Its here! Its finally here! The NFL season is officially underway as Thursday we watched the Seahawks defeat the Packers by a score of 36-16. If Thursday's game was any indication this year is going to be fun to watch. There are plenty of intriguing matchups to watch during this first week of NFL action. Here are a few things to keep an eye for this Sunday.
Bills @ Bears
- All eyes will be on rookie wideout Sammy Watkins. EJ Manuel has struggled all preseason. Given the investment in Watkins, Buffalo hopes Manuel rights the ship and develops chemistry with his new weapon.
- All eyes will be on rookie wideout Sammy Watkins. EJ Manuel has struggled all preseason. Given the investment in Watkins, Buffalo hopes Manuel rights the ship and develops chemistry with his new weapon.
- Year 2 of Trestman's offense hopes to bring back the high powered and big-play offense to the Windy City that we saw last year. Cutler will be the catalyst in this offense. If he stays healthy and limits the mistakes, Chicago should win this one.
Prediction: Chicago - 27 Buffalo - 13
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| Gronk returns (Photo courtesy of Patriots.com) |
- Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski says he's playing and I tend to believe him. Gronk is a matchup nightmare for defenses. We'll likely see the Tom Brady of old as he looks Gronk's way early and often in this one. Would not be surprised if both Brady and Gronk have a big game.
- After Bullygate 2014, the Dolphins offensive line was a mess. It got a little better with the addition of Branden Albert earlier this off-season, but still remains a major question mark. Patriots will send pressure and make it tough for the Dolphins offense to get going.
Prediction: Patriots - 34 Dolphins - 10
Bengals @ Ravens
- Andy Dalton signed a big contract this offseason to keep him under contract in Cincinnati for the next six years. Now is the time to show that he is worth that contract. The Bengals have put plenty of weapons around him and now it is his job to take the next step.
- All eyes will be on the Ravens backfield as Ray Rice serves his first of a two game suspension after playing Mike Tyson's Punchout with his wife earlier this season. Bernard Pierce is a more than capable replacement and could push Rice for more carries if he plays well in Rice's absence.
Prediction: Bengals - 17 Ravens - 14
Browns @ Steelers
- During the course of this game, CBS will show more shots of Johnny Manziel holding a clipboard then actual game footage. With what little of the game I'll be able to watch, I'm going to keep an eye out to see if the Browns' offense will be able to move the ball against a suddenly much younger Steeler defense.
- The Steelers have been one of the more quiet teams this offseason, as the only real news they made was when running back Le'Veon Bell got high on LeGarrette's blunt. See what I did there? Anyway, as mentioned earlier, I'm more interested to see how the Steelers defense looks with the influx of young talent.
Prediction: Steelers - 27 Browns - 14
Jaguars @ Eagles
- Head coach Gus Bradley continues to state that Blake Bortles will sit the bench behind Chad Henne. I'm curious to see if he means for the whole game. After watching Bortles in the preseason, I can't imagine Henne will have a long leash. I was a fan of the pick back in April and think Bortles is ready to be an NFL starter.
- The Eagles are another fun team to watch as the second year of Chip Kelly's high octane offense kicks off at home. Was last year a fluke for Nick Foles? This game won't tell us much as the Jaguars have a shaky secondary, but if Foles struggles it could be a sign of things to come.
Prediction: Eagles - 28 Jaguars - 17
Titans @ Chiefs
- I think this year's version of the Titans offense will be sneaky good. I'm not saying their going to win the AFC or anything like that but if Locker can stay healthy and with Ken Whisenhunt brought in as head coach, I think they will surprise a lot of people this year.
- Even though I just said the Titans were going to surprise this year, I still think Jamaal Charles will be too much for their defense. Charles was a monster last year and despite losing talent on the offensive line, Charles is still a threat to challenge for the rushing title this year.
Prediction: Chiefs - 24 Titans - 21
Raiders @ Jets
- The Raiders were able to restructure Matt Schaub's deal and bring him in as the starter this year. That lasted all of 2 months, as rookie Derek Carr has been pegged as the starter for this game. I have a feeling that Derek might be a better quarterback then his older brother David Carr. Not that that's a hard thing to accomplish.
