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| Kaepernick looks to lead SF to Week 1 victory. Photo Credit: USA Today |
Football is back. I speak for everyone when I say that too many Sundays have gone by without the NFL on our television screens. I suppose you could say that preseason is football, although with the frequent use of second and third string sides, one never feels that the season is truly underway until the first game of the regular season arrives.
By: Alex McMahon
I am writing my first of hopefully many articles for RFSN this season and I am extremely happy to be on board as, like all of you, I am filled with excitement at what could occur this season. For my first piece, I would like to discuss the opening Sunday’s matches and my predictions for these games. I will be locking these predictions in on the NFL Fantasy Weekly Pick’Em competition and we’ll see just how good (or likely bad!) of a predictor I am across every Sunday this year.
New Orleans @ Atlanta:
A tough opening trip for Drew Brees and the Saints. If Matt Ryan can get the passing game going, the Saints could be in for a very tough night. However, if the Saints can limit Ryan and the Falcons receivers then I believe the Saints should win as the Atlanta running game is fairly average. The Falcons defense will be going up against the new rookie WR Brandin Cooks, who has looked menacing all preseason as well as the best TE (or WR!) in the game, Jimmy Graham. I’m going New Orleans to win this.
Cincinnati @ Baltimore:
Last year, I’d predict a Baltimore loss in a heartbeat. However, I have a feeling they’ll be a lot better this season. An awful season from Ray Rice did not help take any pressure off Joe Flacco who came in for a lot of criticism after the Ravens performance last year. Both players will be better this season. The Bengals have extended Dalton’s contract, offering him confidence and I believe that AJ Green will benefit greatly from this. The Bengals still obtain a mean defense and some quality in attack, so I’m going to have to go with them to win this one, especially with Rice out with a suspension.
Buffalo @ Chicago:
It’s got to be Chicago in this one. I can only see CJ Spiller putting in a ‘good’ season this year, not outstanding. The loss of Kiko Alonso for the season doesn’t help their defensive qualities and with Sammy Watkins doubtful for the weekend, (according to Around The League as of 6pm BST on Friday) the Bills are bound to have their work cut out at the Bears. Cutler has so many weapon on the offense too. Marshall, Jeffrey, Bennett and Forte is one of the toughest looking offenses to play against. I can see the Bears winning it quite comfortably.
Washington @ Houston:
The game that Jadeveon Clowney has been waiting for since May. Look out RGIII. As if Clowney wasn’t bad enough, he’ll also have JJ Watt, the league’s best defensive player in my opinion, gunning for him too. If RGIII can hit Garcon, Jackson and Reed for TDs without getting too bruised, it’ll be a successful night. On the other side, Foster needs to perform. He has the potential, and although he is ageing, is still a brilliant running back. Now that the Texans have signed Ryan Mallett, it will be interesting to see how soon he competes for that starting QB spot, especially with the deadly Andre Johnson back for Houston now. Tough one to call, but I’ll have to go with the Redskins.
Tennessee @ Kansas City:
Another tough one to call. If Jamaal Charles continues his form from last season, all teams who visit Kansas will find it tough to come away without a loss on their record. Yes, he’s that good. Alex Smith has just been given a monster contract extension too, and although the WR pool at the Chiefs isn’t great, he has the ability to make plays happen. It will be interesting to see if Bishop Sankey gets much of the ball, as if he does I’ll be intrigued to see whether or not he can exploit the weakened Kansas defense which was so robust last year. I’m going to go with Jamaal and the Chiefs here.
New England @ Miami:
Step up, Tom Brady. Although there are reports of Brady missing training due to a calf issue, I have no doubts that he will be fine come Sunday. His favorite target Edelman, and the huge TE Gronkowski could be in line for a lot of receptions this year, in particular Gronk whenever the Patriots are near the end zone. I have no idea who will be Miami’s ‘primary’ running back, with Lamar Miller and Knowshon Moreno both fighting for the position. It might not be a walkover, but I’m going to have to go with the Patriots to take this AFC East clash, mainly due to the fact that they have the weaponry in attack and now in defense with Revis Island.
Oakland @ New York Jets:
Flip a coin and let fate decide. I honestly cannot call this one. The main interest I have in this game is Derek Carr. He will start the game and frankly, I think that’s fantastic. I’m also excited to see Eric Decker and what he can do under a QB like Geno Smith rather than Peyton Manning. Not much to say on this one, and I’m literally going with the Raiders purely because of Carr and the evergreen Maurice Jones-Drew.
Jacksonville @ Philadelphia:
Fantasy owners across the globe will be hoping Nick Foles can replicate his astonishing performance last season after he made the starting QB position his own. In 13 games, he threw for a remarkable 27 TDs and only 2 interceptions. He has lost DeSean Jackson but gained a nice replacement in Darren Sproles who will take a bit of attention away from Shady McCoy who is in for a huge season in this lightning quick offense. As for Jacksonville, sorry for writing you off already but I think you should start preparing for week 2. Stranger things have happened in football, but I think the Eagles will win with ease here.
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh:
Johnny who? With Hoyer set to start, Manziel-fever may settle down for a few weeks. Who am I kidding? The likelihood is that the Steelers will win this and everybody will call for Johnny straight away. I can’t see Manziel getting brought in until at least after the Browns bye-week in week 4. Without Josh Gordon, that offence looks remarkably poor other than Jordan Cameron and to an extent, Ben Tate. Big Ben may be another year older but I expect him to still perform strongly, as I do with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, despite the fact that he is likely to lose goal-line carries and short yardage to Blount. Pittsburgh win this for me.
Minnesota @ St Louis:
Another toughie. I’d like to think that the Rams defense is good enough but hey, when you’re up against Adrian Peterson it’s near-on impossible to stop him. Personal issues were the reason that Peterson underperformed last year, not football issues. He’ll be back, and he’ll be the best this season, don’t worry about that. As for the Rams, I’m gutted for Sam Bradshaw. I really am. I think the Rams as a team will be okay though, but in that tough NFC West division, it’ll be incredibly difficult for them to make the playoffs. I think the Vikings may steal a win on the road in the opener.
San Francisco @ Dallas:
The 49ers had a pretty poor preseason by all accounts. When the real business begins, they’ll get going. They have too much class not to perform well. Gore is getting on, but he’s still a beast. A fresh Crabtree gives Kaepernick another option along with Boldin and Davis. Dallas will be attacking as per usual, but they will still likely leak points again. It’s a shame really, as that attack of Romo, DeMarco Murray, Bryant, Williams and Witten is up there with the best in the league. I think the 49ers will win, but it will be a close game.
Carolina @ Tampa Bay:
Will Kelvin Benjamin be Cam Newton’s favorite target and put up monster receiving numbers this year? Possibly. He has already shown in preseason that if you put it up there, he’ll go for it. Benjamin is a monster, and with a distinct lack of WRs for the Panthers, you would not argue against him being classed as their no.1 receiver now. I watched Tampa Bay in preseason against the Bills and Tampa Bay did look very good although it was only the Bills (no offense Bills fans!) Vincent Jackson is a big threat and, as good as that Panthers defense is, I cannot see him being kept quiet for the entirety of the game. I’m going to go for the Bucs to get a victory on the board here.
So there we have it, my first Sunday predictions of the season are finished. I’m not going to lie, I’m very unsure who will come out victorious in a few of these games, but the one thing I am sure of is that we are in for a great first weekend with some thrilling matches that could go down to the very last play of the game. Hope you enjoyed this piece, next Sunday’s predictions will be posted around the same time next week.
Follow me on Twitter for NFL News: @almacca93
