The NFL officially returned on August 4th when the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins faced off in the Hall of Fame Game. However, those games do not count. Starting today, the road to New York for Super Bowl XLVIII starts tonight. Let's preview all of the Week 1 matchups.
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| Ravens' Jacoby Jones catches game-tying touchdown pass against the Broncos in last year's AFC Divisional Round game. |
Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos
Thursday September 5, 2013 8:30pm
NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
This game is a rematch of last year's AFC Divisional Round thriller, which the Ravens won in double overtime en route to their championship. It is a shame the Ravens don't get to open their season at home, as MLB decided to be selfish and keep a game between the Baltimore Orioles and the last place Chicago White Sox at 7:05pm instead of moving it to 1:05pm. Camden Yards, home of the Orioles, and M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens, share parking lots, so holding a game simultaneously is out of the question.
Now on to the game. People should caution against judging the entire season based off of this one game. It's only Week 1, and we remember the Broncos started 2-3 last season before winning 11 straight. Both teams will have issues tonight. The Ravens are missing a lot of pieces from last year's team, so it'll be interesting to see how Joe Flacco does in a leadership role. For the Broncos, they will be missing Champ Bailey tonight. They're also missing Von Miller, and Dan Koppen tore his ACL in training camp so the offensive line will be missing a key part. The Broncos still have Peyton Manning, and that's more than enough.
Baltimore Ravens 10 Denver Broncos 27
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
The chatter has already begun in this game, as Bills' wide receiver Stevie Johnson proclaimed the Patriots didn't have anyone in their secondary who can stop him. While that is possibly true, that doesn't necessarily mean the Bills will win the game. Bills' head coach Doug Marrone has said rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel will play, not too long after a knee procedure. The Bills' offense showed promise under the direction of Manuel in the preseason, so it's possible the Bills can win this game.
The Patriots had a disastrous offseason, but they still have one of the game's best players in Tom Brady. That's enough for the Patriots to have another season where they'll probably have over 11 wins and win the AFC East. I'm also interested to see if Kenbrell Thompkins gets more playing time over the course of the season. He looked good in the preseason, and Brady needs wide receivers after Danny Amendola. For this game, however, I'm predicting an upset.
New England Patriots 24 Buffalo Bills 27
Seattle Seahawks vs. Carolina Panthers
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Chris Myers, Tim Ryan
Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton is going into his third season as the starter now, so bigger things are expected of him. The Panthers have built a solid front seven to their defense, but their secondary remains a question. Linebacker Luke Kuechly had a very good preseason, highlighted by a dominant performance against the Ravens. The offense is the biggest question mark. Newton didn't show any improvement in the preseason, so it might be time he's on a short leash if he doesn't get the job done this year.
The Seahawks have lofty expectations coming into the season, and rightfully so. Their secondary is probably the best in the league, and they have a quarterback who is most likely their franchise quarterback in Russell Wilson. They'll rely on a power run game led by Marshawn Lynch, so the Seahawks are ready to dominate, and it'll start with this game.
Seattle Seahawks 24 Carolina Panthers 7
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Chicago Bears
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
This is the second consecutive season the Bears are opening the season at home against an AFC opponent. Last year, they welcomed then-rookie Andrew Luck to the league and won handily. This game will not be the same as they'll face a formidable opponent in the Bengals, a team many people believe can win the AFC North. Third-year quarterback Andy Dalton will look to become the leader the Bengals need him to be in order to leap into championship contention.
The Bears have a new coach in Marc Trestman, so this means a new offense yet again for Jay Cutler. Cutler has been given passes because of the constant changing, but he simply has to play better if the Bears want to get back to the playoffs. The defense remains pretty much the same except the absence of Brian Urlacher, and that is huge. The Bears are one of the mysteries going into this season.
Cincinnati Bengals 20 Chicago Bears 23
Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
The Dolphins are one of the teams people are talking about when making the leap from mediocre to potential playoff contender. I'm not sold on that idea. However, the Dolphins have a lot of talented pieces. Their issue is at the most important position, however. Ryan Tannehill will need to improve and I just can't see it happening. Anything is possible though.
The Browns are rolling with Brandon Weeden again, and the Browns are looking for him to step up and play better. The Browns lost a lot of games last year that were close so Weeden will need to close the door on some of these games for the Browns to improve. Paul Kruger was able to get paid off of his performance with the Ravens, but can he be the same effective player with the Browns? Time will tell.
