NFL Week 1 Essentials
The season is here. Let’s rejoice and get into thought process mode on these Week 1 morsels:
Thursday, Sept. 10
Pittsburgh at New England:
Do Steelers receivers Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton have game-breaker in them here? Without suspended playmakers Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant, it’s going to be easier to account for those two than it would’ve been, which means a Dri Archer or Darrius Heyward-Bey is going to have to emerge. Tom Brady didn’t look great in August’s games and didn’t enjoy a normal preseason, but he’ll have Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman to make him look good. They’ve gotten plenty of work in during practices, so even if the Patriots look flat, “Deflategate” drama be used as an excuse. At least not accurately.
Sunday, Sept. 14
Green Bay at Chicago:
With Jordy Nelson out for the year, expect Randall Cobb to make good on his vow to play through shoulder trouble, but he isn’t likely to be 100 percent. The Packers offensive line has also had health issues over the past month, so there’s a chance they’ll be vulnerable. The Bears have beaten their arch rival in only three of the last 15 games since 2008 and haven’t won in Soldier Field in five seasons, but they’ve never had John Fox at the helm. Whether that changes anything remains to be seen, but it’s probably not great that Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay hung 43 on the only occasion in Fox’s Denver tenure that they faced off.
Kansas City at Houston:
The Chiefs were perfect in the preseason and actually completed passes to receivers who physically reached the end zone. With Jamaal Charles liking the look of this year’s offensive line, he’s going to get a great litmus test as to just how good they are facing Houston’s front. Jadeveon Clowney is set to be out there after missing the entire preseason, so if he’s set on making up for lost time, the Texans are going to be remembered for more than Hard Knocks this season. Their personnel is sublime.
Cleveland at N.Y. Jets:
Browns head coach Mike Pettine worked as the Jets defensive coordinator for years under Rex Ryan and is going to be reliant on that side of the ball if he’s to have a victorious return. We can’t count on Geno Smith to complete a few passes to Joe Haden, so this one is actually wide open. Veteran QBs Josh McCown and Ryan Fitzpatrick will try to avoid miscues while fully aware that there are an abundance of sharks in the sea. Every pass will be up for grabs, so it will be interesting to see who throws more. Prediction: the team that passes it most will lose.
Indianapolis at Buffalo:
Newly acquired RB LeSean McCoy is supposed to see his first game action since the preseason opener, but if that hamstring is not 100 percent and he tries to gut it out, this might wind up being a really long night for the home team. Of course, it could swing the other way completely and expose the Colts as a team on the decline due to management’s inability to build an offensive line worthy of protecting Andrew Luck. The Bills are definitely built to take advantage and Ryan is going to have tricks in store.
Miami at Washington:
Backup QB Robert Griffin III might be glad he’s on the sidelines since Ndamakong Suh will be roaming the field for the Dolphins in a game that counts for the first time. Since he bothered to be pretty great in preseason, it’s a safe bet Kirk Cousins will be hunted on every snap. He’s going to have to avoid long-developing plays and give Jay Gruden exactly what he wants, a game manager who can keep a team on task and make plays from the pocket. Since there won’t be a hostile crowd to deal with -- at least initially – Cousins has a chance to prove he’s the right choice after all.
Carolina at Jacksonville:
Losing Kelvin Benjamin threatened to spoil the Panthers plans before the season even started since they have no one to adequately replace him, so we’ll see if Devin Funchess or the newly acquired Kevin Norwood can pay immediate dividends for Cam Newton. Another worry in this sneaky tough road game lies in how Blake Bortles looked in the preseason, clearly exhibiting a firmer grasp of what it takes to succeed at this level. Of course, it’s a different world now that we’re playing for keeps, so we’ll see how he responds here. It would lessen his burden if DT Star Lotulelei sits, but that looks like it’s headed for being a game-time decision.
