Week 1 Preview and Predictions - By Kyle Balfour
It's finally here! Tonight will mark the official beginning of the 2017 NFL season with the debut game between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs! The summer sports drought has felt particularly harsh for me personally, having to sink to such lows as pretending to have a passing interest in the likes of golf and baseball *shudders*.
And so, as per tradition, myself, Stuart, and maybe even a guest writer here and there shall compile and list our predictions for each game match-ups. These are in no way professional, and are at times laden with bias. However, in the space of a fan driven NFL sports blog, we revel in it. At the end of the day, it's for the fun and the luck of the draw.
So without further delay, let's get right into it and begin with tonight's season opener. I shall list the competitors, followed by the winner and a small bit of "insight" into how I see the game panning out.
New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs - Winner: Patriots
*Yawn* oh, boy...zzz...what an opener...zzz...huh? Oh, right! The thing! Man, this sounds like a slog of a game to me. With the slow building, technical prowess of the Chiefs, and the surgical, methodical play style of the Patriots, this game could cure insomnia. Barring some good defensive stops to disrupt such patience tests, this sounds like a boring match. I half expect this game to play out like an extra pre-season game.
Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets - Winner: Bills
This one will be interesting. Both teams are on the downswing, so it'll good be to gauge how deep both of them are down the rabbit hole. The Jets are in disarray offensively, but still have some semblance of defence, plus 2 rookies safeties allows for some versatility, and can maybe contain the run game of LeSean McCoy on the Bills. That being said, I see Bills taking this one due to a more competent offence.
Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars - Winner: Texans
I feel foolish for thinking the Jaguars had a chance last season, as even my own optimism was eroded completely by about game 3. Think it's fair to say now that Blake Bortles is not a good quarterback, and he's running out of chances fast! Meanwhile, the Texans now resemble a decent team, with some great key players, but the quarterback situation remains to be seen. Tom Savage takes the helm, whilst rookie draft pick Deshaun Watson may have his chance. We'll have to see. Still, even with an unproven QB situation, they'll steamroll the Jags.
Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers - Winner: Steelers (duh!)
Sorry, Browns fans. I want you guys to be competitive again, but it's not time yet. Not to mention you're playing your division equivalent of the Patriots: the Steelers. Even if Big Ben recedes, the double trouble of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown will excuse it.
Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals - Winner: ...uhh...
Good grief, if there was ever a game not to touch, it's this one. Both these teams are so prone to choking, you'd think it was an allergy. Arizona are terrible QB wise, yet possess David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, an even better version of Bell and Brown. As for the Lions, I can't see them recreating the comeback magic of last season, but can still be seen as unpredictable...
Uhh...Cardinals to win? ... Yeah, we'll go with that...
Miami Dolphins vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Winner: Hurricane Irma
Nothing like whether disaster to ruin the NFL schedule. Much like what Harvey did to Texas, delaying the final pre-season game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Texans, Hurricane precautions must take priority.
Chicago Bears vs Atlanta Falcons - Winner: Falcons
Beginning to see a trend here in teams that have new/unproven QB predicaments, and the Bears are no exception. Overpaying Mike Glennon and trading excessively to move up one spot in the draft for Mitch Trubisky, it'll be interesting/hilarious to see this plan in action; and despite the Super Bowl implosion, the falcons still have a great offence, so I can see them dusting the Bears off with ease.
Tennessee Titans vs Oakland Raiders - Winner: Raiders
Ahh, the true underdog of the AFC south vs the dark horse of the entire AFC. From that, I see the Raiders taking this one. Mostly because the Raiders are one step ahead of the up and coming curve than the Titans. If anything, the Raiders are whom the Titans should emulate, and they are beginning to.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens - Winner: Bengals
Again, another murky one for choice, this time for underachievement instead of choking. This will be more of a proving ground for both teams. Still, I tip the Bengals to win this one, provided Andy Dalton can be protected from sacks.
Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles - Winner: Eagles
The Redskins are not in good shape right now. Creating a PR nightmare for how they've handled Kirk Cousins, who has honestly turned into a pretty good quarterback. Meanwhile, the Carson Wentz Wagon has a lot to prove due to the breakdown collapse last season after starting off so promisingly.
