Packers at Bears

The Packers are much improved this season with Aaron Rodgers fully healthy and upgrades to the defense. The Bears, however, return with the league's best defense and will have a chip on their shoulders after last year's heartbreaking conclusion. They have also seriously improved the offense with the addition of David Montgomery, a massive upgrade over Jordan Howard. The Packers should be able to hold their own against this Bears defense with Rodgers fully healthy, but they are not going to put up a ton of points. The Packers defense will be able to limit the Bears offense because Mitchell Trubisky simply isn't a great quarterback and the Bears don't have many receiving threats, meaning Green Bay can focus on stopping the run, making this game a semi-defensive battle. The two teams seem pretty even, so the home team should be able to win in a very close game.

Prediction: Bears 21, Packers 17

Chiefs at Jaguars

The Chiefs boast the NFL's best offense and are going to be looking for a Super Bowl this year, but the Jaguars are going to be a very good team after a down year. They have one of the league's most talented defenses and have added Nick Foles at quarterback. Foles isn't going to be the player he was with the Eagles, but he is a massive improvement nonetheless. The Jaguars should be able to give the Chiefs a run for their money because they match up well against the Chiefs. Jalen Ramsey should be able to take Tyreek Hill out of the game, making it so the Jaguars can double-team Travis Kelce. A.J. Bouye could also cover Sammy Watkins. With the Chiefs' three best weapons potentially shut down, it will be hard to move the ball. On the other side, the Chiefs defense is still horrible, and I actually think it got worse this offseason. Sure, they added Frank Clark, but they lost Dee Ford and Justin Houston. They also added Tyrann Mathieu but lost Eric Berry, though Mathieu is still an improvement because Berry missed a ton of time last year. The Jaguars should be able to move the ball. This could be a very hard game for the Chiefs, but they are simply too good to lose to the Jaguars. Patrick Mahomes will be able to make something happen late in the game to get the Chiefs a win.

Prediction: Chiefs 24, Jaguars 21

Falcons at Vikings

The Falcons are going to be much better this year as they get healthier, while the Vikings are going to see a different offense with Dalvin Cook available for the whole year. Xavier Rhodes will likely shadow Julio Jones, but Jones should be able to win that match up. Trae Waynes will be able to handle Calvin Ridley, giving the Viking the option of loading the box. They should be able to hold their own against the Falcons offense. On the other side of the ball, the Viking have simply too many options for the Falcons to defend with Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Dalvin Cook, and Kyle Rudolph. Throw in the fact that the Vikings are at home, and this game shouldn't be as close as many people think it will be.

Prediction: Vikings 28. Falcons 17

Titans at Browns

The Titans don't have a great quarterback situation with Marcus Mariota as the starter. Meanwhile, the Browns have Baker Mayfield who should only improve after his incredible rookie season. The Titans simply don't have the talent to stop Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry while preventing Nick Chubb from a big game on the ground. offensively, the Titans won't be able to throw the ball well because of their quarterback, making them one-dimensional. The Browns can simply load the box to stop Derrick Henry and they should be able to win easily. The only way the Titans are able to win this game is if Derrick Henry does what he did late last year and has a monster game, single handedly carrying the Titans to victory. Odds are that he won't do that, especially against a loaded box, so the Browns should win this game and it shouldn't be close.

Prediction: Browns 35, Titans 14

Bills at Jets

The Jets are much better this year after addressing many needs in the offseason. Sam Darnold should improve as well. The Bills, on the other hand, are not going to be good this year. Josh Allen should get better and they have an elite defense but they have no weapons. The Jets defense should be able to shut down this Bills offense. On the other side of the ball, the Bills' elite defense should be able to do the same thing. This game should be close, but the Jets are at home and are simply a better team, so they should end up winning.

Prediction: Jets 14, Bills 10

Ravens at Dolphins

The Dolphins are going to be possibly the NFL's worst team this year, with some people even thinking they are purposefully going to tank the season to get a high draft pick. Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't a starting quarterback. The Ravens got worse this offseason after losing C.J. Mosley and many other defensive starters, but they should be able to win this game easily. Their offense is improved with the additions of Mark Ingram and Marquise Brown. Brown won't do much against Xavien Howard, but the Ravens should be able to run the ball up and down the field without the Dolphins being able to do anything to stop them. The Ravens will win easily.

Prediction: Ravens 24, Dolphins 7

Redskins at Eagles

The Eagles are going to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year, while the Redskins are going to be starting Case Keenum. Many people think this game could be somewhat close simply because it is a divisional match-up, but the teams are too lopsided for that to be the case. They have too many weapons for the Redskins to stop and Carson Wentz is now fully healthy. On the other side of the ball, the Redskins have no quarterback and no weapons. Don't be surprised if Dwayne Haskins eventually comes into the game, because this will be ugly.

Prediction: Eagles 35, Redskins 7

Rams at Panthers

The Panthers are hoping to be better this year now that Cam Newton's shoulder appears to be totally healthy. Newton might be rusty, however, because it is his first time playing a full game in a while. It might take him some time to get used to his healthy shoulder. This will definitely give the Panthers a worse chance of winning. The Rams don't have a great run defense, and given the fact that the Panthers rely on the ground, they will be able to move the ball. The Panthers don't have the greatest receivers and the Rams have a great secondary, so the Panthers won't be able to win through the air. On the other side of the ball, Todd Gurley's knee appears to be healthy for now so the Rams should be able to get a good game out of him. The Panthers only have one good cornerback in Donte Jackson while the Rams have three good receivers in Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Brandin Cooks, so the Rams should be able to move the ball very well. The Rams will win this game unless the Panthers get massive games out of Cam Newton and Christian McCaffery on the ground.

