NFL Week 1 Sunday Picks

New England @ Buffalo

The Bills will be a nice warm-up game for Tom Brady, who will use this game to establish a comfort level with his new receivers. E.J. Manuel makes his first career start, but he’s nowhere near ready to help the Bills stand up to the top team in their division.

Pick: New England 38, Buffalo 13

Seattle @ Carolina

This isn’t a great spot for the Seahawks to start the season. Traveling to the East coast to play an early game on the road isn’t easy. The Panthers aren’t a team that should be taken lightly. Cam Newton still put up good numbers in a down year, and this is going to be his first shot to prove that last year’s disappointing season was a fluke. Last year’s meeting between these teams was a tight, low-scoring affair that was decided by just four points. I think Carolina comes out on top this time, beginning the year with a surprising win.

Pick: Carolina 20, Seattle 17

Cincinnati @ Chicago

Chicago may be one of the toughest places to go on the road and win, but I love the Bengals defense’s chances against Jay Cutler. Cincinnati has plenty of pass rushers, and a top secondary that is sure to force Cutler into some mistakes. The Bengals also have plenty of offensive firepower that should be able to put up some points on an aging defense that no longer has Brian Urlacher anchoring their unit.

Pick: Cincinnati 27, Chicago 14

Miami @ Cleveland

I think Miami is going to be the better team, but I don’t like them this week. The Browns are going to be a tougher team than people realize, now that they’ve got a much more competent coaching staff. Their defense is going to be a real strength, and I think it limits Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphin offense just enough to eek out a win at home.

Pick: Cleveland 16, Miami 10

Minnesota @ Detroit

Its unreal that the Vikings managed to win nine games last year with Christian Ponder at quarterback. It just speaks to how great a year Adrian Peterson had. I don’t think the Vikings are as good as their record was a year ago, and I’d say the same for the Lions. Detroit vastly underachieved last year, but now that they’ve added Reggie Bush and gotten some key guys back healthy, I think they have a chance to be in the mix for a Wild Card spot again. And I think they get off on the right foot with a win.

Pick: Detroit 24, Minnesota 14

Oakland @ Indianapolis

Its the beginning of another long year for the Raiders. Andrew Luck and the Colts should make quick work of them to start the season.

Pick: Indianapolis 27, Oakland 10

Kansas City @ Jacksonville

Gus Bradley has the Jaguars going in the right direction, but the Chiefs have too much talent for them pull off an Opening Day victory. The Jacksonville defense will keep things close, but the talent of Kansas City will win out in the end.

Pick: Kansas City 20, Jacksonville 13

Atlanta @ New Orleans

Everything that could go wrong for the Saints went wrong in 2012. But now they’ve got a clean slate, and Sean Payton is back as the head coach. This is a much more meaningful game for New Orleans, who will be looking to send a message to the Falcons and the rest of the league that they’re once again a contender in the NFC.

Pick: New Orleans 38, Atlanta 35

Tampa Bay @ New York Jets

Darrelle Revis begins his Tampa Bay career with a road trip to visit the team that helped make him one of the league’s top cornerbacks. The Jets are a sinking ship, and seemed destined to be one of the league’s worst teams. The Buccaneers on the other hand showed signs of progress a year ago, and I think they’re going be a tough out for a lot of teams this year.

Pick: Tampa Bay 23, New York 7

Tennessee @ Pittsburgh

This is a game that the Steelers can’t afford to lose. Pittsburgh doesn’t have as strong a team as they’ve had in recent years, and they’ve got to take advantage of any winnable games that they’ve got on their schedule. The Titans hope to see strong improvement from Jake Locker and their young offensive players, but this is a tough spot for them to succeed in.

Pick: Pittsburgh 24, Tennessee 17

Green Bay @ San Francisco

San Francisco’s receiving corp. has been depleted by injuries, and their defense has taken a bit of a hit after losing DaShon Goldson and adding Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency. Aaron Rodgers is more than capable of moving the ball and putting up points on the San Francisco defense, even though its still one of the better units in the league. The 49ers need some time to adjust to their new players, and I think that gives the edge to Green Bay.

Pick: Green Bay 31, San Francisco 24

Arizona @ St. Louis

A lot of people are excited about Carson Palmer’s move to the Cardinals, but Arizona still has an awful offensive line. The Rams have a nice up-and-coming defense that should be able to hold the offense down and force Palmer into mistakes.

Pick: St. Louis 20, Arizona 10

New York Giants @ Dallas

The Cowboys are one of the teams that I believe are going to surprise a lot of people this year. A recommitted Tony Romo and a rejuvenated defense run by new coordinator Monte Kiffin could give Dallas the edge they need to take the division.

Pick: Dallas 31, New York 20