NFL 2017 Week 1 picks

Start of a new NFL season, and each team has high hopes.  Fans, on the other hand, may not.  Many NYC fans, often hopelessly optimistic, already fear for a weak year for the Jets.  49ers fans hope the Brian Hoyer era will transform their fortunes, and Falcons fan hope to quickly evaporate memories of a "sure thing" Super Bowl that slipped away.

Thursday, Sept 7
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots:  The defending Super Bowl champs start the season favored to repeat, as they return a healthy roster that has dominated the AFC for years.  The Chiefs can be good, but they are inconsistent.  No team, and no coach, exploits a team's weaknesses better than Bill Belichik and his Patriots.  This one is an easy pick.  PATRIOTS

Sunday, Sept 10
Early games:
Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears:  While national analysts doubt that the Falcons can return to the Super Bowl, their first game should be an easy victory.  Mistake-prone QB Jay Cutler is gone, but Mike Glennon is not the solution.  Mitch Trubisky played better in preseason, and should probably be starting instead.  The Bears put their hopes for a quick start in the hands of a player who is bit too slow to compete against the fast-paced Falcons.  FALCONS

Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions:  Arizona has put together a pretty potent offense, and the defense is stingy.  The Lions offense can be strong, but they often be their worst enemy.  The Cardinals have the type of defense that can exploit such errors, and even cause them.  CARDINALS

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals:  This will be a hard-fought divisional contest.  The blitzing Ravens defense will test the Bengals offensive line.  The Ravens offense suffers from a weak running game, making them fairly one-dimensional.  Defenses will dominate in this game, which favors the Ravens.  RAVENS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans:  Sympathies will lie with the home team, given the recent troubles experienced in Houston.  The Texans won't need sympathy to win, though.  Despite preseason struggles, Blake Bortles returns under center.  If he starts to struggle, which is likely, the Jags could replace him with Chad Henne.  Texans' fans might want a QB change too, hoping to see DeShaun Watson leading the team, but the team is wisely hoping to groom him on the sidelines as long as possible, leaving Tom Savage in charge.  Given the strong Texans defense, I think Watson will remain on the bench for a while.  TEXANS

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills:  Does anyone really care about this game outside of New York?  The Bills start rookie Nathan Peterman at quarterback, which means running back LeSean McCoy will likely be very busy.  The Jets can't even count on that, with Matt Forte gone.  I'm not sure either team will cross the goal line.  BILLS

Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans:  Many people believe this might be the Raiders' year.  That might be an overstatement, but they are a strong enough team to knock off the Titans.  RAIDERS

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins:  Expect former collegiate rivals Kirk Cousins and Terrelle Pryor Jr to connect on many big plays this season. The Redskins offense will move well.  The Eagles' offense is no slouch, either, so this game should put up some large yardage numbers.  The Redskins have a bit more control, which should help them prevail.  REDSKINS

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns:  Each year, the Browns fans begin with high hopes.  It remains to be seen if rookie QB DeShone Kiser will provide the spark the type of success they've awaited for years, but the strength of the Steelers will pin back hopes for one week.  STEELERS

Late games:
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers: There are still questions about the Brian Hoyer-led 49ers, while the Panthers are healthy and ready to rock.  PANTHERS

Indianapolis Colts at LA Rams:  Scott Tolzien will start at QB for the injured Andrew Luck.  That could give more carries to Frank Gore than his aging body can handle.  At any rate, the Colts face a stiff Rams defense, and their offense doesn't seem up to the task.  RAMS

Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers:  Seattle has difficulty on the road, and a healthy Packers team will give them fits.  PACKERS

Sunday night:
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys:  Zeke Elliot is not playing this game, but we're not sure if Odell Beckham will be, either.  That might even things out.  However, the Giants defense was the only team to stymie Dak Prescott last year, so I'll give the edge to New York.  GIANTS

Monday, Sept 11th
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings:  We're not sure what type of reception Saints RB Adrian Peterson will receive for his Minnesota homecoming, but I think it'll be a win - for the visiting team.  The Saints offense is just too strong for the redesigned Vikings defense, and the offense can't keep pace with the high-powered Saints.  SAINTS

LA Chargers at Denver Broncos:  It's tough to play in Denver, although the Chargers are used to it.  The bigger concern is that we saw too many question marks during the preseason, and the Chargers do not seem to have addressed all of them.  BRONCOS