Week 1: NFL 2016 Kicks Off

Jimmy Garoppolo has a lot of ground to make up
to get the Patriots performing like Tom Brady did.

It's football season!  Let's get to our picks ...

Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@Seattle over Miami

Austen: Jay Ajayi was supposed to be the Dolphins' starting running back. He is a healthy scratch. DeVante Parker was supposed to be their big downfield threat that helped Ryan Tannehill take the next step in his career. He is injured and will miss this game. So far so bad for the Dolphins. Does not help they have to go to the hardest place to win in the NFL (Seattle). They will lose big. 

Stally: Agreed.  This was an easy pick.

Stally's Eight-Point Pick
@Indianapolis over Detroit

Stally: I think we'll see a strong resurgence from the Colts this season, and I don't see a lot I like about the Lions.

Austen: The Colts defense is is absolute shambles. This is way too high to take a team that has a lot to prove, even if the Lions are also a work in progress. 

Austen's Seven-Point Pick
Carolina over @Denver

Austen: Well I already got this wrong, but I stand by this pick. The Panthers came out playing fast and angry, but they just could not maintain their momentum in the first half and blew a 14-point lead against the most inexperienced starting quarterback in the league. 

Stally: I stand by your pick as well.  The Broncos played great in the playoffs, but aside from that, they played all of last season with a horseshoe in their butt and it was more of the same in Week 1.  Sooner or later, the law of averages will turn Denver into a 7-9 team.

Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@Atlanta over Tampa Bay

Stally: The Falcons usually start the season off really hot and fall apart later in the year.  Don't be surprised to see Atlanta look like a Super Bowl contender in Week 1 at home, just don't bet on those Super Bowl odds afterward.

Austen: The Bucs are the second best team next to the Panthers in this division. They will show that on the road in Atlanta and upset the Falcons. Watch out for a much improved Bucs' defense this year.

Austen's Six-Point Pick
@Kansas City over San Diego

Austen: No Jamaal Charles, no problem. The Chiefs are good enough to withstand losing their most important offensive weapon due to the depth they have a running back. The Chargers still can't get Joey Bosa on their active roster due to a minor injury. This has been a distraction however you slice it. The Chargers do not have enough fire power on either side of the ball to hang with the Chiefs in Arrowhead. 

Stally: I agree with the pick, but not the confidence.  The Chargers are a decent team and capable of beating the Chiefs if the chips fall the right way for them.

Stally's Six-Point Pick
Cincinnati over @New York Jets

Stally: The Bengals are one of the most solid teams in the league.  Maybe this is the year for Marvin Lewis ...

Austen: Call it a homer pick, but I'll stick with the Jets at home. The Jets are just as good if not better than last season. The Bengals are down three of their top four pass catchers from last year. That is a lot to overcome for week one of the season on the road. 

Austen's Five-Point Pick
@Arizona over New England

Austen: This game could start out the Sunday Night Football slate with a big time blowout. The Pats are down Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The Cardinals are the best team in the league, so the Pats will not be getting any breaks in this one. This could get ugly quick.

Stally: I haven't picked against New England in years, but the Patriots also haven't been without Tom Brady in years.  I have Arizona as well.

Stally's Five-Point Pick
@Houston over Chicago

Stally: Most everyone seems down on the Bears this season, so I'll pick a Houston team that looks pretty complete across the board.

Austen: Cannot agree more with this. The Bears are already banged up at wide receiver and offensive line, two spots they cannot afford to lose depth. The Bears defense is average at best, so they will be outmatched on both sides of the ball.

Austen's Four-Point Pick
Green Bay over @Jacksonville

Austen: I think Jacksonville wins the AFC South this season. That being said, I do not think they will even keep it close with the Packers. The Pack is back and is one of the best teams in the league. Aaron Rodgers will test how improved this defense is. 

Stally: I don't think the Jags will win the AFC South, but do think they'll win this game.  Go figure.

Stally's Four-Point Pick
New York Giants over @Dallas

Stally: We saw several episodes of a Tony Romo-less Cowboys team last season, it was ugly.

Austen: Dak Prescott was a revelation in the preseason. However, it was still the preseason. As bad as I think the Giants defense will still be, they will give Prescott a lot of trouble week one. 

Austen's Three-Point Pick
Los Angeles over @San Francisco

Austen: The Rams are not good, I will give you that. However, the 49ers might be the worst team in the league. I do not care where this game is being played, the Rams are going to win this one. 

Stally: This is a case of picking a relatively bad team over an extremely bad team.  I have the Rams as well.

Stally's Three-Point Pick
@Philadelphia over Cleveland

Stally: I'm not sure what to make of either of these teams, but I'll take the Eagles at home with a rookie QB (Carson Wentz) that's gotten high reviews.

Austen: The Eagles only made Wentz their starting quarterback because they got a king's ransom for a very average starting quarterback in Sam Bradford. The Eagles' did not want him to start yet, but are now unable to not start him. That is not the type of confidence you want in your quarterback. I think the Browns are going to come to town and upset the Eagles.

Austen's Two-Point Pick
Oakland over @New Orleans

Austen: The Raiders are stacked on offense and defense. The Saints have one of the worst defenses in the league and will be massively overmatched by all the weapons on the Raiders' offense. I think they stay close, but the Raiders take the lead and do not give it up. 

Stally: Surprisingly, I also have the Raiders with the upset.  Oakland might finally have a decent thing going on this season.

Stally's Two-Point Pick
@Tennessee over Minnesota

Stally: It's going to take the Vikings sometime to get acclimated to the loss of Teddy Bridgewater, and I expect the Titans to be improved this year.  I'll take them at home.

Austen: Marcus Mariota is the real deal. This smash mouth run game is going to be hard to handle even for a defense as good as the Vikings. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Vikings will not be good. 

Austen's One-Point Pick
Pittsburgh over @Washington

Austen: The Redskins are going to win the NFC East again this year, but this game will be a good test to see how they stack up against other actually good teams outside of their division. I do not think they have enough to hang with the big boys quite yet. 

Stally: Like the Jaguars-Packers pick, I'm going with the team Austen thinks will win the division and is picking against.  I like the Redskins at home in this one.

Stally's One-Point Pick
Buffalo over @Baltimore

Stally: The Bills are better than the Ravens.  In fact, the Bills will be better than many teams and the Ravens will be better than very few.

Austen: Joe Flacco is coming back from a very serious injury and no one really knows what he is going to look like. The Ravens lack playmakers at almost every level of this team, so I have to side with the Bills as well.