- Similar to the Raiders defense, the Jets offense is pieced together with castoffs from other teams. They brought in Eric Decker from Denver, Chris Johsnon from the Titans, and Michael Vick from the Eagles. Although Vick will likely ride the bench the first month of the season, the other two should help sophomore quarterback Geno Smith take a step forward this year.
Prediction: Jets - 20 Raiders - 14
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| Decker and Johnson hope to turn around the Jets offense this season (Photo(s) courtesy of Alex Trautwig/Getty Images and Elsa/Getty Images) |
- There wasn't a training camp practice that went by with out rookie wideout Bradin Cooks' name being brought up. This kid lived up to his hype and now that the regular season has started he hopes to continue the hype. Look for the Saints to find ways to get him the ball in open space.
- The Falcons went from being one of the NFC powerhouses to picking in the Top 10 of the draft in the span of a year. They will need to find a way to get back on the right track and unfortunately, a game against Brees and the Saints won't help that.
Prediction: Saints - 30 Falcons - 20
Vikings @ Rams
- It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Norv Turner is able to get both Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson in space. Both players are extremely dynamic and can break open a game at any point. The only question is, who is going to throw them the ball?
- Now that Michael Sam has been cut from the Rams, the biggest story for them heading into the season is the loss of Sam Bradford for the year....again. Bradford has to be seen as a bust at this point since he can't seem to stay healthy. Enter 34 year old, journeymen, quarterback Shaun Hill as his replacement. Look for the Rams to lean heavily on the run this game and beyond.
Prediction: Vikings - 24 Rams - 10
Redskins @ Texans
- RGIII has looked shaky all preseason as he adjusts to Jay Gruden's new offense. The Redskins have a more then capable backup in Kirk Cousins who out performed Griffin so far this year. Its unlikely they look to play Cousins at all this game, but there will be cause for concern if the 2013 version of RGIII is out there rather then the 2012 version.
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| Which RG3 will show up this year? (Photo courtesy of Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) |
- Matt Schaub leaves town and in comes Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Fitzpatrick is not the long term solution in Houston, but is capable of holding his own while Houston finds the answer at the position. You'll likely see a ton of Arian Foster this game as the Redskins struggled to stop the run all of last year.
Prediction: Texans - 24 Redskins - 20
Panthers @ Buccaneers
- Cam Newton is hoping to bounce back after offseason ankle surgery. He'll have to do so without much in the way of talent around him on offense. Both his offensive line and wide receiving corps were decimated this offseason and even more of the burden will be on his shoulders. Rookie wideout Kelvin Benjamin may get a ton of looks if the rest of the offense can't step up.
- Josh McCown made a name for himself in Chicago after coming in relief when Jay Cutler was hurt. We'll see if McCown has turned a corner at age 35, or if he was just a product of Marc Trestmann's offense. I'm thinking the latter, but with weapons like Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans, and Doug Martin, I would not be surprised if I was proved wrong.
Prediction: Buccaneers - 27 Panthers - 17
49ers @ Cowboys
- The 49ers defense at one time was one of the most feared in the league. However, after numerous offseason losses as well as suspensions to some of their key players, this unit is primed to take a step back. They can still get to the quarterback, but may struggle on the back end trying to keep pace with Terrance Williams, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten.
- Dallas' defense may have been hit the hardest this offseason. Losing DeMarcus Ware, Sean Lee, and Jason Hatcher is too much of a loss for a team like Dallas to overcome. Even if Romo plays at a very high level, this defense will keep the 49ers in the entire game and could end up costing Dallas the win.
Prediction: 49ers - 33 Cowboys - 24
Colts @ Broncos
- Trent Richardson was a surprise pickup for the Colts early last season and a year later, they probably wish to have a do-over. Richardson did nothing in a Colts uniform last season and didn't show much in the preseason either. He will need to step up his game, or the Colts could be looking for running back help this offseason.
