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| Rob Gronkowski and the Patriots spiked spiked away the offseason with an opening night win on Thursday. (AP) |
Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@Dallas over New York Giants
Austen: The only way the Giants can stay in this game if they find a way to run the ball incredibly efficiently. Teams that have a three running back committee typically refer to this as having a “three headed monster.” The Giants have more of a three headed kitten. Dallas is going to score in bunches on this Swiss cheese defense that is riddled with injuries and it will be too much for the Giants to keep up with.
Stally: Welcome to the Cowboys bandwagon, Austen! Once and for all we can close out our longtime debate: Tony Romo is a better quarterback than Eli Manning.
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
@New England over Pittsburgh
Stally: There was no way the Patriots lost the first game of the Revenge Tour at home, and they didn't. The 28-21 final score was far closer than the game itself, thanks to a Steelers touchdown with two seconds left.
Austen: Well this game already happened. I had a lot of confidence in the Pats winning this one, as the Pats always play the best with their backs against the wall. All the offseason controversy has only fuel Tom Brady. Despite losing their top four, yes four, cornerbacks from last season, the Patriots will be one of the best, if not the best, in the AFC once again this year. The Steelers look like they will have an uphill battle starting the season with two of their top three offensive players missing due to suspension and their offense getting no help from a young and not very talented defense.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
Green Bay over @Chicago
Austen: Jay Cutler is 1-11 against the Packers. That is very, very bad. This might be the worst Bears team Jay Cutler has ever “led” (I couldn’t in good conscious refer to Cutler as a leader). Alshon Jeffery might miss this game, and the Bears’ other two top receivers are also questionable. Even with Jordy Nelson out for the year and Randall Cobb banged up, this would be a huge upset if the Bears found a way to win this game.
Stally: There is no love for the Bears in the NFL right now, and I'm not going to be the first to show any.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@Denver over Baltimore
Stally: The Broncos offense gets a lot of hype, but the defense is also stacked with playmakers. It's hard to see them losing at home where they've gone 22-2 in three seasons with Peyton Manning.
Austen: Week 1 of 2014, Peyton Manning threw seven touchdowns against the Ravens. That is not going to happen again. Manning’s arm is the weakest in the league. If the Broncos are to win this game, it will be because of their running game and defense. I have the Broncos, but if this game were played in Baltimore, I would be taking the Ravens.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
@Arizona over New Orleans
Austen: Stally is going to joke about how I picked the Saints to basically win just about every game last year. Let him live in the past. I will take the Cardinals over the Saints with loads of confidence this week, as I have learned from first hand experience how bad the Saints can be. This Cardinals team might be the best team in the league with a healthy Carson Palmer, but who knows how long that will last. While it does, I will take them over a Jimmy Graham-less Saints team that will be spending 2015 trying to redefine their identity.
Stally: After picking New Orleans in 15 weeks last year, it's about time that Austen realizes how less-than-mediocre the Saints are.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
Cincinnati over @Oakland
Stally: This is a mismatch on paper. The Bengals have a lot of experienced talent, and while the Raiders are no longer talentless, the talent they do have is young and green. Expect it to be close, but expect the Bengals to win.
Austen: The Raiders are trending up. They have a serviceable quarterback. They have one of the most athletically talented running backs in the game. They have the most pro ready rookie receiver since AJ Green. They have one of the best young defenders in the entire league. And I am still pretty darn confident that they are going to get shellacked in this game. 2016 looks to be bright for the Raiders, but this season will be about this young team growing into their potential. If Andy Dalton ever starts playing the way he does in the regular season in the playoffs, the Bengals will get a shot at winning their first ever Super Bowl. This team is that talented.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
Philadelphia over @Atlanta
Austen: The Falcons had the worst defense in the entire league last year. They essentially added one promising rookie to this bunch. That will not be enough to slow down the Eagles, even if they knock Sam Bradford out for the year in the first quarter. The Eagles have the pieces to be one of the premier teams in the NFC. The Falcons are going to struggle to just win the worst division in the entire league.
Stally: I think this is an overdraft. The Falcons bottomed out last year, but tend to play well at home. It's the correct pick, just an early one.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
Miami over @Washington
Stally: The Redskins aren't a good football team, at all. It's pretty simple.
