advantage in this matchup though when playing at M&T Bank Stadium, so I wouldn't be all that surprised if I turn out to be wrong about this one.
My Call: Bengals 20, Ravens 17
Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears
After a tough 2013 which saw the Bears just miss the playoffs due to an extremely poor defense, they open 2014 up against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have the skill players in C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson and Sammy Watkins to present problems as well as an underrated defensive line, but the Bears offense is better, the Bears are at home and they look to have improved immensely on the defensive side of the football on paper. I do think the defense could struggle some with consistency at least early on, but they'll get enough from a nice pair of new bookend defensive ends Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston while the Jay Cutler/Brandon Marshall connection will be on full display as per their usual. That will be enough to open 2014 victorious.
My Call: Bears 31, Bills 23
Washington Redskins at Houston Texans
Good news for Robert Griffin III is after facing questions during a preseason which he struggled in regards to whether he or backup QB Kirk Cousins is actually the best QB on the Redskins roster is he gets to put all that behind him and start the regular season. Bad news is he gets to face what could be a nightmare of a defensive pass rush coming from the likes of J.J. Watt and #1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. If you don't know about Clowney, he's been hyped as the next great thing since high school and when he put in the effort in college during his freshmen and sophomore years, he was able to dominate games at South Carolina. With running back Alfred Morris, wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon and tight end Jordan Reed, there shouldn't be any reason RG3 can't be successful this season in spite of the preseason question marks. The Texans seem so confident in their new starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick that they went out and traded for New England backup Ryan Mallett. But they do have a (for now) healthy Arian Foster and Andre Johnson to help take the pressure off of Fitzpatrick, who has proven in spurts that he can do the job as an NFL starter, just not over the course of a full 16 games. Since we're only talking about Week 1, I think Fitzpatrick can do just enough not to blow it while letting Foster and Johnson take care of things for the most part offensively while that scary looking Texan defensive line dominates. Of note to me is Arian Foster will have a new best friend; former Auburn fullback Jay Prosch. Jay is the new starting fullback for the Texans. War Eagle Jay Prosch! Open up some holes for Foster the way you did for Tre Mason at Auburn last year.
My Call: Texans 16, Redskins 14
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs
Time for QB Jake Locker to put up or shut up in Tennessee. He now has QB guru Ken Whisenhunt at his side as well as a WR in Justin Hunter who just looks poised for a breakout season given his outstanding preseason. They also have a new running back in rookie Bishop Sankey for Locker to hand it off to. Even though the Chiefs lost a lot off of last year's offensive line, the game plan will remain exactly the same. Feed running back Jamaal Charles the ball play after play while QB Alex Smith essentially plays the role of "game manager" while letting pass rushing linebackers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston get pressure on the opposing QB. That formula started great a year ago but sputtered to a 2-6 finish (including the playoff collapse in Indianapolis). I think that formula will be good enough to win this one. And this game will be the NFL debut of another former Auburn Tiger; defensive end Dee Ford, though he'll be an outside linebacker in the Chiefs 3-4 scheme. Hard to say how much time he'll get early given who's ahead of him, but Chiefs fans should love him when he's on the field. Dee is a beast of a pass rusher who gives it his all on every play.
My Call: Chiefs 24, Titans 17
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
2014 is off to a nice start in New England as star tight end Rob Gronkowski has declared himself healthy and ready to go for the season opener. This will also mark the Pats debut of cornerback Darrelle Revis. The return of Gronk should open the field up more for the running game as well as the rest of that receiving core, which for the exception of Julian Edelman a year ago (he did a good job filling the Wes Welker role), was much maligned. That's great news for QB Tom Brady. There are quite a few question marks for Miami entering the season though. While it's a good thing that Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito are no longer parts of the offensive line and veteran tackle Branden Albert along with rookie tackle Ja'Wuan James should shore up the outside, the inside appears quite vulnerable, especially without center Mike Pouncey. New England could be able to attack straight up the middle. What Miami will do offensively is look to push the pace as new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor came over from Philadelphia after serving as their QB coach a year ago. Miami could have success with their pass rush in defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Cameron Wake, but it's hard to bet against the Pats here. They're just a vastly superior team to the Fins.