Seattle at St. Louis:
The Legion of Boom isn’t the same without Earl Thomas, so news that he’s been practicing without restrictions for well over a week means a team that’s one bad decision away from being two-time defending champs is nearly whole. Safety Kam Chancellor remains a holdout, so Nick Foles won’t get the full experience, but the new Rams quarterback will be facing the NFL’s elite secondary for the first time. He also won’t have No. 1 running back Todd Gurley, who isn’t quite ready post-ACL tear, so this will really be some coming out party if he pulls a home upset.
New Orleans at Arizona:
The Cardinals welcomed back Carson Palmer for a few preseason cameos and he’s displayed a pretty deep ball and an ability to move the offense. With Drew Brees not locking in on Jimmy Graham, won’t he be better? With Brees not having Graham to lock in on in the red zone, won’t he be less productive? We’re getting a road game and a terrific defense with which to start finding out.
Detroit at San Diego:
Effectively replacing Suh hinges on how healthy and prepared Haloti Ngata is after missing all of training camp healing up a hamstring and getting refreshed following his trade. If he’s still a force at 31 and can help replace all the beef the Lions lost up front, there’s a formidable team around him. The Chargers couldn’t get their ground game off the ground all spring and go into the season opener hoping Melvin Gordon was just saving his energy over the past month.
Tennessee at Tampa Bay:
Let’s not do the thing where we let this first game between Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota dictate who gets to be deemed better for the next decade. It’s simply bragging rights. Winston has better receivers. Mariota has the better o-line. It’s one game though. Game on.
Cincinnati at Oakland:
The Raiders look improved. That much is clear. How much better they are will hinge on how well they fare at home in what looks like their final season playing in the bay area. Because of that late run they went on last season, Oakland has a three-game winning streak there, which is saying something since they had lost nine straight. The Bengals have to make sure their prosperity doesn’t continue, because it’s time for them to take that next step forward as an elite team. It would be a bad look to lose this one. No other road team is under more pressure to win Week 1.
Baltimore at Denver:
The Ravens arrive in Denver unsure if rookie Breshad Perriman will be available, which means it could be the Steve Smith show. He’s definitely competent, but putting it all on his shoulders is a lot to ask. Peyton Mannning no longer has the burden all on his now that Gary Kubiak’s zone blocking system is in place, so we’ll see how he balances a reduced role while maintaining his rhythm for when they need his arm.
N.Y. Giants at Dallas:
The last of the day’s three divisional battles will test which of these NFC East powers can be ready to play shorthanded. New York’s Victor Cruz isn’t likely to play, Jason Pierre-Paul is finally ready to show his face after his July 4 fun with fireworks, and there are other Giants banged up. The Cowboys have to survive without Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain for four games and Orlando Scandrick the rest of the season. Sean Lee and Morris Claiborne just got back into the daily grind, so it’s on Eli Manning to make sure the Giants take advantage of an early opportunity to turn around the franchise’s momentum.
Monday, Sept. 15
Philadelphia at Atlanta:
Head coach Chip Kelly has handed the keys to his Eagles exclusively to Sam Bradford, so the mission to keep him upright begins. Philly can fly high if he’s healthy and would be grounded by Mark Sanchez if he’s not. Bradford could get a valuable weapon back if TE Zach Ertz is available, while the Falcons have Roddy White attempting to make it back from elbow surgery. Atlanta is also in search of an offensive line combination that can look better than what it showed in preseason, but is certainly cutting it close. New coach Dan Quinn won both home preseason games and wants this one badly.
Minnesota at San Francisco:
It’s fitting that we have to wait until this last contest to finally see Adrian Peterson. The Vikings have kept him under wraps and you imagine him locked in a hyperbaric chamber at night, getting those legs ready to rush for 2,500 yards. The NFL’s other new head coach, Jim Tomsula, is also a home underdog opening on a Monday night, but bears no scrutiny since all eyes are on Colin Kaepernick and his expected improvement.