Los Angeles Rams vs Indianapolis Colts - Winner: Colts
Not much to say on this one. See the Rams being pretty meh this season, and the Colts have doubts to shed. Hopefully, the Colts come out strong!
San Francisco 49ers vs Carolina Panthers - Winner: Panthers
Again, not a lot to give for this one either. The Niners are still recovering from the off season a few years ago, though the addition of Kyle Shanahan as new head coach looks promising; and the Panthers have a lot to prove with their newly promoted coaching staff. Hopefully it will improve the on-field performance, as the Panthers still have some very nice pieces on the team.
Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks - Winner: Packers
Green Bay continues to be a strong opponent, and that will carry on against the Seahawks, who to me have been circling the drain a little bit, despite playoffs due to a lack of in-division competition. They'll be fine, but not spectacular.
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants - Winner: *Bias* Giants
The Giants won both times last season, so they can do it again. The strong defence of the Giants should put a stop to anything Dak Prescott can do, and our electrifying air team can hopefully deliver strongly. Still, the brick wall that is the Cowboys offensive line should prove to be a challenge. */Bias*
Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints - Winner: Saints
Teddy Bridgewater is still out, so the Vikings can only hope to have some consistency this season to keep them competitive. The same must be stressed for the Saints, trading their promising receiver Brandin Cooks to the Patriots. They still have Drew Brees, and a hungry Adrian Peterson, so I guess we'll see.
Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers - Winner: Broncos
What an adventure Brock Osweiler has been on. Won a Super Bowl with Denver, signed for stupid levels of money by Housten, traded to the QB hell that is Cleaveland, gets cut by them, then re-signs with Denver without them having to deal with his previous contract. Whether or not he's any good this season will remain a mystery. The Chargers...eh...they'll be fine.
And there you have it, my predictions list for week 1 of the 2017 NFL season. Hopefully this won't be as bad as Stephen A. Smith's predictions...
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it, and the best of luck to all teams, despite my opinions.
GO GIANTS!
It's finally here! Tonight will mark the official beginning of the 2017 NFL season with the debut game between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs! The summer sports drought has felt particularly harsh for me personally, having to sink to such lows as pretending to have a passing interest in the likes of golf and baseball *shudders*.
And so, as per tradition, myself, Stuart, and maybe even a guest writer here and there shall compile and list our predictions for each game match-ups. These are in no way professional, and are at times laden with bias. However, in the space of a fan driven NFL sports blog, we revel in it. At the end of the day, it's for the fun and the luck of the draw.
So without further delay, let's get right into it and begin with tonight's season opener. I shall list the competitors, followed by the winner and a small bit of "insight" into how I see the game panning out.
New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs - Winner: Patriots
*Yawn* oh, boy...zzz...what an opener...zzz...huh? Oh, right! The thing! Man, this sounds like a slog of a game to me. With the slow building, technical prowess of the Chiefs, and the surgical, methodical play style of the Patriots, this game could cure insomnia. Barring some good defensive stops to disrupt such patience tests, this sounds like a boring match. I half expect this game to play out like an extra pre-season game.
Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets - Winner: Bills
This one will be interesting. Both teams are on the downswing, so it'll good be to gauge how deep both of them are down the rabbit hole. The Jets are in disarray offensively, but still have some semblance of defence, plus 2 rookies safeties allows for some versatility, and can maybe contain the run game of LeSean McCoy on the Bills. That being said, I see Bills taking this one due to a more competent offence.
Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars - Winner: Texans
I feel foolish for thinking the Jaguars had a chance last season, as even my own optimism was eroded completely by about game 3. Think it's fair to say now that Blake Bortles is not a good quarterback, and he's running out of chances fast! Meanwhile, the Texans now resemble a decent team, with some great key players, but the quarterback situation remains to be seen. Tom Savage takes the helm, whilst rookie draft pick Deshaun Watson may have his chance. We'll have to see. Still, even with an unproven QB situation, they'll steamroll the Jags.
Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers - Winner: Steelers (duh!)