My Call: Patriots 34, Dolphins 21
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This will mark the debut of ex-Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith with the Buccaneers. He brought over another ex-Bear in QB Josh McCown to be his starter. McCown turned a surprise 2013 with the Bears into a starting role in Tampa Bay. It'll be tough for him to duplicate his 2013, but with all the weapons surrounding him (RB Doug Martin, WRs Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans), he may not been able to find a better place to land in free agency as a starter. The Panthers, of course, are led by QB and former Auburn Tiger Cam Newton. Cam is dealing with some injury concerns, most recently a hairline fracture to a rib. No doubt he'll play in this one, but he'll have a lot of new faces along the offensive line as well as a new top WR; most likely rookie Kelvin Benjamin. The one constant he does have working for him is tight end Greg Olsen. While he and his WR core work to find the right chemistry, I expect he'll look Olsen's way a lot. As far as this game goes, I'm going to take Tampa Bay. They're healthier (Doug Martin missed most of last year but it is good to go), better coached and should be able to take advantage of a Panthers team incorporating a lot of new parts onto their team. It'll be very close though, so it wouldn't surprise me much if this went their way.
My Call: Buccaneers 21, Panthers 20
San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys
Bad news for the Cowboys is they won't be able to stop many teams this year as their defense is going to simply be God awful. Good news though is they'll be facing a 49ers defense that appears vulnerable early on this year. They'll be without linebackers NaVorro Bowman (recovering from ACL injury) and Aldon Smith (9 game suspension), so I do expect Tony Romo to be well protected and to put up some nice stats in this one. Trouble for the Cowboys in this one though is Colin Kaepernick should be able to match Romo punch for punch and I do have more faith in even a vulnerable looking Niner defense to get a stop when needed. They still have outstanding inside linebacker Patrick Willis leading the way and a solid secondary behind him.
My Call: 49ers 35, Cowboys 31
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
In what could be a battle of the best QB in the NFL against possibly the future best QB in the NFL, Denver's Peyton Manning and Indy's Andrew Luck should make for an exciting Sunday Night matchup between these two clubs. What separates these two teams is the Broncos supporting cast is simply much stronger. Montee Ball will be the new feature back while Manning has a plethora of receiving options led by WR Demaryius Thomas to throw to. Plus Denver added safety T.J. Ward, corner Aqib Talib and linebacker DeMarcus Ware to improve that defense which got scorched in the Super Bowl by the Seahawks. Don't get me wrong, Andrew Luck should have a nice game throwing to the likes of T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks, but even he won't be able to do enough to keep up with that powerhouse Bronco offense. Manning has a huge season opener.
My Call: Broncos 41, Colts 27
New York Giants at Detroit Lions
With Eli Manning still struggling with interceptions, it's hard for me to see the G-Men going on the road and winning this one on Monday Night against a superb Detroit offense. Yeah, Matthew Stafford may be a bit overrated, but he'll never look too bad when he has the best WR in football in Calvin Johnson to throw to. The receiving core around Johnson should be improved with WR Golden Tate coming over from Seattle and rookie tight end Eric Ebron being selected 10th overall out of UNC. Plus you've got a solid running game with Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. As you can see, I think the Giants will have to outscore Detroit to win this one. Won't happen.
My Call: Lions 35, Giants 24
San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals
In what should be the better of the two opening Monday Night Football games, the San Diego Chargers will look to continue their late 2013 surge into the start of 2014 as they take on an Arizona Cardinals team that went 10-6 a year ago but had to stay home for the playoffs. That's the price of being in a division with the 49ers and Seahawks. Chargers QB Philip Rivers had a resurgent 2013 after a couple down years, throwing for nearly 4500 yards and tossing 32 TD passes against just 11 interceptions. He still has head coach and former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy by his side, but did lose his offensive coordinator from last year, Ken Whisenhunt to the Tennessee Titans (he is the Titans new head coach). Getting a full 16 games from running back Ryan Mathews and an outstanding rookie season from WR Keenan Allen sure helped. Arizona will be led offensively by QB Carson Palmer who can rack up big yardage totals in a hurry but is also prone to interceptions. What should help him is an extra year of work with a talented duo of wide receivers in veteran Larry Fitzgerald and youngster Michael Floyd. What should also help is an increased role for running back Andre Ellington. Andre isn't one of those run between the tackle type of guys, but he's electric with the ball in his hands. So who do I take in this one? The Cardinals. I have more faith in their defense than I do San Diego's to come up with a needed stop. On another note, great job by former Auburn Tiger and 2013 Iron Bowl hero Chris Davis making the Chargers final roster. GL to him!
My Call: Cardinals 27, Chargers 24
