Texans at Chiefs

The Chiefs are coming into this game as heavy favorites since they are the defending super bowl champions and were able to absolutely destroy the Texans in the playoffs last year. Now Houston has lost DeAndre Hopkins, making this an even tougher matchup for them. The Chiefs didn’t lose many key pieces this offseason and were able to add Clyde Edwards-Helaire, so they should be good to go, though one has to wonder if the Chiefs will suffer from a Super Bowl hangover. The Chiefs have been very confident going into this season and have even started talking about a potential dynasty. It’s way too early to be thinking about that and that type of thinking could distract the Chiefs from taking things week by week, making them more vulnerable. Time will tell how much the Chiefs will suffer, if at all, from looking too far ahead, but for now, expect them to win this game.

Expert Prediction: Chiefs 35, Texans 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Chiefs 41, Texans 30

Jets at Bills

The Jets haven’t been a competitive team in a very long time and the Bills are coming off a season where they made the playoffs and almost won the division. Now they added Stefon Diggs, so this team should be better on paper. They have a great defense and an ascending offense with Josh Allen and many other young players expected to take a step further. At the same time, many teams who appear to have bright futures end up falling on their faces the next year. Look at the Jaguars, Eagles, Rams, Cowboys, Falcons, Panthers etc. All of those teams looked primed to be the next big thing at some point in the last five years and now none of them are considered to be elite. Though the Bills definitely benefited from one of the NFL’s easiest schedules last year and should come back down to earth this season, the Jets are awful, so expect the Bills to win big.

Expert Prediction: Bills 27, Jets 10

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bills 40, Jets 21

Packers at Vikings

This should be a good game like Packers Vikings always is. The Vikings may take a step back on offense this year with Stefon Diggs gone, but they will still have a phenomenal run game and a solid defense. The Packers are looking similar with a loaded backfield and great defense. This should be an old school football game with lots of running and great defense, but ultimately, the Packers appear to be returning a similar team to the one which made the NFC Championship last year while the Vikings seem primed to take a step back, so the Packers have an edge.

Expert Prediction: Packers 24, Vikings 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Vikings 37, Packers 20

Eagles at Washington

The Eagles were decent last year, but they were one of the most injured teams in the NFL. Now they are looking much more healthy and will once again be a playoff-caliber team. Washington, on the other hand, has only one good offensive weapon in Terry McLaurin, a horrible quarterback situation, and a bad defense. They will be one of the worst teams in the NFL. Because of that, expect the Eagles to win big.

Expert Prediction: Eagles 27, Washington 3

Analytics-Based Prediction: Washington 37, Eagles 27

Browns at Ravens

The Ravens will be back with a vengeance this year after choking in the playoffs. The Browns, on the other hand, appear to be on the rise with a new coaching staff and healthier players. The Browns may be better than they were last year, and they always seem to give the Ravens difficulty, but they are nowhere near the level of the Ravens. The Browns have absolutely no chance of winning this game unless Baltimore suffers from an unexpected decline this season. That doesn’t seem likely to happen, so Baltimore should win this game with ease.

Expert Prediction: Ravens 34, Browns 24

Analytics-Based Prediction: Ravens 42, Browns 21

Colts at Jaguars

The Jaguars appear to be in full-on tank mode after getting rid of essentially their entire team. They should be the worst team in the NFL this year. The Colts appear to be a dark horse candidate and have a very real chance to make the playoffs this year. Even though Phillip Rivers is no longer an elite quarterback, he can be a solid game manager. The Colts should take an early lead and then run the clock out and come away with a big win.

Expert Prediction: Colts 27, Jaguars 6

Analytics-Based Prediction: Jaguars 22, Colts 19

Raiders at Panthers

The Raiders and Panthers both appear to be teams on the rise this year. The Panthers addressed their need at quarterback by bringing in Teddy Bridgewater and have an offense loaded with talent. The Raiders have a young team that should take a step forward this year. This game seems like it should be pretty close, but the Raiders seem like they will have no way of defending Christian McCaffrey and the Panthers always tend to start the season really well, so they get the slight advantage.