Miami Dolphins 17 Cleveland Browns 23
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
The Vikings were the team no one expected to get to the playoffs, but they did on the strength of running back Adrian Peterson. The Vikings won't be able to just ride Peterson to the playoffs again. Christian Ponder has to improve and show he is the franchise quarterback. The Vikings did win in Detroit last year and they'll be looking to do it for another season. A road win against a division rival is a good start.
The Lions are only two years removed from going 10-6 and making it to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They still have a lot of young talent and a solid defensive line and a decent secondary with the pickup of safety Glover Quin. Matthew Stafford threw for 5,000 yards again, but only had 20 touchdown passes and was erratic with the football. If Stafford continues to be erratic, the Lions will have another season like 2012. If he's able to turn it around, the Lions can be a playoff team this year.
Minnesota Vikings 20 Detroit Lions 31
Oakland Raiders vs. Indianapolis Colts
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Marv Albert, Rich Gannon
An article on nfl.com reveals all you need to know about the state of the Raiders' quarterback problems. The Raiders will start the season with Terrelle Pryor as their starting quarterback after Matt Flynn was unable to keep it for a second straight season. However, that article says there are people within the Raiders who believe Matt McGloin gives the Raiders the best chance to win. Wow!
McGloin is an undrafted rookie out of Penn State, and had a rather unimpressive career there platooning with Rob Bolden. The Raiders drafted Tyler Wilson out of Arkansas and he was a sleeper going into camp, but he performed terribly this preseason as well and is now on the practice squad. You can't make this stuff up.
Oakland Raiders 3 Indianapolis Colts 31
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Spero Dedes, Steve Tasker
The Chiefs already had an impressive defense, but they struggled last season due to poor play from the quarterback position. A turbulent season in which one of the players took his own life resulted in the firing of Romeo Crennel. Insert Andy Reid, who got the ax from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs also traded for quarterback Alex Smith, so I believe the Chiefs have taken care of their issues.
Starting the season against the Jaguars is a good way to get the season off on the right foot. It'll be very interesting to see how the Chiefs perform. I believe they're a playoff team with their current roster and coaching staff. A weak AFC conference certainly helps.
Kansas City Chiefs 24 Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
People in the New Orleans and Atlanta areas call this a fiery rivalry. People outside of both regions don't necessarily care for the rivalry. Nonetheless, they are the two best teams in the NFC South and have had thrilling games in recent years. Starting the season playing against one another makes this an entertaining start to the season for both teams.
The outcome of this game won't have the greatest effect on the final standings, but these division games are always important. Both teams would love to get the win. The Saints getting Sean Payton back is huge for the team in getting back to the playoffs. I give the upper hand to the Saints now.
Atlanta Falcons 24 New Orleans Saints 28
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| Buccaneers' Darrelle Revis faces his former team in the first game of the season, and is coming off of last year's torn ACL. |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Jets
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch
When the schedule makers decided to match the Buccaneers against the Jets in Week 1, Darrelle Revis was still with the Jets. However, there were many rumors flying around that the Buccaneers were looking to acquire him. It made sense since Revis wanted to get paid and the Buccaneers had a lot of salary cap space. The inevitable eventually happened, and Revis became a Buccaneer. Now the Jets have to face him...in Week 1!
The Buccaneers also acquired safety Dashon Goldson, so their secondary is looking very good to start the season. The Buccaneers defense may improve a lot, but that isn't the question when it comes to their success. How will Josh Freeman play? That's the biggest question. See how I avoided any Jets soap opera talk. Now only if ESPN can just do the same.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 New York Jets 17
Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday September 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
The Titans have Gregg Williams on the coaching staff for the defense, with a couple of key additions in tight end Delanie Walker and safety Bernard Pollard. Other than that, I'm not sure what the Titans can look forward to this season. The Steelers, on the other hand, are the unknown. They finished 8-8, but Ben Roethlisberger missed a couple of games due to injury. It's hard to gauge just how good the Steelers can be because Roethlisberger is always getting hurt.
The Steelers need him now more than ever because their defense isn't the same as it was a couple of years ago. If he can stay healthy, the Steelers can be a playoff team and even win the AFC North. If he isn't healthy for the entire year, forget about it.