Austen: Kirk Cousins can play. I believe he can be a top 15-20 quarterback in the league and they have the pieces around him to have a top tier offense. However, this defense is still atrocious and will always fail them in tight games. The Dolphins love to lose games they should win, but Ryan Tannehill is going to start out real hot this year with an offense loaded with talented pass catchers. Look for Suh to have a monster stat line at the end of this game against one of the worst interior offensive lines in the NFL.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
Minnesota over @San Francisco
Austen: The 49ers lost about 50-60% of their starters from last season, and it was their more talented starters than the ones who remain. I think the 49ers will have a better season than people are predicting at the moment, but they still look like an 8-8 squad. The Vikings have one of the most talented young rosters and this will be Adrian Peterson’s first game back in almost a year. Say what you want about AP, but the kid loves football and the 49ers defenders are going to feel how badly he missed it. It would not surprise me at all if he came out of this game with 300+ yards.
Stally: The Vikings managed to go 7-9 last year with a rookie quarterback and the loss of a once-in-a-generation RB for the whole season. They're much better than a 49ers team that got gutted in the offseason.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
@San Diego over Detroit
Stally: We've got to the point where the games could go either way, so I'll take a Chargers team at home that should be able to outscore a questionable Lions defense.
Austen: I am actually very surprised that Stally took this game so high. The Lions were the significantly better team last year and while they lost Suh, their roster has gotten much stronger in a lot of other areas. Rookie Ameer Abdullah looks to be a play making machine this year, while the Chargers Melvin Gordon has looked out of place in the NFL so far. Watching these two rookie runners will be the story of the game, but it should be a fun one to watch no matter how this one goes down.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
Indianapolis over @Buffalo
Austen: I love football because it is a true team sport. I respect every aspect of this game and how hard these guys have to work just to be a backup in this league. However, sometimes football is simple. There is no way Andrew Luck loses to Tyrod Taylor. It is way more complicated than that, but for Buffalo, best case scenario this is a close game at the end. Who do you trust more in the 4th quarter? The most freakishly talented quarterback the NFL has ever seen, or a career backup? I think the Colts go into Buffalo and embarrass a fantastic defensive unit.
Stally: I like Rex Ryan to get his new team amped up at home. The Bills tend to start seasons stronger than they end them, and I think they upset in this one.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
@New York Jets over Cleveland
Stally: Speaking of Rex Ryan, the Jets will have a different look without him, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick gun-slinging the ball all day. That should be enough to beat a Browns team with no offensive identity.
Austen: The Jets are a very talented team (yes you read that right), but there are a lot of new pieces on both offense and defense, which usually leads to early season struggles. It also does not help that they have Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. If Joe Haden has a down game, the Jets have a chance to romp the Browns, but Haden could be the impact player of the game picking off Fitzpatrick numerous times. I like my Jets in this one, but not overly confident in this one.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
Seattle over @St. Louis
Austen: Benny Cunningham is starting at running back for the Rams. I like the Rams as a sneaky playoff team this year, but they have too many injuries to topple the best team in the league.
Stally: The Rams pulled off the upset in this game last year. They're a better team than last season and I fear the Super Bowl loss hangover awaiting the Seahawks. I'll take the Rams in an upset.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
@Tampa Bay over Tennessee
Stally: The Bucs probably won't be a playoff team, but have a lot of interesting storylines. Expect them to win at home in Week 1 against a Titans team that doesn't have the same storylines past rookie QB Marcus Mariota.
Austen: Two rookie quarterbacks means question marks all over the place. I have Tampa Bay, but I could see either team steam rolling the other. It will probably be the worst game to watch of the week.
Austen's One-Point Pick
Kansas City over @Houston
Austen: No Arian Foster and no Andre Johnson? That means not a lot of points for this offense. The Chiefs have a very good defense and have Jeremy Maclin and Jamaal Charles, so you know they are putting up points. I see a disappointing start of the Texans this week.
Stally: This is a correct pick. The Chiefs aren't flashy, but they are well-rounded.
Stally's One-Point Pick
@Jacksonville over Carolina
Stally: Like their northern Florida counterparts to the west (Tampa Bay), Jacksonville is intriguing this season. They have the youthful exuberance to pick up a Week 1 home-opening win against a middle-of-the-road Carolina foe.
Austen: I really like the building blocks that the Jags have put together. They are not going to win a lot of games this year, but they are going to win this one. The Panthers are running out of offensive weapons fast and it is going to be a very, very long year for Cam Newton.
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