Prediction: Rams 28, Panthers 17

Colts at Chargers

The Colts were looking to be one of the best teams in the NFL before Andrew Luck retired. Now that Jacoby Brissett is the starter, the Colts will be decent but nothing more. The Chargers had one of the NFL's most talented rosters, but now Melvin Gordon is holding out and Derwin James is hurt, so they aren't going to start the season off strong. This should be a good game, but the Chargers should be able to win because they still have a better quarterback and defense.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Colts 17

Bengals at Seahawks

The Bengals were going to be a bad team before A.J. Green got hurt, so now that he is going to miss time they are going to be horrible. Their offensive line is still atrocious because their first round pick Jonah Williams is hurt. Andy Dalton shouldn't still be a starting quarterback. The Seahawks, on the other hand, aren't going to be incredible, but they will be in the playoff discussion. Add on the fact that Seattle is at home and this game shouldn't be close.

Prediction: Seahawks 28, Bengals 10

Giants at Cowboys

The Giants are not going to be good this year after losing Odell Beckham. Golden Tate is suspended and Eli Manning is the starter, for now. Saquon Barkley is going to be their only source of offense, and though he is incredible, he can't take a team this bad and make it good. Ezekiel Elliott is back, though he might be on a snap count and isn't going to be in game shape so he won't handle his normal workload and even if he does he won't be as effective as usual. The Cowboys were great after Amari Cooper came in, and now that he's had an entire offseason to get familiar with the playbook he will be even better. The only thing keeping this from being a complete demolition is the fact that it's a division game.

Prediction: Cowboys 24, Giants 14

49ers at Buccaneers

The 49ers are going to be much better this year with Jimmy Garoppolo back, while the Buccaneers are still going to be very bad. The Bucs have a great receiving core but a bad quarterback, no run game, and no defense. The 49ers should be able to move the ball up and down the field and get at least one interception. They will be able to ignore the run game because the Bucs have no running backs and confuse Jameis Winston. The Buccaneers have a chance because Jimmy Garoppolo will be rusty and didn't look good in the preseason, but it won't be enough.

Prediction: 49ers 27, Buccaneers 17

Lions at Cardinals

The Cardinals are going to be better this year with a new quarterback, head coach, and receiving core, but they are not going to be good early on. Kyler Murray is going to be making his first start, Kliff Kingsbury is going to be coaching his first NFL game, and Patrick Peterson is suspended. The Cardinals will be one of the worst teams in the NFL to start the year. The Lions, on the other hand, are doomed to mediocrity. It appears as if they'll never be good, but never be one of the NFL's worst teams. They are going to be much better than the Cardinals at the start of the year, however, so they should be able to win this game.

Prediction: Lions 24, Cardinals 7

Steelers at Patriots

The Patriots are going to be insanely good this year after adding Antonio Brown, but he isn't eligible to play against the Steelers. On top of that, the Patriots always seem to struggle early in the season, so this game isn't going to be a blow out. The Patriots are going to be pumped after their Super Bowl ceremony and the crowd will be wild, however. The Steelers always struggle in New England, so that should offset the fact that it's early in the year. The Patriots defense should be able to lock down the Steelers offense by putting Stephon Gilmore on Juju Smith-Schuster and loading the box to stop the run. They will be able to blitz a ton as well because they won't need to have a ton of people in the secondary since the Steelers only have one elite receiver. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots should be able to run the ball well against the Steelers' mediocre run defense and the Steelers don't have a great slot cornerback to account for Julian Edelman. Josh Gordon will probably have one or two big plays as well, so the Patriots match up very well against the Steelers. This game will be closer than it should be because the Patriots always struggle early, but New England should be able to win.

Prediction: Patriots 28, Steelers 21

Texans at Saints

The Texans are going to be the best team in their division while the Saints are going to be Super Bowl contenders. The Texans don't have a cornerback capable of covering Michael Thomas by himself, so they will need to double-team him. Their run defense will also be a lot worse with Jadeveon Clowney gone, so they should have a tough time stopping the Saints' running backs. The Saints will be able to focus on stopping DeAndre Hopkins because the Texans lack good running backs. They will also be able to get a ton of pressure on Deshaun Watson because the Texans have a horrible offensive line even with the addition of Laremy Tunsil. The Texans have a chance, but aren't likely to pull this one off.

Prediction: Saints 28, Texans 17

Broncos at Raiders

The Raiders had a bad draft but still looked like they were going to be better this year with Antonio Brown there. Now, Brown is gone and the Raiders seem like they're going to be almost as bad as they were last year. Josh Jacobs is their only source of offense. The Broncos will be mediocre this year with Joe Flacco at quarterback and a solid rotation at running back. They also have a decent receiving core. They should be able to beat the Raiders because Oakland is so bad, but since this is a divisional game, it's in Oakland, and the Broncos aren't very good either, this game should be closer than people expect.

Prediction: Broncos 21, Raiders 14