NFL Week 1 Predictions

 

Here. We. Go. The 2023 NFL season is rapidly approaching, as we are now just a couple of days away from the start of what should be a very exciting season.

There are some fantastic matchups on the Week 1 slate, including a high-octane offensive matchup between the Dolphins and the Chargers, Jordan Love marking a new era of Packers football against the rival Bears, and Aaron Rodgers making his Jets debut against Josh Allen and the Bills.

The NFL is finally back, everyone! Let's get to the predictions for who wins this week, starting with the Lions taking on the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Thursday Night:

Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs: 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)

The season kicks off with two of the most explosive offences from last season (The Chiefs were 1st in total offence last season while the Lions were 4th) facing off. Dan Campbell's squad is looking to make a statement in the NFC this season and what better way to do that than to knock off the defending Super Bowl champions to start the year.

 Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are looking to repeat as champs. Still, without All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones (who might not play on Thursday as he holds out for a long-term contract extension), the Chiefs defence won't be able to make enough plays against an explosive Lions offence. In contrast, Detroit's new-look defence will step up late to give the Lions an upset road victory.

Lions 40 Chiefs 36

Sunday Afternoon:

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens: 1:00 p.m. EST (CBS)

The C.J. Stroud era begins in Houston as the Texans go to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. I think Stroud has a good future in this league, but this is a tough matchup for him to begin his NFL career. The Ravens have a very good defence, and combined with Jackson leading a new-look offence, Baltimore should be able to impose its will early and often at home and start off 1-0.

Texans 13 Ravens 30

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns: 1:00 p.m. EST (CBS)

The Bengals come into this season as Super Bowl contenders and they have won the AFC North in back-to-back seasons behind Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow has dealt with a calf injury throughout most of training camp, but he should be good to go for this AFC North showdown.

The Browns have high hopes entering this season, as they are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Deshaun Watson will look to play much better than he did last year during his first year in Cleveland.

The guess here is that Watson and the Browns will get the win at home as Burrow could be a bit rusty after barely practising over the last month. But it will be a close one.

Bengals 21 Browns 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Minnesota Vikings: 1:00 p.m. EST (CBS)

The Tom Brady era is officially done in Tampa Bay, and now, Baker Mayfield will come in to try to help the Buccaneers win their third straight NFC South title. But going from the best quarterback of all time to an average starter in Mayfield will be a harsh reality to face for the Bucs this season.

Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins and the Vikings are looking to pick up where they left off from last season when they won 13 games and the NFC North for the first time since 2017. With Cousins and All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson leading the way, Minnesota will notch a comfortable victory over Tampa Bay to start off 1-0 for the second consecutive season.

Buccaneers 17 Vikings 27

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts: 1:00 p.m. EST (FOX)

The Jaguars come into the season as the defending AFC South champions, led by their Pro Bowl quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence has plenty of weapons around him, such as Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Travis Etienne Jr. The Colts defence is solid, but it won't be able to stop Jacksonville's talented offence and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson won't be able to keep up. The Jags will win big.

Jaguars 34 Colts 16

Arizona Cardinals @ Washington Commanders: 1:00 p.m. EST (FOX)

It's really crazy how fast things change in this league. Just a couple of years ago, the Cardinals were looked at as one of the best teams in the NFC. But this season, they likely won't be able to climb out of the cellar dweller in the NFC West. Meanwhile, the Commanders nearly made the playoffs last season and they possess a very stingy defence (led by their dominant front seven). At home, Sam Howell and the gang should be able to take care of the Cards with little difficulty.

Cardinals 10 Commanders 24

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons: 1:00 p.m. EST (FOX)

What an interesting NFC South showdown we have here! The number one overall pick in this year's draft, Bryce Young will look to begin his career with a bang as the new face of the Panthers franchise. However, Carolina's defence may be without Pro Bowler Brian Burns for this game, as the young edge rusher is currently seeking a contract extension. With that in mind, combined with the fact that the Falcons have a lot of explosive playmakers on offence such as rookie running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts, look for Atlanta to win a close one at home.

Panthers 24 Falcons 27

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints: 1:00 p.m. EST (CBS)

This should be an interesting matchup between two teams that missed the playoffs last season, but both squads are full of veteran players who are looking to reassert their dominance in the league (Derrick Henry, DeAndre Hopkins for the Titans and Derek Carr and Michael Thomas for the Saints). I think with Carr making his Saints debut at home against a below-average Titans passing defence, the Saints will take this one, but it will be very close.