Tennessee Titans 13 Pittsburgh Steelers 24
Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams
Sunday September 8, 2013 4:25pm
FOX -- Dick Stockton, Ronde Barber
The Cardinals have talked the talk so far this offseason and preseason, so I'm anxious to see if Carson Palmer can make this football team better. When the Raiders acquired him in the 2011 season, he was heralded as the savior for the franchise by head coach Hue Jackson. Palmer didn't play well and the Raiders fortunes haven't turned for the better, so the Raiders parted ways with him. Palmer has Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd, so he has weapons.
Sam Bradford should be on a short leash at this point. He hasn't quite been able to get the Rams to the playoffs, but he also hasn't been helped out with a good group of wide receivers either. Danny Amendola was reliable, but he was often injured. The drafting of Tavon Austin should help Bradford out a lot. Austin is very explosive and all Bradford needs to do is dump the ball to him and he can make plays in space. Interesting season for both teams ahead.
Arizona Cardinals 10 St. Louis Rams 13
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| 49ers' Colin Kaepernick scores touchdown in last year's NFC Divisional Round game against the Packers. |
Sunday September 8, 2013 4:25pm
FOX -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
These two teams started their regular season last year at Lambeau Field. For the Packers, the matchup between themselves and the 49ers was also their final game of the season as well. The 49ers were dominant in both games, with the first one being started by Alex Smith. The playoff game was started by Colin Kaepernick, and he gashed the Packers' defense with the read-option. Packers' linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. vowed to hit the quarterback everytime on the read-option, drawing the ire of 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh.
I don't think Matthews is threatening or targeting the quarterback in an illegal way at all. The way to stop the read-option is to hit the quarterback on every play. The quarterback is fair play on every read-option so these quarterbacks better get used to getting hit often. These coaches can also stop running it to protect their quarterback.
Green Bay Packers 27 San Francisco 49ers 38
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday September 8, 2013 8:30pm
NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
The Giants are a perfect 4-0 in the new Cowboys Stadium, now named AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys really shouldn't be worried about that statistic. They should just worry about starting the season 1-0 and getting off to a fast start in the division. Whether the Giants win or lose this game, getting off to a solid first half start has never been their problem. The second half of the season has been their problem.
While the Giants started last season at 6-2, their two losses were in the division, which was a huge setback. They ended up at 3-3 in the division, which was one of the main reasons for them not making the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl. Winning these division games is something head coach Tom Coughlin will stress to his team. This game isn't a must win for either team, but much like the matchup between the Falcons and Saints, both teams would love to have the win.
New York Giants 27 Dallas Cowboys 21
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| Redskins' Robert Griffin III will look to bounce back from last year's torn ACL. |
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins
Monday September 9, 2013 7:10pm
ESPN -- Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden
This is a very intriguing game for both teams. For the Redskins, they are coming off of their first division crown in more than ten years. They have a dynamic quarterback in Robert Griffin III, but he's coming off an ACL injury and observers are dying to see how he reacts to being hit. Observers also want to see what head coach Mike Shanahan does with the offense. Does he continue to make Griffin III a runner or does he start to make him a traditional pocket passing quarterback?
For the Eagles, the hire of former University of Oregon head coach Chip Kelly means the Eagles will be in hurry-up mode throughout the game. This makes the Eagles the unknown coming into the season. Will this style of play help Michael Vick play much better? How will defenses try to slow down Kelly's offensive attack? The Redskins' defense is the first exhibit on attempting to slow down the Eagles. Good luck!
Philadelphia Eagles 34 Washington Redskins 27
Houston Texans vs. San Diego Chargers
Monday September 9, 2013 10:20pm
ESPN -- Chris Berman, Trent Dilfer
Philip Rivers has proven to be the Chargers' franchise quarterback in the past, but a lack of offensive weapons and a lot of poor decisions in the past couple of years have analysts criticizing him more than ever. Rivers has a new head coach in Mike McCoy, so the Chargers are the unknown going into this season. They have shady offensive line play, and a defense that doesn't look imposing. I'll put the Broncos and Chiefs ahead of them in the AFC West.
The Texans are coming off a season that ended in disappointing fashion. The Texans had opportunities to claim a first round bye in the playoffs and even get the top seed in the AFC. However, they played poorly in the final month and lost out on that opportunity. Then they were gashed by the Patriots in the playoffs, to no one's surprise. Their defense is still pretty good and they are still rolling with a number of offensive weapons. The only question mark...a guy named Matt Schaub?
Houston Texans 27 San Diego Chargers 17
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