Expert Prediction: Panthers 24, Raiders 21

Analytics-Based Prediction: Panthers 30, Raiders 24

Bears at Lions

The Lions should be much better this season now that Matthew Stafford is back. Their offense is loaded with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and many young players who should take a step forward including T.J. Hockenson. They also added D’Andre Swift and have Kerryon Johnson coming back healthy. The Bears, on the other hand, appear to be doomed to have Mitchell Trubisky start another season, so they aren’t going anywhere. Expect the Lions to come away with the win.

Expert Prediction: Lions 21, Bears 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Lions 21, Bears 13

Seahawks at Falcons

The Falcons will be looking to rebound after a very disappointing season while the Seahawks are trying to build off one that saw them win a playoff game. Seattle was able to keep the same team intact while adding Jamal Adams and getting Chris Carson back from injury. The Falcons added Hayden Hurst and Todd Gurley, giving them a loaded offense. The Seahawks seem like the better team on paper, but Seattle always starts the season slow. This game should be closer than most people think, but give the advantage to the Seahawks.

Expert Prediction: Seahawks 34, Falcons 31

Analytics-Based Prediction: Seahawks 17, Falcons 9

Dolphins at Patriots

The Patriots lost Tom Brady and will be looking to rebound, but that isn’t as big of a deal as many people are making it out to be. Brady leaving New England was the best thing for all parties, even Patriots players have admitted it in private. Brady didn’t like being in New England anymore and that attitude severely hurt the Patriots off the field. In addition, this offense isn’t built for him. Brady is no longer the player he used to be, so he can’t turn no-named players into serviceable guys anymore. He’s best suited to distribute the ball to legitimate stars like he will be doing in Tampa Bay. In addition, the Patriots are going to be a run-first team. Cam Newton makes so much more sense for this offense. He can open up holes for the run game because of his mobility and the threat of him taking off with the ball will get receivers more room to work with. He is very hungry and has already proven to be a leader. This Patriots offense will be exponentially better than it was last year. The defense has lost some pieces, but that appears to be the case with the Patriots literally every year. They always make it work because they have young players waiting to step in. Remember 2015? The Patriots had lost their top three cornerbacks in Darrel Revis, Brandon Browner, and Kyle Arrington and came into the season with two “no-names” in Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. Those two turned out pretty well. There are countless other examples of this with New England, so we should just assume Ja'whaun Bentley, Chase Winovich, and Josh Uche will replace Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, and Kyle Van Noy without the Patriots missing a beat. Same goes for Kyle Dugger and Adrian Phillips replacing Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon. The Patriots will be fine. The Dolphins should be on the rise as well, but not until Tua Tagovailoa is ready to start, which he won’t be for this game. Expect New England to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Patriots 27, Dolphins 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Dolphins 20, Patriots 13

Chargers at Bengals

The Bengals will be on the rise with a completely new team this year, but they won’t be very competitive until a year or two from now, assuming everything goes well. Joe Burrow hopes to be a franchise quarterback, and he certainly looked the part in college, but he will be a rookie this year and rookie quarterbacks always struggle. The Bengals still don’t have a great defense, and though their offense should be better with A.J. Green coming back, one has to wonder if he will be the same player. The Chargers also don’t have a great outlook for this season. Tyrod Taylor will be starting at quarterback at least for now, and that isn’t necessarily ideal. The Chargers already suffered a huge loss with Derwin James’s injury so a once promising secondary seems to have taken a step back. Still, the Chargers have a much more experienced team than the Bengals, so they should be able to come away with a win.

