COLUMBUS, Ohio — We finally made it! And what a build-up it was! The NFL season is here! And what a great way to kick off the season tonight with the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the upstart Detroit Lions.
And what a great week one we have here too. From Bills-Jets rounding out the week on Monday Night Football to Cowboys-Giants taking the Sunday Night stage to a two-time Super Bowl rematch, week one has plenty to offer.
Opening Kickoff Night: Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs – 8:20 p.m. on NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)
Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner)
For the second straight year, the NFL went with the most enticing matchup as opposed to picking the obvious. Are the Lions for real? They can prove it in this game.
The Chiefs could be without Travis Kelce tonight, but Patrick Mahomes is superman for a reason. Last year he won MVP in his first season without Tyreek Hill.
The Lions are a great story, but here’s my question: do they have an alpha-dog, like Mahomes, who can take over this kind of game? I don’t think they do.
Game pick: Chiefs 38 Lions 24
Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns – 1 p.m. on CBS (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn)
The Bengals feel like they are Super Bowl contenders, and they are viewed as such. But what about the Browns? Are they good? They have the talent, but can it mesh? Regardless, this will be a classic AFC North slugfest.
Game pick: Bengals 23 Browns 17
San Francisco 49ers @ Pittsburgh Steelers – 1 p.m. on FOX (Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver)
Talk about a slugfest; this is it. Two teams who embody physicality.
Now that Nick Bosa has a contract extension (take note Kansas City), the 49ers are locked and loaded. But don’t sleep on Pittsburgh. If T.J. Watt doesn’t miss time in 2022, they make the Playoffs. Winning a game like this early could kickstart a return trip to the Playoffs.
Game pick: 49ers 20 Steelers 17
Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots – 4:25 p.m. on CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
This is no doubt one of my favorite games of the week. These two teams have met twice in the Super Bowl in the last 20 seasons, and Tom Brady will be honored at halftime of this game.
I’m concerned about Philadelphia in the early portion of this season after losing both their offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason. The Patriots, meanwhile, upgraded at offensive coordinator with Bill O’Brien.
These two teams, and franchises, know each other so well that this game will go right down to the wire. But this is my biggest upset for week one.
Game pick: Patriots 24 Eagles 21
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears – 4:25 p.m. on FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
For the first time since 1992, the Packers will take the field with a starting quarterback not named Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers.
As for the Bears, they certainly made some nice moves this offseason to surround their young quarterback, Justin Fields. But can Fields take that next step as a quarterback?
Regardless, it’s a new chapter in the NFL’s oldest rivalry.
Game pick: Packers 24 Bears 17
Sunday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants – 8:20 p.m. on NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)
Radio: Westwood One (Ryan Radtke, Mike Golic)
What a great NFC Est matchup to start the season of Sunday Night Football. Dallas, once again, has massive expectations with their talented roster. But what if the Giants win this game? That would signal to the NFC East and the NFL that the Giants are here to play. But I think Dallas holds serve in what should be a great game.
Game pick: Cowboys 24 Giants 17
Monday Night Football: Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets – 8:15 p.m. on ESPN and ABC (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters)
Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli (ESPN2)
Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner)
This will be a really fun game. The Bills have wo three straight AFC East titles while the Jets owned the offseason hype. The team that wins this game could set the tone for the remainder of the season.
Game pick: Bills 24 Jets 17
Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons – 1 p.m. on FOX (Chris Myers, Robert Smith, Jennifer Hale)
The quarterback matchup in this game (Bryce Young vs. Desmond Ridder) is a rematch of the College Football Playoff game between Cincinnati and Alabama. These are two teams who could surprise this season. Carolina was this close to actually winning the NFC South last season, and Atlanta knows who they are offensively.
Game pick: Falcons 27 Panthers 20
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens – 1 p.m. on CBS (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala)
The Ravens may feel like the far superior team in this matchup. At first, I’m thinking C.J. Stroud is going to struggle in his debut against the Ravens defense. But then I remembered, Stroud carved up Georgia’s defense in the College Football Playoff. This game will be closer than you think.
Game pick: Ravens 28 Texans 20
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts – 1 p.m. on FOX (Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake)
The Jaguars shocked many in 2022, going worst to first and then nearly beating the Chiefs in the Divisional Playoffs. The Colts, meanwhile, are seemingly starting anew with Anthony Richardson at quarterback. However, I think Richardson and the Colts surprise many in week one.
Game pick: Colts 24 Jaguars 21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Minnesota Vikings – 1 p.m. on CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan, AJ Ross)
Tampa Bay will be playing their first game in the post-Tom Brady era. Minnesota is in a weird spot. They’re not going to be bad, but they didn’t do anything in free agency that suggests they’re going to build off their 13-win season in 2022.
Game pick: Vikings 27 Buccaneers 17
Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints – 1 p.m. on CBS (Chris Lewis, Jason McCourty, Ross Tucker, Amanda Guerra)
Don’t sleep on the Titans. Then again, don’t sleep on the Saints either. If you don’t care about this week one game, you should.
Game pick: Titans 24 Saints 20
Arizona Cardinals @ Washington Commanders – 1 p.m. on FOX (Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink)
I really don’t know what Arizona is doing. Washington is tough to get a read on too, but at least they finally changed ownership in the offseason and have a plan in place at quarterback.
Game pick: Commanders 21 Cardinals 14
Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos – 4:25 on CBS (Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely, Tiffany Blackmon)
Sean Payton makes his head coaching debut in Denver with a revamped Broncos roster. The question: can he revitalize Russell Wilson’s career? Meanwhile, the Raiders… yeah, about them. Are they rebuilding? Are they trying to contend?
Game pick: Broncos 24 Raiders 17
Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Chargers – 4:25 p.m. on CBS (Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins)
I’m really looking forward to this game. This game could go a long way towards determining a playoff spot. Both teams have star quarterbacks, wide receivers, but head coaches who need to prove themselves.
Game pick: Dolphins 27 Chargers 24
Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks – 4:25 p.m. on FOX (Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, Laura Okmin)
Can the Rams bounce back from last year’s debacle? Meanwhile, Seattle is out to prove they were not a fluke last year.
Game pick: Seahawks 28 Rams 17
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 