Titans 23 Saints 24

San Francisco 49ers @ Pittsburgh Steelers: 1:00 p.m. EST (FOX)

This is a game that I could see going either way. The 49ers, coming off another deep playoff run under head coach Kyle Shanahan, are the better team. But you also know that Mike Tomlin is going to have his team prepared for this one. The 49ers offensive line (outside of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams) looks like a weak spot on an otherwise stacked San Francisco offence and the Steelers have one of the best front sevens' in the league, headlined by T.J. Watt. There's also a chance that Niners All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa will miss this game as he seeks a long-term contract extension from the team (UPDATE: Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million extension with the 49ers on Wednesday afternoon). Give me Kenny Pickett and the Steelers to win at home.

49ers 20 Steelers 26

Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos: 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)

Both of these AFC West squads are beginning a new era, as Jimmy Garropolo takes over as the Raiders' new starting quarterback and Sean Payton takes over as the Broncos' new head coach. Garropolo may be more suited to run head coach Josh McDaniels' offence than Derek Carr was, but this is a difficult matchup for him to start the season; Denver's defence has been very good for the past few seasons and many of their starters from 2022 are back for this season. As long as Russell Wilson doesn't implode, I think the Broncos win at home as they match up pretty well with the Raiders on paper.

Raiders 14 Broncos 24

Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks: 4:25 p.m. EST (FOX)

Don't be surprised if this game becomes a blowout in favour of the Seahawks. The Rams don't have much depth on the roster and now, star wide receiver Cooper Kupp might not play on Sunday because of a bad hamstring injury. On the other hand, I like the Seahawks a lot coming into this season, as they made some improvements to their defence during the offseason. Combine that with their already explosive offence that is chock-full of playmakers, and it adds up to the Hawks being a tough team to beat. Seattle will route L.A.

Rams 17 Seahawks 38

Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Chargers: 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)

Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle vs Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen? Sign me up! When these two teams played last season, the Chargers were able to squeak out a low-scoring affair at home. But in that game, both teams (mainly the Chargers) were dealing with injuries to their top playmakers. With everyone healthy entering Week 1, I think we're all about to see a massive shootout on our hands. This time, however, It will be the Dolphins that take home the victory, with the help of their new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whose defence will get a late interception off of Herbert to seal the win.

Dolphins 33 Chargers 31

Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots: 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)

On paper, this game looks like a complete mismatch. The Eagles are probably the most talented team in the NFL, while the Patriots don't have any elite playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. However, with Bill Belichick still roaming the sidelines and this game being in Foxborough, there are some trap game vibes to this matchup. New England's defence will keep it close for three quarters before Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offence make a couple of plays late in the game to win it for the defending NFC champions.

Eagles 24 Patriots 17

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears: 4:25 p.m. EST (FOX)

The oldest rivalry in the NFL continues with a new twist; Aaron Rodgers is gone (which is fantastic news for Bears fans) and the Jordan Love era is here in Green Bay. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has never lost to Chicago, having gone 8-0 against the Bears since arriving in Green Bay in 2019. On the flip side, Bears quarterback Justin Fields is 0-4 against the Packers. The arrival of star wide receiver D.J. Moore will undoubtedly help Fields, but the Packers are better in the trenches. I think Love will do just enough against an improved, but not great Chicago defence to snap the Packers' recent Week 1 woes.

Packers 21 Bears 17

Sunday Night:

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants: 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)

What a great way to end the first Sunday of the new season. Both the Cowboys and Giants were playoff teams last year, and both made some important upgrades to the roster; the Cowboys added Brandin Cooks to help out the passing attack and Stephon Gilmore to improve the secondary while the Giants added more than a few playmakers (including Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller) to help out quarterback Daniel Jones. The Cowboys swept the Giants last season, but they only won those two games by a combined 15 points. With this game being in New York, the G-Men will rise to the occasion and beat Dallas for the first time since the 2020 regular season.

Cowboys 20 Giants 23

Monday Night:

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets: 8:15 p.m. EST (ESPN/ABC)

The best matchup of Week 1 takes place on Monday night as the three-time defending AFC East champion Bills take on the Jets, with Aaron Rodgers making his debut in New York. Both teams appear to be evenly matched, featuring elite defences and playmakers on both sides of the ball. The Jets are receiving a lot of well-warranted hype coming into this season with Rodgers leading the team, but make no mistake about it; the Bills have the better quarterback between the two squads. Look for Josh Allen to put on a show and lead Buffalo to a statement victory over their AFC East rivals to end the first week of the season. 

Bills 30 Jets 23