Everyone is thrilled that the NFL is finally ready to get started, and that means it’s time to take a look at week 1 NFL predictions. It’s never too early to start mapping these out, and the first games will be upon us before you know it. Here are the opening week 1 NFL predictions to get your season started off the right way.
At Green Bay -4 New Orleans
The defending champions open up the season at home, and are showcased in the very first game of the year. There’s no better place to start your week 1 NFL predictions, and the Packers are rightly the favorites at home to begin their title defense.
At Baltimore -3 Pittsburgh
This classic match-up between hated rivals is a tough one to pick right out of the gates. Which team will be in better form after the lockout? These are always toss-up games, and the -3 advantage goes to the home team, the Ravens, although this one can always end up going to either team.
At Tampa Bay -2.5 Detroit
Tampa Bay isn’t a very large favorite at home against the Lions, which some might find surprising. The Lions though are a dark horse team for many people with their vaunted defensive line, and Matt Stafford is healthy to start the year. Which young team will prevail to get their season moving in the right direction?
Atlanta -2.5 At Chicago
The Falcons are road favorites going into Chicago against the Bears, surprising to some considering that the Bears were in the NFC championship game last season. An important test for each squad, because both of them have lofty playoff aspirations for the season. This is a tough one to call with your week 1 NFL predictions, and both sides have something to prove.
At Kansas City -6.5 Buffalo
One of the largest spreads to be found with any week 1 NFL predictions is the Chiefs at home by 6.5 against Buffalo. The Chiefs were a playoff team last season, while the Bills didn’t do much last year, and didn’t seem to make any big offseason moves to improve the squad either.
At Houston -3 Indianapolis
This one completely depends on the health of Peyton Manning. If he’s out there and playing, then the Colts probably wouldn’t be underdogs, even on the road. But there’s a chance he misses the first game of his career. This match-up may have to wait until the last minute with your week 1 NFL predictions so you get as much information about his injury and status as possible.
Philadelphia -5 At St. Louis
The Eagles, the big winners of the offseason with everyone they signed and all the trades they made, are heavy favorites for a road squad. St. Louis is a young and improving team though and won’t want to be embarrassed on their home field as the season begins.
At Cleveland -6 Cincinnati
Which of these two divisional foes and rivals will start to turn things around in 2011? As the line suggests, more people believe in the Browns with their week 1 NFL predictions over the Bengals, but six points seems heavy between two teams when neither one is really expected to be a good squad.
At Jacksonville -3 Tennessee
Both the Jaguars and the Titans know they need to do some improving on the field if they want to make a run in 2011. The big question for the Titans is that you don’t know if Chris Johnson will be on the field to do the running for them. No Chris Johnson means an easy selection of the Jaguars with your week 1 NFL predictions.
NY Giants -3 At Washington
The Giants have been battered by injuries and some turmoil in the offseason, and so they’ll be limping into the first game of the season. But the Redskins aren’t expected to do much, and don’t have a clear cut number 1 quarterback, so they’ll be expected to lose their home opener against their NFC East rival.
At Arizona -6.5 Carolina
When you start a rookie quarterback, you’re going to be the heavy underdogs in lots of games, and that’s especially true when you were the worst team in the league the year before. The Cardinals are optimistic with new QB Kevin Kolb, and with Larry Fitzgerald locked up to a nice new, lengthy deal with the team.
At San Francisco -5.5 Seattle
The NFC West was tight last season because no team was able to finish with a .500 record, so everyone was in that same mediocre range. New head coach Jim Harbaugh has a lot of hype behind him, and that probably explains the heavy point spread in their favor even though the Seahawks are the more experienced and proven team right now.
At San Diego -8.5 Minnesota
This seems like a pretty wide margin for the Chargers, even at home. The Vikings want to rebound after failing to perform to expectations last season, and they have Adrian Peterson, Donovan McNabb and a stout defense to help do just that. The Vikings could be upset picks with your week 1 NFL predictions here, or at least should beat that point spread.
At NY Jets -4.5 Dallas
The Jets are a trendy Super Bowl pick for many people, and the Cowboys are coming off a disastrous 2010 season. It’s also the first game to be played in the brand new stadium that the Jets and Giants have, so they’ll be feeding off of plenty energy and excitement and should get the job done.
New England -6.5 At Miami
Things aren’t looking too bright in Miami even if the weather has been sunny. The quarterback situation is unresolved, with nobody really believing in Chad Henne. The Patriots are expected to be one of the forces of the league yet again, and so are lofty favorites even on the road against a divisional opponent, and it’s justified.
At Denver -2.5 Oakland
This battle between AFC West rivals features two teams trying to get started in the right direction. Both have major quarterback questions, new coaches and staffs, and more. So this could be an ugly one, and Denver gets the slight advantage as they are the home team.
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