Let Week 1 Begin!

Okay, boys and girls, in less than 24 hours the first NFL action of the season should be concluded. It's been a long wait but it's finally time to begin the 17 week odyssey to the playoffs. First, let's take a look at the schedule, my predictions, and a short analysis of why:

Thursday
Minnesota at New Orleans (New Orleans)

Sunday
Miami at Buffalo (Miami)
Indianapolis at Houston (Houston)
Detroit at Chicago (Detroit)
Atlanta at Pittsburgh (Atlanta)
Cleveland at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay)
Cincinnati at New England (New England)
Denver at Jacksonville (Denver)
Oakland at Tennesee (Tennessee)
Carolina at New York Giants (Carolina)
San Francisco at Seattle (San Francisco)
Arizona at St. Louis (Arizona)
Green Bay at Philadelphia (Green Bay)
Dallas at Washington (Washington)

Monday
Baltimore at New York Jets (Baltimore)
San Diego at Kansas City (San Diego)

Since this is Week 1, a few of these are going to be guesses based on last season and what I was able to observe in preseason play. For the NFL opener, I have to go with New Orleans over Minnesota once again. Last year was definitely a magical season for Favre, but the chances of repeating are all but impossible and the Offensive Line is suspect at this point. New Orleans continues to be an offensive juggernaut and the defense still has a knack for causing turnovers. I'm looking at you, Adrian Peterson!

The Houston game is one that I feel is going to be one of the highlights of the week. Vegas has Indianapolis by 2.5, which is pretty close even when taking the 3 given to the home team. The Texans will have a better running game this season and the core of both teams returns. The thing that worries me most is Manning exploiting a young CB squad and what some call a suspect Safety corps. The key will be keeping pressure on Manning (from what I can tell, Indianapolis still has a suspect running game). Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye both had great preseasons, which will go a long way toward keeping pressure on Manning. I'm going with Houston on this one.

Buffalo will be better coached this season, but Miami made some big moves in the offseason to bolster their offense outside of the Wildcat formation. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson should really gel this year and it should show when they beat Chicago (I've never really been sold on Jay Cutler as a starting QB). As a side, I see Detroit climbing to 3rd place in the NFC North, but I digress. Michael Turner's return to the field will give Matt Ryan the help he needs to beat Pittsburgh this week. With Cleveland and Tampa I'm simply going with the home team. New England still has some doubters in regards to defense, but their offense still remains one of the most potent in the NFL. I'm also not really sold on Cincinnati's ability to slow Tom Brady enough to win the game. Oakland made some offensive upgrades this offseason, but here I question the playcalling (based on what they did in Week 17 last season, a decision which allowed the Ravens to win and cost the Texans their Wildcard spot). I expect Tennesee to capitalize on this and pull out the win. Carolina pulled it together after benching Jake Delhomme last season and rattled off a couple of tough wins. The NY Giants seemed in a little disarray this preseason, which is why I think they will lose. Both Seattle and St. Louis were NFC West bottom dwellers last season. Although changes were made for the better, I still see both teams losing this Sunday. Green Bay showed some really good play on offense this preseason and although their secondary remains suspect, I don't think Philadelphia will be able to take advantage.

Another big rivalry game happens in the NFC East on Sunday Night. Dallas seemed a team in disarray this preseason. All one had to do was watch the game in Houston in Week 3. There are those who are saying "it's only preseason" and "there was no gameplanning"... yadda yadda yadda. Some were even saying that Jerry Jones was making the team hold back and that it will be a different team in Week 1. All I saw was a team that couldn't get anything together. Washington made some serious upgrades this offseason, and when it comes down to it, I think McNabb is still a better QB than Tony Romo.

Monday Night is a doubleheader with the first game seeing Baltimore at the New York Jets. I'm not sold on Mark Sanchez's ability to lead this team as I don't think he's the QB that he is hyped to be. The coaching staff even had to keep a tight leash on him last season as he became turnover prone. The NYJ defense should be tough, but Darelle Revis will not be ready to step up in this game. Baltimore has a nasty defense and their offense should be just as good, if not better than last year, which is why they will win. The second game will be San Diego visiting Kansas City. Let's just say I don't think Kansas City has gotten any better.

This being Week 1, there's really no telling how things will shake out, but these are my best guesses given what I saw this preseason. Let's get this thing rolling!