Ahh the start of a new season. NFL Girl has waited lo these many months for this day to come. Now that it's here I am beyond elated. This season will be a good one and I predict many good match ups through the whole season. Week 1 is no exception so let's jump right in to the predicions shall we:
Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints
The NFC championship game played all over again. Was last year a fluke for the once lowly Saints? Is Minnesota ready to avenge that loss? Can Brett Favre carry the Vikes to a championship or will Brees and the Saints dash that hope again? Ahh..so much to contemplate. These are 2 solid and very stacked teams. Favre is a gunslinger..notorious for the long ball but just as known for his interceptions (he holds the record for most by any QB in league history). His running game is solid with Adrian Peterson, but Adrian is known for a slight fumbling problem (part of the reason for their loss in the championship game). Vikes receiving core is 1 of the most efficient in the league. But who can deny the Saints? The Superbowl champs are geared up to make a run at a second championship. Drew Brees's 109.6% passer rating 34 TDs and 11 INTs last year makes him one of the most reliable and proficient passer's in the league. Of course it helps to have Marques Colston & Robert Meachem at WR and Pierre Thomas in the backfield. This is going to be a great match up to start the season. Prediction: Saints
Oakland Raiders vs Tennessee Titans
Ahh..the lowly Raiders. They have been abysmal for so long it is hard to remember that they were once a great and glorious franchise. Second year head coach Tom Cable is hoping to turn this ship around fast. With the pick up of Jason Campbell from the Redskins in the off-season there is some hope in the Bay area that they can finally turn things around. He has 2nd year receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Johnnie Lee Higgins who hope to show they are more than two oafs who run into each during routes. Darren McFadden & Michael Bennett in the backfield will hopefully make their running game more consistent this year. Raiders D with Seymour and Asomugha will be the factor that keeps them in games this year. Titans are coming off a very disappointing season last year. After starting a frightening 0-6 they did manage to salvage a decent season but out of the playoffs. Can Titans turn it around this year? After holding out during training camp, Chris Johnson signed and is always a threat in the backfield for them. Vince Young has a strong arm but can play up and down. He did finish with a passer rating of 82.8% for last season so he always has the potential to do very well for the Titans. Justin Gage & Kenny Britt hope to be the deep threat that Titans need this year. Prediction: Titans
Carolina Panthers vs NY Giants
I love the Panthers...they always have the potential to be a spoiler in the NFC South division. Getting rid of Jake Delhomme and starting Matt Moore may help to improve their season. Johnathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are a double threat in the backfield. Steve Smith hopes to have a better season than last year's 7 TDs. Panthers D is always consistent. The Giants finished out of the playoffs for the first time in many years last year. It was a disappointing season and they hope to make adjustments and get back to the championship. Eli Manning finished his season with a 93.1% passer rating with 27 TDs and 14 INTs..you can never count him out of a game. Steve Smith isnt Plaxico but he's a good WR in a desperate for wins offense. At 6'4/264 Brandon Jacobs is a huge power back. If he stays healthy this year he may offer the explosion the Giants need coming out the backfield. Giants D needs to improve on their inconsistency from last season. This is going to be a great match up worth watching. This game could go either way. Prediction: Giants
Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
The AFC South is going to be a phenemenal division this year. That being said this week 1 match-up is going to be a fantastic one. Colts have consistenly been a 13 win team for the last 5 years. Peyton Manning is a 3 time MVP with a gun for an arm. The superbowl runners up hope to get back to the big game. Peyton finished last year with 4500 yards and 33 TDs so you can always count on him to keep the Colts in the game. Reggie Wayne has been his most consistent (and healthiest) target finishing with 10 TDs last season. He will have Anthony Gonzalez back this year..let's hope he can stay healthy. Joseph Addai finished with 828 yards and 10 TDs last season so he has room for improvement. Colts D didnt have a great year due to injuries but with players coming back healthy this shouldnt be an issue this early. The Texans are the sleeper team of the NFL. Don't ever count them out because they might surprise you. If they can play with same consistency each week they just might make it to the playoffs this season. Matt Schaub runs hot and cold but when he's on he's remarkable and he's fortunate to the #1 WR in the league in Andre Johnson to throw to. Steve Slaton needs to stay healthy if he hopes to contribute to the run attack this year. Texans D with Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing is always worth watching. Never miss an AFC South match-up if you can. Predicition: Colts
Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Ahh..what can you say about the Broncos off-season moves? Getting rid of a pro bowl WR in Brandon Marshall and a top TE in Tony Scheffler is going to be a move many will question if the Broncos do poorly this season. McDaniels ran his training camp like Navy Seal training and lost 12 of his players in the process including his top LB Elvis Dumervil for the season. LenDale White was lost for the season in their final preseason game but both Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter should be back healthy. Everyone is on the Tebow bandwagon, but Kyle Orton is the starting QB and is the right man for the job. Losing his big target he will have to rely on 3rd year WR Eddie Royal and rookie Demaryius Thomas to make up for those lost receptions. Broncos D was superb in the first half of the season but fell apart in the latter half. If Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey come in healthy (both out with injuries during preseason) the Broncos may be ok but will struggle this year. The Jaguars want to make the playoffs this year but getting out of the AFC South division will always be tough with the Colts at the top. David Garrard had a pretty good but not great season last year finishing with 15 TDs and 10 INTs with Mike Sims-Walker catching nearly half of them (7). Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the top RBs in the league. He finished last year with a remarkable 15 TDs. He is their biggest bright spot. Jacksonville's D will need to step up if they hope to make it back to the playoffs. Predicition: Jaguars
Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Falcons are in that pesky NFC South division. They are a good team in a division that has been dominated by the Saints. 3rd year QB Matt Ryan has a sophmore slump last year finishing with 22 TDs but 14 INTs as well. He should have a better season this year with WR Roddy White and RB Michael Turner in his backfield. Falcons hope their D can carry them further than last year. The Steelers are playing with a handicap. They are without Big Ben for the first 4 games of the season. This means Dennis Dixon will get the start for the season opener. Hines Ward's cockiness is backed up by his deep threat ability. Rashard Mendenhall finished with 1108 yards last season so he keeps the ball moving for them. Steelers D is always reliable but can they keep them in these first 4 games will be the question. Predicition: Falcons
Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills
What other team in the NFL can run the Wildcat formation better than the Dolphins? Answer: No one. This is their specialty and one that they have gotten very good at. The addition of WR Brandon Marshall will also bring a reliable deep threat with Henne wants to air it out. But with Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams both playing well in the wildcat offense the deep threat will only be an occasional necessity. Bills are a disappointment each year. Trent Edwards wont have TO to throw to this year but he does have Lee Evans still. Marshawn Lynch will have rookie CJ Spiller to help him with carries in the backfield. Bills D has never been able to keep them competitive in the tough AFC East division. Predicition: Dolphins
Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears
A NFC North divisional match up that may turn out to be better than people expect. Lions have 2nd year QB Matthew Stafford who is hoping to improve his 13 TD/2o INT season from a year ago. With Megatron- WR Calvin Johnson and WR Bryant Johnson he may be able to do better if his line can better protect him this year. RB Kevin Smith needs to improve his 4 TD season from last year. Lions D has always been a major disappointment..let's hope that their off season moves will help them. Bears had an awful season last year. Cutler threw nearly as many INTs (26) as he did TDs (27). Johnny Knox (5 TDs) and Devin Hester (4 TDs) will have to make more catches this season if the Bears hope to be a standout in the division. Brian Urlacher is back healthy so let's hope he can get that D turned around this year. Predicition: Bears
Cincinnati Bengals vs New England Patriots
I just have a feeling this is going to be a great game. Bengals added TO in the off-season to compliment Ochocinco. I dont know how they will split receptions but let's hope these 2 massive egos can handle it because if they do the Bengals will be a great team. Palmer is consistent and he's going to appreciate having a 1-2 like the one he has this year. Add a healthy Cedric Benson in the backfield and a D that shocked the Steelers twice last year and you have a team that may be able to be a threat in the playoffs. Patriots is the AFC East's most reliable team. Tom Brady is 1 of the top 5 QBs in the NFL. He has a healthy Wes Welker back and a disgruntled but tremendous receiver in Randy Moss. Their running game is anchored by Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk..they have a stingy D that can make the rest of their division have a bad season. Predicition: Bengals
Cleveland Browns vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Let us pray that both these teams have a better season than last year. Browns brought in Jake Delhomme whose last year with the Panthers was atrocious. I expect at some point Colt McCoy will become the starter for this team. Jerome Harrison will need to be more of a weapon from the backfield but his line will need to protect him. Browns D will need to make major adjustments. The Buccaneers had an awful season last year. It was a rough season for 1st year head coach Raheem Morris. QB Josh Freeman came in towads the end of the season and proved good enough to be the starter. He's now playing with an injured thumb. Can he help to improve the Bucs from last year? Can this D make the critical stops necessary to keep their games competitive? That remains to be seen. I'm not looking forward to this game so I'm hoping they surprise me. Prediction: Browns
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
Mike Singletary is a great coach with a team that is potentially on the rise. How will Alex Smith fare this year? Can Vernon Davis continue to be the receptions leader? Will a healthy Frank Gore be a reliable run threat? I sure hope so. I also hope their D will keep them close as they did last year. Seahawks hired Pete Carroll as their head coach. Can he turn his USC greatness into NFL greatness? Hmmm... Matt Hasselback sure hopes so I'll say. While the Seahawks dumped Houshmandzadeh they still have Deion Branch at receiver and Julius Jones in the backfield. I think their D will be better this year but I can never tell how any team in the NFC West will do. Prediction: 49ers
Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles
Aaron Rodgers is a great QB. Fantasy football books predicted that he needed to be drafted high. He threw for 4434 yards, 30 TDs and just 7 INTs. He has two 1000 yard receivers in Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. He has a 1253 yard and 11 TD runner running back in Ryan Grant. The Packers D is never a question mark..they play tough PERIOD. The Eagles traded McNabb in the off season and now has Kevin Kolb as their starting QB. They also got rid of their often injured RB Brian Westbrook. I dont know how wise of a decision this is going to turn out to be. DeSean Jackson is a good WR but what will Kolb be able to do in this game or better year this year in that tough NFC East division. This will be a serious wait and see on this. Prediction: Packers
Arizona Cardinals vs St. Louis Rams
I have no clue how this game is going to go but neither team impresses me. Kurt Warner retired in the off-season leaving Leinert as the heir apparent to his role. Didnt happen. Instead Cardinals are relying on Derek Anderson to pick up where Warner left off. Anderson was an unreliable QB with the Browns so how much he can do in Arizona will remain to be seen. He does have 1 of the top receivers in the league with Larry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower in the backfield. Despite this fact I dont know how well the Cardinals are going to play this season even with a decent D. The Rams..was it just a decade ago they were the greatest show on turf? Now they are the duds of the NFC West division. Sam Bradford takes the healm of a team whose O line has been terrible for years. Steven Jackson has been their only bright spot. The D has go to step up or get stepped over. Prediction: Cardinals
Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins
Let's have a good clean fight and I want both teams to come out swinging! This is a decades old rivalry with the Redskins on the short end of that stick mostly. But let's not count them out this season. Redskins made a big move by getting QB Donovan McNabb in the off-season. Can Mike Shanahan finally get that elusive Lombardi trophy that McNabb has so desperately sought his entire career? Can the small but quick Santana Moss improve upon his 3 TD season last year? With the addition of Larry Johnson to Clinton Portis in the backfield provide a more explosive running game. All this is dependent upon how the O line holds up which was their undoing last season. Skins finished a disappointing 4-12 last year and are hoping that some of what they did in the off-season both on D and on the offense will give them a much improved outlook. Dallas Cowboys are predicted to be the first team to play a superbowl in their own home stadium. Sorry Boys..I dont see that happening, but they will make the playoffs for sure. Tony Romo finished with 26 TDs and 9 INTs last season so he is still 1 of the top 10 QBs in the league. He has a good receiving core with WRs Miles Austin and Roy Williams and TE Jason Witten. His running back by committee core Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice is superb. Cowboys D when healthy is the best in their division. I honestly expect a good tough game in this one. Prediction: Cowboys
Baltimore Ravens vs New York Jets
3rd year QB Joe Flacco seems to be improving each year. He finished last season with 3613 yards and 21 TDs with 12 INTs. He has 1000 yard receiver Derrick Mason healthy and picked up 1000 yard WR Anquan Boldin in the off season. Add on top of it 1300 yard RB Ray Rice and one of the best Ds in the NFL and you have a team that is going to be hard to beat this season. The Jets are hoping 2nd year QB Matt Sanchez improves on his 2444 yards and 12 TDs with 20 INTs of last season. Jerricho Cotchery wants to add to his 57 reception/ 828 yards and 3 TD season of last year while Santonio Holmes is suspended. Jets did pick up RB LaDainian Tomlinson in the off-season from the Chargers in hopes he can help their running game. Jets D is the reason they made it all the way to the AFC championship last year. They strengthened it by bringing in Antonio Cromartie on the other side of Darrelle Revis (who thankfully signed this week). Expect this to be a defensive battle. Prediction: Ravens
San Diego Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs
An AFC West battle here that may turn out to be pretty good because it's in Arrowhead where the Chiefs play best and Chargers always start their season off slow. Philip Rivers finished 2009 season with 4254 yards 28 TDs and 9 INTs. His #1 WR Vincent Jackson is still holding out for a new contract but Chargers brought in Patrick Crayton to play opposite of Malcolm Floyd and TE Antonio Gates is his best target. Chargers traded Tomlinson in the off-season and is hoping that rookie RB Ryan Matthews will be the suitable replacement they need. He looked great in the preseason but let's see what he can do now that he'll be playing against the starting Ds of teams. Cromartie is gone off that defense but they are still one of the leagues most consistent. Chiefs hope that Matt Cassel stays healthy and can pull them out the basement of the AFC West division. He has his big target Dwayne Bowe with Chris Chambers on the other side. RB Jamaal Charles finished with 1120 yards and 7 TDs last season so he has been the upside of a team that has played poorly. Their D is not great but much improved and they are hoping a home opener will start their season off right. Prediction: Chargers
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