Why I love Week 1
NFL fans are always looking forward to the playoffs and Superbowl. And don’t get me wrong, that’s the pentacle of the season. But, this time of year (Week 1) might just be the best, in my opinion. My Bengals fanship may affect this thought, but I still have my reasons.
Obviously, it’s the beginning of football season. Baseball and basketball are good sports in moderation, but nothing like football. The grass. The whistles. The hard hits. The deep bombs. The teams that come out of nowhere, and the ones that disappoint.
But the best thing in my mind is the fact that each and every team is still in it. We all have predictions, and we all know that some teams have a better chance of reaching the postseason than others, but that doesn’t mean that anyone is already out of the race.
So, whether you’re a Cowboys, Bills or Seahawks fan (I know, a little random), enjoy Week 1 of the NFL season and all the excitement and anticipation that comes with it. I know I will.
Rest of preview
I basically don’t have time to give you single post preview for each game, so here’s the rest of my previews and predictions:
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans
Jaguars 17, Titans 10
Jacksonville will find just enough offense to top the Titans. Even with their great ground game, they’ll fine trouble with the Titans’ stout line. However, the Titans offense won’t do much even though Vince Young should have time to make some plays.
New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins
Jets 16, Dolphins 14
I think Miami’s offense could have an excellent today against the Jets in the air and on the ground, with Chad Pennington making a bit of a statement. However, they don’t have enough weapons to beat New York, who will have a so-so day on Favre’s debut.
St. Louis Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles 24, Rams 13
Despite the absence of Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown, the Eagles’ O should have a nice day against St. Louis and its weak secondary, getting off to a strong start.
Dallas Cowboys @ Cleveland Browns
Cowboys 38, Browns 17
Cleveland’s thin secondary will get shredded by Tony Romo and the Cowboys for at least three hundred yards, probably more. Dallas’ defense won’t play that well with Terrence Newman out, but with the offensive input, it’ll more more than enough.
Carolina Panthers @ San Diego Chargers
Chargers 31, Panthers 10
Missing Steve Smith, the Panthers will struggle against San Diego. While they’ll put a good pass rush on Phillip Rivers, he’ll use all his weapons and LT to blow them out.
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49er’s
49er’s 16, Cardinals 9
San Francisco’s offense will have a decent day under Mike Martz, with JT O’Sullivan having a nice debut. Kurt Warner could struggle, and the Cardinals offense won’t be in sinc.
Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts
Colts 24, Bears 7
The Colts won’t have the biggest offensive day possible because of two starters on the offensive line being out, but it should be enough against a bad Bears’ offense. Because of Chicago’s struggles with stopping the run in the preseason, Joseph Addai could have a big day.
Blog Update
Very unfortunately, a time that I thought would be relatively easy in my life has become filled with work that I didn’t see coming. Therefore, as I just told Steven, my writing on this blog might be a little in and out for the next 2-3 weeks, possibly even including this weekend. I’m very sorry about this; I fully plan on writing full-time at NFL R&R, I just need to focus on some other things right now. Thank you for your patience, and please bear with me.
Seahawks @ Bills Preview
Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bills
1:00 EST, FOX
Injury Report
In one if the more interesting game of the weekend, the Seahawks travel to Buffalo to begin their season.
They’ll be missing one of their top weapons in Deion Branch though, making things more difficult. Matt Hasselback should still be able to make some plays in the air, as the Bills’ lack of a good corner creates some favorable match-ups. However, that might be the only thing they have going for them in this one. I don’t see their new-look running game doing much against a good front seven, and Hasselback will be slowed by a very good pass rush from the Bills.
Bills’ quarterback Trent Edwards may not be in top shape because of missing the last couple preseason games. It also doesn’t help that Jason Peters, the top offensive lineman on the team, will be out after missing all of camp. With a good secondary and front seven, despite the lack of pressure at times, Seattle has a very solid defense that will hamper the Bills’ passing game. If Marshawn Lynch can have a good opening day, they might be able to put some decent numbers on the board.
So, I’ll say Bills 20, Seahawks 16. The Bills’ offense will have a good enough day to win despite not doing much in the air, and the Seahawks’ offense will be limited because of a good pass rush from them.
News posts
Readers of this blog may have noticed a decline of NFL news posts this week. It’s true- I haven’t done much with it. But, they will be back next week; I’m still trying to get back into the flow of them (I was inactive on my old blog for 3 weeks before joining this one). Again, I’m sorry about the slow start, but it will be up and running soon.
In the meantime, I will continue to cover all of the games.
Lions @ Falcons Preview
Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons
1:00 EST, FOX
Injury Report
When I do the game rankings tomorrow (you’ll see), I have a feeling this game will go down as a, um, game in the lower category (you’ll see). It’s the Lions, a team that, well you know by now, and the Falcons, who are in a huge rebuilding stage and don’t plan on doing anything this season.
To be fair to Detroit, I guess they could win the North or grab a wild card spot, although it’s incredibly unlikely. Any team with Matt Millen should and probably will fail; look it up.
Now to this juggernaut of a game.
This one is actually fairly interesting, as there are plenty of things to look for on both offenses. Matt Ryan gets his first NFL start for Atlanta. He looked bad in his last preseason game, so we’ll have to see if he can rebound while also dealing with his nerves. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to do much because of the Falcons’ horrendously awful offensive line. Detroit’s line isn’t that good, but it will be in this game. If Ryan can buy some time (or if they can somehow block well. Ha, just kidding) he might be able to make some plays, passing to Roddy White and others. I do look for the Lions’ defense to have a pretty good day, though.
Although they should be a losing team, the Lions make fireworks on offense at times. Jon Kitna really needs to be replaced soon, but he can still wing it to their many weapons, mainly Calvin Johnson, whom I expect to have an amazing season, starting with this game, and Roy Williams. The Falcons secondary is awful, so Kitna should be able to make some plays despite the pressure that will come from John Abraham, among others. They do want to run the ball more, however. Kevin Smith will get most carries, but newcomer Rudi Johnson should get five to ten as well. Although Atlanta’s line is fairly good, the Lions should be able to have a good game on the ground against them, as the interior is weak. If they struggle, they might consider abandoning running so much, although definitely not all together.
I hate predicting games like this, because I really don’t care about the score (I do about the outcome). But, how about Lions 23, Falcons 10.
