Week 1 Record: 8-8
Thursday, Sept. 17
Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) @ Cleveland Browns (0-1) – 8:20 PM ET, NFLN
No team looked worse on opening weekend than the Browns. Drops, turnovers, special team miscues, you name it, they had it. Now they come home on a short week to play a much more forgiving opponent in the Bengals. As expected, Joe Burrow was up and down in his NFL debut, but boy is he exciting. His final drive was superb with pinpoint, decisive throws, including the throw to the pylon for AJ Green that should’ve been the game-winner had Green not pushed off. Then Randy Bullock picked a bad time to get cramps for the first time ever during a kick and boom: a loss. This game could go either way, but from what I saw from the Browns, I can’t see them fixing their issues in only four days.
Pick: Bengals 24-17
Sunday Sept. 20
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) @ Tennessee Titans (1-0) – 1:00 PM ET, CBS
How bout dem Jags? Pegged as the team to get the #1 pick, Gardner Minshew misfires on one pass en route to a 3 TD pass performance in victory over the Colts. Rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault had a solid debut as another receiver opposite DJ Chark, and they even used him as a running back on a couple of plays. Their other rookies like CJ Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson made some impact plays, too, especially the former who had a couple of breakups on the last drive. Now they get to play the Titans who have had this team’s number in the past. They’ve won five of the previous six meetings against Jacksonville, including last year’s explosive play fest where Derrick Henry ripped them for almost two bills. Henry was a workhorse again in Denver, but the Titans may need to find ways to score touchdowns and not leave it up to Stephen Gostkowski every week after missing four kicks.
Pick: Titans 27-20
Carolina Panthers (0-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) – 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Not an inspiring performance by the Bucs in New Orleans on Sunday. Tom Brady had some misfires, Donovan Smith was a turnstyle at left tackle, Mike Evans was shut down, and penalties galore set them behind the eight ball all game. It will take some time for Brady to gel with his receivers, and this time around they have an easier matchup. The Panthers’ defense wasn’t able to make stops against the Raiders, and in crunch time, the front four was getting pushed around. Teddy Bridgewater played exactly like he normally does, not flashy but not self-destructive. To win this one, Matt Rhule may need to rely on him to wing it around, as the Bucs shut Christian McCaffrey down in both meetings last year, and their run defense looks just as good.
Pick: Buccaneers 27-19
Denver Broncos (0-1) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) – 1:00 PM ET, CBS
After a slow start on Monday night, Ben Roethlisberger started to catch fire in the second half against the Giants. Despite struggling mightily in the first half, Dionte Johnson was trusted by his veteran quarterback to convert some crucial third downs late in the fourth quarter. Perhaps James Conner’s injury is a blessing in disguise, because Benny Snell Jr ran over 100 yards and was running hard. If Conner is shelved for his ankle injury, Snell could find himself in the top spot on the depth chart for good. Even with Conner hurt, they’re still healthier than the Broncos. They lost Philip Lindsay to an undisclosed leg injury, and they were already without Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler. Noah Fant is slowly emerging as a play-making tight end, but they will need those guys back for them to score more than 14 points. By the way, Von Miller’s absence was quite noticeable.
Pick: Steelers 28-20
Los Angeles Rams (1-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (0-1) – 1:00 PM ET, FOX
That was ugly. Carson Wentz was lucky to leave the nation’s capital alive after getting sacked a career-high 8 times by Washington. We already knew the offensive line was shuffled because of injuries, and then they had to move down to their third string right guard and right tackle who have never played a snap in the NFL before. Not all sacks were on the O-line, though. Would it kill Carson Wentz to throw the ball away ever? He’s a young Ben Roethlisberger, both good and bad, and the bad is keeping the play alive only to lose ten yards. This offensive line now goes from Chase Young and Ryan Kerrigan to Aaron Donald and Samson Ebukam. GREAT. The Rams’ offense moved the ball on the ground well without Todd Gurley, and if they can keep the Eagles’ offense on the sideline, they could force Wentz to throw behind a patchwork line.
