Week 1 officially got underway Thursday night when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks handed the the Green Bay Packers a convincing 36-16 defeat.
That was Game 1 of Week 1, and there are 15 more NFL games on the slate this Sunday and Monday night.
XN Sports will take a look at each of the other 15 matchups, providing you with one bold prediction. Check them out below:
Oakland vs. New York Jets
Rookie Derek Carr will get his first NFL start against a ferocious Rex Ryan defense. Good luck, rookie. On the other side of the ball, a veteran-laden Raiders defense gets to see if Geno Smith can make strides his sophomore season.
Prediction: Though it’s the Raiders, expect Smith to start making believers out of us. As a rookie, he showed promise down the stretch. Now he has a true No. 1 receiver in Eric Decker and a steady stable of running backs, and should be able to progress.
New Orleans vs. Atlanta
New Orleans will challenge those aforementioned Seahawks for NFC supremacy, while Atlanta is looking to put a disappointing 2013 campaign in the rear-view mirror. This game has the makings of a shootout in the Georgia Dome with one this week’s highest over/under lines.
Prediction: In a game that could be closer than people think, expect unheralded running backs to make the greatest impact. On the Falcons’ side, look for Steven Jackson to emerge from the dead. For the Saints, there’s former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram who impressed this preseason.
Minnesota vs. St. Louis
The Matt Cassel vs. Shaun Hill showdown doesn’t carry much intrigue. These two defenses will probably dominate this one, as Mike Zimmer looks to make his head coaching debut and Jeff Fisher trots out arguably the best defensive front four in the league.
Prediction: This game will be low-scoring and close, and might be the best bet to come down to a field goal or safety being the difference between winning and losing. Let’s go out on a limb and say a safety; it’s just more fun.
Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh
No, it won’t be Johnny Football’s first NFL start, but it will be the head coaching debut for Mike Pettine and a very up-and-coming Browns defense. The Browns get their rival Steelers at the Big Ketchup Bottle, where Big Ben and Co. are being touted as a sleeper Super Bowl contender.
Prediction: There are a lot of questions about Pittsburgh, from its wide receivers to a second-year running back to a newly renovated defense. First-round pick Ryan Shazier winds up proving those naysayers wrong, coming up with a pick-six of Brian Hoyer.
Buffalo vs. Chicago
The Bills and second-year quarterback EJ Manuel did not look very good during the preseason, while Chicago addressed its defense as it attempts to become a more balanced team. Chicago is the heavy favorite in this one as it vies for a NFC North crown.
Prediction: When I said Manuel didn’t look good, I’m being politically correct. This could be the confidence boost this Bears D needs to start the year. Look for rookie Kyle Fuller, veteran Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings to each pick off the Bills’ quarterback, and don’t be surprised if Kyle Orton makes an appearance late.
Washington vs. Houston
Two new coaches face off in this one. Jay Gruden is in Washington, looking to help Robert Griffin III and Co. bounce back from a subpar 2013. Bill O’Brien is aiming to do the same in Houston, but with a host of mediocre quarterback talent. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the guy, at least for Week 1.
Prediction: Griffin had an awful preseason, but I’m not ready to throw the towel on him as a possible Comeback Player of the Year candidate. The Texans’ secondary can be exploited (if he can survive the pass rush of J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney). I think Griffin and new weapon DeSean Jackson show signs of a major deep connection right off the bat.
Tennessee vs. Kansas City
This game might just be the dud of the week. It’s Ken Whisenhunt‘s debut as the Titans’ head coach and the first we’ll see of Jake Locker in what’s clearly a make-or-break 2014 season. On the other end of the spectrum, Alex Smith just got paid by Kansas City, but are the Chiefs poised to regress from being a playoff team last year? Probably.
Prediction: Locker is the better quarterback in this game, by far. Whether it’s a better wide receiving corps or simply more to prove, it’s Locker over Smith, who has Jamaal Charles and a bunch of no-names.
New England vs. Miami
There’s a lot riding on the Patriots this season, but then again, when isn’t there a lot of hype leading up to the NFL season for them? Tom Brady gets back his dangerous tight end Rob Gronkowski, as well as a healthy Danny Amendola split wide. Miami has a new offensive coordinator, Bill Lazor, who has installed a Chip Kelly-esque tempo.
Prediction: New England has had four months to prepare for Miami. That seems unfair. Gronk plays, sparingly, but still winds up with three touchdowns. He’s just a mismatch who’s eager to bounce back. He’ll prove again to be Brady’s best weapon.
Carolina vs. Tampa Bay
More head coaching debuts for Lovie Smith, who’s now with the Bucs after what seemed like forever in Chicago and then a one-year hiatus. The Panthers stole much of the offseason storylines with their losses — along the offensive line, in the receiving corps, and the defensive secondary.
Prediction: It’s tough to predict injuries and it’s not fair to suggest someone will get hurt, but the strength of Tampa is their defensive front seven. Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David and Co. will be all over Cam Newton, who enters Week 1 already banged up. He’ll be sacked plenty, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the hits were enough to knock him out a week or so.
San Francisco vs. Dallas
The 49ers’ normally stout defense has lost a number of key contributors, via free agency and due to injuries and suspensions to begin the year. Does that mean the offense takes on a bigger role? On the other side, Dallas’ defense has not made any moves that suggest they’ll be better than last year, when they were awful.
Prediction: This will be the highest-scoring game of the week, and it would not surprise me to see the final score close to 45-36, way greater than +/- 51 that Vegas set for it.
Indianapolis vs. Denver
Oh man, the biggest game of the week gives us two AFC powers in Andrew Luck‘s Colts and Peyton Manning‘s Broncos. Luck has even more weapons around him with the return of Reggie Wayne, but we await what Trent Richardson is going to bring to the table. Manning, too, has more weapons in the form of Emmanuel Sanders and Cody Latimer, plus a re-tooled defense.
Prediction: Luck plays his best in big games against elite opponents, but Manning kills it in season openers. This game, like San Fran vs. Dallas, could be ultra high-scoring, so let’s say one of Denver’s newest defensive additions — DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward or Aqib Talib — makes the game-winning play.
New York Giants vs. Detroit
Eli Manning must prove whether he is still capable of being an NFL starting quarterback or concede he can longer throw with the best of them. The defense has a newly revamped secondary, but let’s see if the front four can rush the passer like the championship teams did. Detroit is going to see new coach Jim Caldwell make his debut, and we’ll see whether his presence can help the normally turnover-prone Matthew Stafford and that potentially top-three offense.
Prediction: Manning is going to lose his starting job, either at some point in the year or by the season’s end. This is the game the demise begins. Against a subpar Lions defense, Manning throws three picks and is on his backside more often than he completes passes.
San Diego vs. Arizona
The Monday Night Football capper, this pins two contenders in the West against one another. Philip Rivers is coming off a resurgent 2013, while Carson Palmer looks to do just the same in 2014. Both Mike McCoy and Bruce Arians are entering their second year with their respective teams, so it’s time to see what they have up their sleeve.
Prediction: Palmer actually outplays Rivers in this one. Palmer has had another offseason with Arians, with more offensive weapons like John Brown, and is lining up against a defense with new starters in the secondary. The Bolts have a better chance of making the playoffs than Arizona, but the Cards get the best of them in this one.