Expert Prediction: Chargers 26, Bengals 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Bengals 34, Chargers 13

Cardinals at 49ers

The 49ers will be looking to avenge themselves after blowing a 10-point lead in the Super Bowl last year while the Cardinals are looking to secure their place amongst the league’s top teams. San Francisco has had many injuries at receiver already but will be more of a run-first, defensive team anyway. The 49ers appear ready to be a contender again but for some reason it’s almost a curse to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl the following season. Since the Seahawks went to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014, defending NFC champs have always taken a massive step back the following year. The Seahawks were a wild card in 2015, the Panthers didn’t even make the playoffs in 2016, the Falcons were a wild card in 2017, the Eagles were a wild card in 2018, and the Rams missed the playoffs last year. None of these teams were Super Bowl contenders, so one must wonder if the 49ers will suffer the same fate. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have the defending Offensive Rookie of the Year in Kyler Murray and he should take a massive step up in year 2. They also added DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason. This Cardinals team could be very legitimate next year and has a great shot to beat the 49ers. This should be a very close game, but the Cardinals just seem primed to get the upset.

Expert Prediction: Cardinals 28, 49ers 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: 49ers 35, Cardinals 20

Buccaneers at Saints

The Buccaneers will be looking to be one of the league’s best teams with the additions of Tom Brady, Gronk, and Leonard Fournette. The Buccaneers are somewhat of an unknown, however. We’ve never seen Tom Brady play with a coach other than Bill Belichick and both him and Gronk looked like significantly worse versions of themselves in their last season with the Patriots. Brady might not fit the Buccaneers’ vertical offense, as he is more of a short-to-intermediate throw type of guy. The secondary is also a major issue. The Buccaneers could be Super Bowl contenders, but they could also just end up being this year’s version of last year’s Browns: all the hype in the world in the offseason before massively disappointing. The Saints have undergone practically no change and should once again be a great team, so this could be a very close game. Ultimately, the Saints have proven much more than the Buccaneers thus far so they seem more likely to get the win.

Expert Prediction: Saints 35, Buccaneers 28

Analytics-Based Prediction: Saints 38, Buccaneers 17

Cowboys at Rams

The Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, and now that they have undergone a change in the coaching staff they could be legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year. The Rams, on the other hand, appear to be on the downside of their elite days. This was a team that at one point looked like they could be one of the league’s best for a long time, but they simply don’t have enough depth to be incredibly competitive. The Rams will be a decent team this year but their poor management decisions to trade away all of their draft picks and spend all of their money on big-named players have made it seem like this team won’t be anything more unless they get obscenely lucky with injuries. Since it is week one, however, the Rams should be mostly healthy and could give the Cowboys a run for their money. Ultimately, Dallas has more to prove and knows that winning early in the season will help them achieve their goal of making a Super Bowl, so they come away with the win.

Expert Prediction: Cowboys 34, Rams 27

Analytics-Based Prediction: Cowboys 31, Rams 24

Steelers at Giants

The Steelers and Giants should both be much better than they were last year. The Steelers will be getting Ben Roethlisberger back this year, giving them the chance to be very competitive, while the Giants will likely see second-year jumps from guys like Daniel Jones and Darius Slayton. The Giants had major injury problems as well last year and should now be healthy. This game will ultimately come down to Ben Roethlisberger’s health and whether or not Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley will be able to have big games against the Steelers defense. This should be a very close game, but the advantage goes to the Steelers because they could be legitimate title contenders this year.

Expert Prediction: Steelers 21, Giants 17

Analytics-Based Prediction: Giants 21, Steelers 14

Titans at Broncos

The Titans are coming off of a trip to the AFC Championship last year, but that seemed more like a Cinderella story than anything else. In all likelihood we will see the Titans return to what they were earlier in the year, which was a solid, playoff-caliber team. The Broncos have completely re-done their offense with the additions of Jerry Jeudy, Melvin Gordon, and more. The thing is, this Broncos team is very young and new, so it will likely take them some time to gel. Because of that, the Titans appear to have an edge in this game. They can take an early lead and simply ride Derrick Henry for the rest of the game.

Expert Prediction: Titans 24, Broncos 14

Analytics-Based Prediction: Broncos 35, Titans 24