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Cowboys-Eagles
Philly has home field advantage and is the better team across the board. Dallas may score an early touchdown and lead in the first quarter, but I predict Saquon Barkley and the Eagles will take care of business in the season opener and win the game 28-14, with 2 TD from Barkley. Barkley had 1,200+ rushing yards last season with the Giants, and his presence in Philly adds even more firepower to an offense that ranked 3rd in scoring last year.
ML: Eagles | Spread: -7
Chiefs-Chargers
The Kansas City Chiefs, who got blown out 41-14 by the Eagles in the Super Bowl 7 months ago, will take on Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday night. This game is where I will predict an upset for the Chargers. The Chiefs are still an amazing team, but they looked weaker in the regular season last year (11-6 record, 9th in total offense — their lowest in the Mahomes era). Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh are going into their second years, and Herbert should be more comfortable in the system. Ladd McConkey posted an impressive 82-1,149-7 rookie season, and should continue to impress come Friday night. Overall, I have the Chargers sneaking away with the upset at home 24-21.
Dolphins-Colts
The Colts recently decided to start Daniel Jones over former 4th overall pick Anthony Richardson. Many fans and analysts alike are predicting a bad season for the Colts, and I agree with them. While the Colts’s roster has definitely improved since last year with the additions of Cam Bynum, Charvarius Ward, and first-round pick TE Tyler Warren, the locker room and morale were on a downward trend last year. Daniel Jones threw 9 TDs to 10 INTs last season, and that will never inspire confidence. The Dolphins, despite some roster turnover and inconsistency, will take care of business and defeat the Colts 31-19.
Steelers-Jets
The Aaron Rodgers revenge match takes place in East Rutherford on Sunday at 1 PM EST. Aaron Rodgers vs. Justin Fields may be the worst QB matchup of the day, but we are going to watch regardless. The Steelers boast an amazing defense (5th in points allowed last year) and are well coached. The Jets also had a top-10 defense in 2024 but were dragged down by Rodgers’ lackluster play before his injury. With Aaron Glenn and Justin Fields in charge, they’ll try to reset — but I still predict a boring yet hard-fought 16-10 Steelers victory.
Panthers-Jaguars
Bryce Young vs Trevor Lawrence, a battle of two former first overall picks who some would consider disappointing. I think Bryce Young showed amazing growth in the back half of the 2024 season (10 TDs, 2 INTs over his last six games), but he was still benched early and looked scared in the first few weeks. The Panthers also drafted WR Tet McMillan with the 8th overall pick. Second-year HC Dave Canales will face off against first-year HC Liam Coen, and I predict Canales and the Carolina Panthers will come out with the victory 28-24.
Cardinals-Saints
The Saints are starting Spencer Rattler despite drafting 25-year-old Tyler Shough in the second round. Rattler struggled in preseason (3 INTs, 55% completion), and I predict a Cardinals 21-16 victory over the Saints. Kyler Murray’s legs will make the difference.
Giants-Commanders
The Giants will be starting Russell Wilson in 2025, while the Commanders will be starting Jayden Daniels at home. This should be a free-throw type of win for the Commanders, who recently made the NFC Championship Game after beating the Lions 45-31. Daniels had 27 passing TDs and 9 rushing TDs as a rookie, and he should only improve. Commanders win 34-12.
Buccaneers-Falcons
I am a big Penix believer, but Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers are on a different level than the Atlanta Falcons. Mayfield had a career-best 4,200 passing yards last season. The Bucs will pull out a close 34-31 victory after a game-winning Chase McLaughlin field goal.
Bengals-Browns
The Browns have five QBs in their room and are starting 40-year-old Joe Flacco. Flacco may look good for a quarter or two, but he can’t be consistent and the Browns have too many holes everywhere else. Cincinnati went 13-4 with Burrow healthy last year, and I expect more of the same. Bengals win 38-22.
Raiders-Patriots
This game will be an interesting matchup. Geno Smith, Pete Carroll returning to coach, Drake Maye’s second year, and Mike Vrabel also returning to coach. Both of these teams are similar in talent, but I believe the Patriots will win the game 27-17. Maye threw for 23 TDs as a rookie and should take another step.
49ers-Seahawks
Sam Darnold will face his former team, unfortunately not to the same results this time, in my opinion. The 49ers are healthier this season (though Aiyuk is on IR), and their defense ranked 2nd overall last year. They win handily, 35-24.
Titans-Broncos
Cam Ward’s first game against an amazing Broncos defense is not a good matchup for him. Denver allowed just 17.2 points per game last season. I believe the score will reflect just that, as the Bo Nix–led Broncos win 21-10.
Lions-Packers
This game is going to be amazing. These teams had a combined 26-8 record last year, with the Packers losing in the wild card and Lions in the divisional round. Jordan Love threw for 34 TDs last year, but ultimately, the Detroit Lions will power past potential offensive struggles with Ben Johnson leaving and secure the win 26-22.
Texans-Rams
CJ Stroud had a bit of a sophomore slump last year (21 TDs, 15 INTs), but will start his junior season with a bang and defeat the Los Angeles Rams 40-32. In a high-scoring shootout, Matthew Stafford and the Rams fall just short.
Ravens-Bills
The first SNF game of the season will not disappoint. Lamar Jackson vs Josh Allen in Buffalo on Sunday Night Football is peak football. Buffalo is 20-3 at home in the past two regular seasons, and I predict — just like in the divisional round of the playoffs — the Bills will edge out the Ravens 28-24.
Vikings-Bears
Our final game of Week 1 is going to be a must-watch. It will be JJ McCarthy’s first start after tearing his ACL before his rookie season. It will also be Ben Johnson’s first ever game as HC, and Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze’s second season together. Williams had 26 TDs as a rookie, and Odunze went over 1,000 yards. Due to experience and McCarthy’s lack thereof, the Bears will secure the win 24-14.
Conclusion
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