NFL Picks: Week 1

Don’t worry..I haven’t forgotten about NFL picks. The season opens in two hours. Man, can you believe it’s September?

Dallas at Cleveland: The Cowboys come into the season with a rotten taste in their mouths after last year’s playoff disaster. The Browns were the best team to miss last year’s playoffs. This will be a fun game to watch at the Wannabe Dog Pound, aka new Cleveland Browns Stadium. Pick: Dallas

Washington at New York Giants: Last year’s unlikely champions caught lightning in a bottle and rolled to an unexpected Super Bowl trophy. This year, the Giants look to be pretty good. They get the honor of hosting the first game of the year on Thursday night. The Giants will celebrate their Super Bowl title and win their opener against the hated Redskins. Pick: Giants

Detroit at Atlanta: A stinker of a game right off the bat. You have to be a fan of either of these teams to want to watch this game. There is nothing to offer the casual fan here. The Falcons have hit rock bottom. Pick: Detroit

Cincinnati at Baltimore: Ocho Cinco visits Crab City with the Bengals. This one is hard to predict. I don’t trust the Bengals at all, so it’s best to pick the home team. Pick: Baltimore

Seattle at Buffalo: The Seahawks fly under the radar every year up in the corner of the country, but have been consistently good the last several years under Mike Holmgren, who is retiring after this season. The Bills showed some flashes of brilliance and lost some tough, close games. Go with the veteran team here. Pick: Seattle

New York Jets at Miami: Brett Favre plays his first regular season game for the Jets against the woeful Dolphins. The Dolphins have to be better than they were last season-they can’t get much worse. But, the Favre factor means something for an inconsistent Jets team. Pick: Jets

Kansas City at New England: Mismatch alert. The Pats will have a chip on their shoulder again this season, especially after last year’s Super Bowl loss. The Chiefs stink right now. Pick: Patriots

Tampa Bay at New Orleans: The Saints return home in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, and are glad to come home. The Bucs aren’t half bad. Pick: Tampa Bay

St. Louis at Philadelphia: The Rams have a lot of room for improvement. The Eagles keep going with Donovan McNabb at quarterback. Pick: Philly

Houston at Pittsburgh: News flash: The Texans don’t stink anymore. They’re not Super Bowl caliber, but they’re not half bad. However, they get to travel to the Steel City this week. Good luck with all that. Pick: Pittsburgh

Jacksonville at Tennessee: Important game right off the bat in the AFC South. The Jags have been a good team that happened to be in the same division as the Colts. They should be able to handle this one on the road. Pick: Jacksonville

Carolina at San Diego: The Chargers, with a few breaks, could be in the Super Bowl this year. The Panthers probably won’t. Pick: San Diego

Arizona at San Francisco: Yuck. The ageless Kurt Warner just keeps resurfacing as the quarterback of the Cardinals. But, they’re the Cardinals, and they’ll find a way to blow this one. Pick: San Francisco

Chicago at Indianapolis: The Colts open their new stadium on Sunday Night Football against the Bears. Poor Bears. They’re in for a loss in week one. Pick: Colts

Minnesota at Green Bay: Year 1 of the Aaron Rodgers Era begins in Green Bay. It’ll be a tough start for the Pack, because Minnesota is loaded this year. Pick: Vikings

Denver at Oakland: Big rivalry, but it’s snooze city for most people east of the Rockies. The game starts at 7:00 Pacific Time, a rare starting time on the West Coast, and the second half of the Monday Night Football doubleheader. At my hotel in the Netherlands, the game will start at 4 AM. I wouldn’t get up early in Europe for this one. I wouldn’t stay up past bedtime in the US for this one, either. Pick: Oakland