Sorry, Browns fans. I want you guys to be competitive again, but it's not time yet. Not to mention you're playing your division equivalent of the Patriots: the Steelers. Even if Big Ben recedes, the double trouble of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown will excuse it.
Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals - Winner: ...uhh...
Good grief, if there was ever a game not to touch, it's this one. Both these teams are so prone to choking, you'd think it was an allergy. Arizona are terrible QB wise, yet possess David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, an even better version of Bell and Brown. As for the Lions, I can't see them recreating the comeback magic of last season, but can still be seen as unpredictable...
Uhh...Cardinals to win? ... Yeah, we'll go with that...
Miami Dolphins vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Winner: Hurricane Irma
Nothing like whether disaster to ruin the NFL schedule. Much like what Harvey did to Texas, delaying the final pre-season game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Texans, Hurricane precautions must take priority.
Chicago Bears vs Atlanta Falcons - Winner: Falcons
Beginning to see a trend here in teams that have new/unproven QB predicaments, and the Bears are no exception. Overpaying Mike Glennon and trading excessively to move up one spot in the draft for Mitch Trubisky, it'll be interesting/hilarious to see this plan in action; and despite the Super Bowl implosion, the falcons still have a great offence, so I can see them dusting the Bears off with ease.
Tennessee Titans vs Oakland Raiders - Winner: Raiders
Ahh, the true underdog of the AFC south vs the dark horse of the entire AFC. From that, I see the Raiders taking this one. Mostly because the Raiders are one step ahead of the up and coming curve than the Titans. If anything, the Raiders are whom the Titans should emulate, and they are beginning to.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens - Winner: Bengals
Again, another murky one for choice, this time for underachievement instead of choking. This will be more of a proving ground for both teams. Still, I tip the Bengals to win this one, provided Andy Dalton can be protected from sacks.
Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles - Winner: Eagles
The Redskins are not in good shape right now. Creating a PR nightmare for how they've handled Kirk Cousins, who has honestly turned into a pretty good quarterback. Meanwhile, the Carson Wentz Wagon has a lot to prove due to the breakdown collapse last season after starting off so promisingly.
Los Angeles Rams vs Indianapolis Colts - Winner: Colts
Not much to say on this one. See the Rams being pretty meh this season, and the Colts have doubts to shed. Hopefully, the Colts come out strong!
San Francisco 49ers vs Carolina Panthers - Winner: Panthers
Again, not a lot to give for this one either. The Niners are still recovering from the off season a few years ago, though the addition of Kyle Shanahan as new head coach looks promising; and the Panthers have a lot to prove with their newly promoted coaching staff. Hopefully it will improve the on-field performance, as the Panthers still have some very nice pieces on the team.
Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks - Winner: Packers
Green Bay continues to be a strong opponent, and that will carry on against the Seahawks, who to me have been circling the drain a little bit, despite playoffs due to a lack of in-division competition. They'll be fine, but not spectacular.
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants - Winner: *Bias* Giants
The Giants won both times last season, so they can do it again. The strong defence of the Giants should put a stop to anything Dak Prescott can do, and our electrifying air team can hopefully deliver strongly. Still, the brick wall that is the Cowboys offensive line should prove to be a challenge. */Bias*
Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints - Winner: Saints
Teddy Bridgewater is still out, so the Vikings can only hope to have some consistency this season to keep them competitive. The same must be stressed for the Saints, trading their promising receiver Brandin Cooks to the Patriots. They still have Drew Brees, and a hungry Adrian Peterson, so I guess we'll see.
Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers - Winner: Broncos
What an adventure Brock Osweiler has been on. Won a Super Bowl with Denver, signed for stupid levels of money by Housten, traded to the QB hell that is Cleaveland, gets cut by them, then re-signs with Denver without them having to deal with his previous contract. Whether or not he's any good this season will remain a mystery. The Chargers...eh...they'll be fine.
And there you have it, my predictions list for week 1 of the 2017 NFL season. Hopefully this won't be as bad as Stephen A. Smith's predictions...
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it, and the best of luck to all teams, despite my opinions.
GO GIANTS!
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