2017 NFL Week 1 Picks

Here are my picks for week one of the 2017 NFL season.

Thursday, September 7th
Kansas City Chiefs vs New England Patriots; 8:30, NBC: This should be a fun season opener between two teams that met in the playoffs two seasons ago in Foxboro. The Pats will be fired up for this game and they'll start the season with a win.
Prediction: New England 27, Kansas City 16.

Sunday, September 10th
New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills; 1:00, CBS: Here we have a battle of two division rivals which one of them is clearly tanking and the other might be tanking. The Bills actually have a good defensive line and have a solid running game with LeSean McCoy. The Jets are just so bad offensively and they traded Sheldon Richardson away and their defense got worse and because of that and it's very risky, the Bills are my lock of the week.
Prediction: Buffalo 27, NY Jets 10.

Oakland Raiders vs Tennessee Titans; 1:00, CBS: This should be a fun game to watch between two teams with high expectations. Expect a ton of points in this game and I believe Derek Carr and Amare Cooper will lead the way for the Raiders to a good road win.
Prediction: Oakland 30, Tennessee 27.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns; 1:00, CBS: First overall pick Myles Garrett makes his NFL regular season, but it won't be easy for the Browns. The Steelers finally have their full team together and they'll roll to a week one victory on the road.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 30, Cleveland 13.

Baltimore Ravens vs Cincinnati Bengals; 1:00, CBS: This should be a fun game between two teams that are looking to make the playoffs this season. I picked the Ravens to make the postseason and the Bengals to miss out, but the Bengals have owned the Ravens recently, especially at home. Give me the Bengals to win a low scoring game.
Prediction: Cincinnati 17, Baltimore 13.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Houston Texans; 1:00, CBS: Tom Savage vs Blake Bortles is the worst quarterback matchup of week one although Tyrod Taylor vs Josh McCown may be worse. The Texans defense is lights out and they'll force Bortles into mistakes and I can see DeAndre Hopkins making big plays for the Texans offensively as well.
Prediction: Houston 20, Jacksonville 10.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins; 1:00, FOX: This should be a fun game between these NFC East rivals. Both teams have had some offseason turnover, but I like the Eagles on the road here and I believe Carson Wentz outplays Kirk Cousins.
Prediction: Philadelphia 27, Washington 23.

Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears; 1:00, FOX: Mike Glennon will be starting for the Bears, so we probably won't see Mitch Trubisky unless this game gets out of hand, which it might. The Falcons will have a chip on their shoulder all season trying to revenge that heartbreaking Super Bowl loss and I believe they'll come hot rolling here against a rebuilding Bears team.
Prediction: Atlanta 34, Chicago 17.

Arizona Cardinals vs Detroit Lions; 1:00, FOX: This should be a fun game between one team looking to build on last seasons success and the other trying to rebound from a disappointing season from a season ago. The Cardinals are the team poised for a bounce back and the Lions are poised for regression. That's what this game will show us as David Johnson will put on a show for the Cardinals.
Prediction: Arizona 27, Detroit 20.

Indianapolis Colts vs Los Angeles Rams; 4:05, CBS: If Andrew Luck was playing, this game would have been more intriguing. But nope, we have Scott Tolzien vs Jared Goff. Goff is expected to make a jump this season and I believe he and Todd Gurley will take advantage of a bad Colts defense and the rebuilding Rams will start the season with a win.
Prediction: Los Angeles 24, Indianapolis 13.

Carolina Panthers vs San Francisco 49ers; 4:25, FOX: The Panthers and Cam Newton are a team poised to bounce back from a disappointing season a year ago. The 49ers are a team in rebuilding mode, but they are heading in the right direction with the hirings they made in the front office and coaching staff. Christian McCaffrey is also making his NFL debut and he'll turn many heads and show why he's the favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Prediction: Carolina 30, San Francisco 17.

Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers; 4:25, FOX: These are two of the best teams in the NFC facing off. The Seahawks still have a dominant defense, but I have concerns about their offensive line and whether they can protect Russell Wilson. The Packers being the home team here is what gives them an edge here and Aaron Rodgers will lead the way yet again.
Prediction: Green Bay 27, Seattle 20.

New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys; 8:30, NBC: This is certainly the best game of week one although Seahawks/Packers is a good one too. The Giants defensive line is so dominant and they did a nice job stopping Ezekiel Elliott last season. Elliott got his suspension overturned, but I'm gonna say Odell Beckham Jr plays despite the ankle injury and the Giants pull out a close one in Jerry World again.
Prediction: NY Giants 24, Dallas 21.

Monday, September 11th
New Orleans Saints vs Minnesota Vikings; 6:55, ESPN: The intrigue of this game is the return of Adrian Peterson to Minneapolis. The Saints did try improve the defense over the offseason, but I'm gonna say the Vikings defense and special teams is the difference in this one and rookie Dalvin Cook will be a factor too.
Prediction: Minnesota 24, New Orleans 20.

Los Angeles Chargers vs Denver Broncos; 10:15, ESPN: This should be an entertaining game between these two division rivals. The Chargers will be improved this season and Phillip Rivers has had fine moments in Denver, but the Broncos tend to rise to the occasion in primetime home games, so give me the Broncos ago home.
Prediction: Denver 23, San Diego 20.