- The arms race in the AFC heated up this offseason as Denver was big players, grabbing guys like DeMarcus Ware, Aquib Talin, and TJ Ward. Not to mention, much of their high powered offense returns from last season including their quarterback. A guy by the name of Peyton Manning who only threw for a NFL record 55 touchdowns.
Prediction: Broncos - 40 Colts - 23
- Dallas' defense may have been hit the hardest this offseason. Losing DeMarcus Ware, Sean Lee, and Jason Hatcher is too much of a loss for a team like Dallas to overcome. Even if Romo plays at a very high level, this defense will keep the 49ers in the entire game and could end up costing Dallas the win.
Prediction: 49ers - 33 Cowboys - 24
Colts @ Broncos
- Trent Richardson was a surprise pickup for the Colts early last season and a year later, they probably wish to have a do-over. Richardson did nothing in a Colts uniform last season and didn't show much in the preseason either. He will need to step up his game, or the Colts could be looking for running back help this offseason.
- The arms race in the AFC heated up this offseason as Denver was big players, grabbing guys like DeMarcus Ware, Aquib Talin, and TJ Ward. Not to mention, much of their high powered offense returns from last season including their quarterback. A guy by the name of Peyton Manning who only threw for a NFL record 55 touchdowns.
Prediction: Broncos - 40 Colts - 23
Giants @ Lions
- Eli Manning hopes to forget his terrible 2013 campaign. Unfortunately, that might not be as easy as he hopes. Manning has struggled once again this preseason as he tries to adjust to offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo's system. The Lions don't have the best secondary, so hopefully Eli will be able to build up some confidence in this one.
- The Lions are going all out to give Matthew Stafford all the weapons they can in order for him to succeed. They were able to go out and get a somewhat viable option across from Calvin Johnson, in the form of Golden Tate and they also drafted TE Eric Ebron to provide a big target in the middle. Thrown in Reggie Bush and the league's best receiver in Calvin Johnson, this could be a scary offense this season.
Prediction: Lions - 20 Giants - 13
Chargers @ Cardinals
- Keenan Allen was a surprise to many last year. Seemingly coming out of nowhere he was able to go for 1,046 yards and 8 touchdowns. Will he be able to continue dominating in his sophomore season or was last year a fluke? He'll have a tough test against a good secondary that got better this offseason with the addition of Antonio Cromartie.
- Andre Ellington was supposed to touch the ball close to 300 times this season, however that may be on hold as he is now a game-time descion. Johnathan Dwyer is first in line for carries in the Arizona backfield, but could also give way to Stephan Taylor in what looks like a committee approach to replace Ellington.
Prediction: Cardinals - 24 Chargers - 10
- Eli Manning hopes to forget his terrible 2013 campaign. Unfortunately, that might not be as easy as he hopes. Manning has struggled once again this preseason as he tries to adjust to offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo's system. The Lions don't have the best secondary, so hopefully Eli will be able to build up some confidence in this one.
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| The Giants hope 2014 isn't like 2013 (Photo courtesy of Michael Shamburger/Twitter via Gamedayr.com) |
- The Lions are going all out to give Matthew Stafford all the weapons they can in order for him to succeed. They were able to go out and get a somewhat viable option across from Calvin Johnson, in the form of Golden Tate and they also drafted TE Eric Ebron to provide a big target in the middle. Thrown in Reggie Bush and the league's best receiver in Calvin Johnson, this could be a scary offense this season.
Prediction: Lions - 20 Giants - 13
Chargers @ Cardinals
- Keenan Allen was a surprise to many last year. Seemingly coming out of nowhere he was able to go for 1,046 yards and 8 touchdowns. Will he be able to continue dominating in his sophomore season or was last year a fluke? He'll have a tough test against a good secondary that got better this offseason with the addition of Antonio Cromartie.
- Andre Ellington was supposed to touch the ball close to 300 times this season, however that may be on hold as he is now a game-time descion. Johnathan Dwyer is first in line for carries in the Arizona backfield, but could also give way to Stephan Taylor in what looks like a committee approach to replace Ellington.
Prediction: Cardinals - 24 Chargers - 10
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