Pick: Rams 31-21
San Francisco 49ers (0-1) @ New York Jets (0-1) – 1:00 PM ET, FOX
The 49ers were the only team in the NFC West that lost week 1, and their margin for error is slim. They limp into the Meadowlands possibly without George Kittle and a receiving core that is already decimated. Jimmy G had a couple throws on the final drive that he would’ve loved to have back, but the fact they were in the opportunity for a win without his top targets shows how well coached they are. The same cannot be said about Adam Gase and the Jets. They began their season with three straight three-and-outs, and Le’Veon Bell was dragging his leg around all game with a bad hamstring. Why Gase didn’t take him out I’ll never know. A disoriented defense and a scrambled quarterback does not bode well for a Jets team that is staring at a long 2020 season.
Pick: 49ers 33-16
Buffalo Bills (1-0) @ Miami Dolphins (0-1) – 1:00 PM ET, CBS
The Bills dominated the Jets on Sunday, but it didn’t reflect as much in the final score. Josh Allen, who had his first career 300 yard game, lost two fumbles in Jets territory, missed a completely uncovered John Brown in the endzone, and they missed a field goal. Yet, they were still up 21-0 in the second quarter, and controlled the clock for over 41 minutes. They should’ve won by 30. The Dolphins are not coming off an embarrassing performance against the Patriots, but Ryan Fitzpatrick’s interceptions were killers, and unlike the Bills, they’re not a team that’s built to overcome self-inflicted wounds yet.
Pick: Bills 34-19
Minnesota Vikings (0-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (0-1) – 1:00 PM ET, FOX
That was a surprising and concerning no-show by the Vikings’ defense against Green Bay. They allowed their most yards in a game in two years, and they were on the field for a franchise-worst 41 minutes. The Colts are the type of offense that can keep opponents off the field with running the ball and quick throws by Philip Rivers. Therefore, the Vikings need to get off to a fast start and sustain drives. Indy’s offense got a huge punch to the gut when Marlon Mack was lost for the year to the dreaded torn Achilles, but they do have a talented rookie in Jonathan Taylor who will have to be the next man up. The Vikings’ defense MUST play better than last week, otherwise they’re staring 0-2 in the face.
Pick: Colts 30-24
Detroit Lions (0-1) @ Green Bay Packers (1-0) – 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Matt Patricia needs to watch out. Since his tenure in 2018, the Lions are 9-23-1. You want to hear something worse? Out of 33 games, they’ve blown a 4th quarter lead in 11 of them. That’s literally 1/3 of their games. One of the collapses includes Sunday, allowing Mitch Trubisky to toss three 4th quarter touchdowns, and D’Andre Swift having the biggest groan-worthy drop of the week with seconds remaining. An utter collapse on defense, and now they have to play the Packers who couldn’t be stopped against the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers began his revenge tour with fury, dropping bombs to Davante Adams and a soul-crushing touchdown to Marques Valdes-Scantling before the half. Against a Lions secondary that is bad and injured, expect another vintage performance by the twice-named MVP.
Pick: Packers 38-24
Atlanta Falcons (0-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (0-1) – 1:00 PM ET, FOX
I’m convinced that the Falcons’ defense is going to be terrible for as long as I live. It’s Groundhog Day in Atlanta, folks. Start off slow, give up a billion points, and then Matt Ryan throws for 450 yards and Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley each go over 100 yards in a loss by double digits. THIS is why Dan Quinn’s hot seat gets hotter every year. It’s not a favorable matchup against the Cowboys who underperformed offensively against the Rams. I was expecting more than 17 points, but I’m confident that they will score a lot of points on Sunday against a defense that offers no resistance.
Pick: Cowboys 41-30
New York Giants (0-1) @ Chicago Bears (1-0) – 1:00 PM ET, CBS
Monday night was the full Daniel Jones experience. He’s an exciting quarterback that can move the offense with quick decisions and third down scrambles, and he also has times where he commits mind-numbing turnovers that completely flips momentum. As for his counterpart, Mitch Trubisky would be a first ballot Hall of Famer if he played the Lions every week. Give him credit for coming up clutch in the end, but he still missed badly on quite a few throws in the first three quarters. The difference in this game is the Bears’ front four against a Giants offensive line that struggled mightily against the Steelers. Khalil Mack against Cam Flemming? Woof.
Pick: Bears 21-17
Washington Football Team (1-0) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-0) – 4:05 PM ET, FOX
All the talk about Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson is warranted, but let’s not forget about Kyler Murray. He’s so exciting to watch with the acceleration he has as a runner and the way the ball whips out of his hands is hard to defend. Deandre Hopkins was also hard to defend, too. A career-high 14 catches in his Cardinals debut exceeded my expectations, and it’s very comforting to see that the two had instant chemistry in an offseason with no preseason and limited practicing. Murray trying to run around against Washington’s pass rush will be a fun matchup. Washington’s front was frothing at the mouth against the Eagles, including Chase Young’s first sack and forced fumble of his career. How much of their success was because of Philly’s patchwork offensive line? It certainly helps, but eight sacks is eight sacks.
Pick: Cardinals 26-21
Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) – 4:25 PM ET, CBS
The Chargers escaped Cincinnati after Randy Bullock cramped up on his gimme 31-yard field goal attempt, and I think it’s safe to say that they will need to score more than 16 points to beat the Chiefs. Kansas City’s victory over the Texans was workmanlike with a lot of long, clock-chewing, chain-moving drives thanks to Clyde Edwards-Helaire moving the rock between the tackles. Tyrod Taylor will need to match Patrick Mahomes drive for drive, and cannot afford to have pointless possessions. There won’t be many times that I pick against the Chiefs this year, and this is no exception.
Pick: Chiefs 38-20
Baltimore Ravens (1-0) @ Houston Texans (0-1) – 4:25 PM ET, CBS
Unless they’re playing another Super Bowl contender, I’m going to be under the impression that the Ravens are going to beat up most opponents every week. What’s pretty crazy is that they actually didn’t dominate on the ground last week, yet Lamar Jackson tossed three touchdowns and they still scored 38 points like it was nothing. It’s up Deshaun Watson to keep up, and the receivers will need to get involved early. Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks had quiet debuts in their Texans uniforms, and the defense needs to do a better job of getting stops. If they can’t get off the field in key situations, the Texans will drop to 0-2.
Pick: Ravens 35-21
New England Patriots (1-0) @ Seattle Seahawks (1-0) – 8:20 PM ET, NBC
Now THIS is fun. Cam Newton’s Patriots debut involved rushing a career-high 15 times. I don’t think Tom Brady has 15 rushes for his entire career. There wasn’t much in the passing game, but with Cam’s running ability coupled with a defense that is still very good in the secondary, the Patriots still have a chance to be successful despite some empty passing numbers. Russell Wilson will be facing a better defense this week than what he saw in Atlanta, but there aren’t many defenses that win the battle against Wilson. The key is can the Seahawks’ defensive line win up front? They struggled to pressure Matt Ryan last week, and if Cam can march down the field on their first drive with his legs, Bill Belichick will not let up from the gameplan.
Pick: Seahawks 26-23
Monday, Sept. 21
New Orleans Saints (1-0) @ Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) – 8:15 PM ET, ESPN
Should the Saints be on upset alert here? They’re the better team in this matchup, but Michael Thomas looks like he won’t play with his ankle sprain. He wasn’t much of a factor last week even before his injury, and the Saints are now a short, condensed offense with not much down the field. The speed is on the other sideline. Henry Ruggs blew the top off the Panthers’ defense for a long catch, and if the Raiders’ offensive line can fend off Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport, Derek Carr could pick apart the secondary downfield. I still don’t trust the Raiders’ defense, though, as they allowed Teddy Bridgewater and Robby Anderson to burn them for 30 points.
Pick: Saints 27-23
Single Coverage 