Week 1 NFL Picks, Power Rankings, Playoff Picks (MLive)

[X_Factor_40]

 

Week 1 NFL Picks, Power Rankings, Playoff Picks (MLive)

 

WEEK 1 POWER RANKINGS
 

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32. Jets
31. 49ers
30. Bears
29. Browns
28. Bills
27. Jaguars
26. Colts
25. Rams

24. Ravens
23. Broncos
22. Redskins
21. Saints
20. Texans
19. Eagles
18. Bengals
17. Dolphins

16. Buccanneers
15. Lions
14. Vikings
13. Cowboys
12. Chiefs
11. Chargers
10. Panthers
9. Titans

8. Raiders
7. Seahawks
6. Cardinals
5. Falcons
4. Giants
3. Steelers
2. Packers
1. Patriots

 

 

PLAYOFF PICKS

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Division winners
AFC — Patriots, Titans, Raiders, Steelers
NFC — Packers, Panthers, Giants, Cardinals

Wild cards
AFC — Chargers, Chiefs
NFC — Seahawks, Falcons

NFC championship: Packers over Panthers
AFC championship: Patriots over Titans

Super Bowl: Packers over Patriots

 

 

 

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS

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Picks against the spread are in bold.

Kansas City at New England (-9)
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo (-9)
Atlanta (-7) at Chicago
Jacksonville at Houston (-5.5)
Philadelphia (-1) at Washington
Oakland at Tennessee (-2)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (-3)
Pittsburgh (-9) at Cleveland
Indianapolis at L.A. Rams (-3.5)
Seattle at Green Bay (-3)
Carolina (-5.5) at San Francisco
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (-4)
New Orleans at Minnesota (-3.5)
LA. Chargers at Denver (-3.5)
Arizona (-2) at Detroit

LOCK CITY: Falcons (-7) over Bears
MONEYLINE SPECIAL: Chargers (+155) over Broncos

 

LIONS FORECAST

Arizona (-2) at Detroit

 

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It's possible the Lions will be underdogs in their first eight games. That's how daunting the schedule seems to be for a team coming off a wild-card berth. Matthew Stafford will need to justify that new contract just to keep Detroit's head above water. The concern is if the defense can slow Carson Palmer enough for the Lions pull off a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. Yes, for this week, at least. Lions 30, Cardinals 24

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KYLE MEINKE'S PICK: In his last game against the Cardinals, Matthew Stafford was benched for the only time in his career. In the 27 games since that day, he's completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 50 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a QB rating of 99.1. He's been among the league's best quarterbacks under Jim Bob Cooter, and that should be enough to carry Detroit to a season-opening win despite serious concerns about whether the defense will be able to get after Carson Palmer. Lions 31, Cardinals 28

NATE ATKINS' PICK: The Lions head into this one healthy in many areas, and the most notable is at running back. Ameer Abdullah has waited months for a return like this, and on fresh legs, he can give Matthew Stafford the balance in the offense he’ll need to win against Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald and the deep passing of Arizona. With how their schedule will soon shape up, the Lions need to get this season started with a win, so they do. Lions 28, Cardinals 24

 

 

What do your week 1 power rankings look like? *Try to think back to what they would have been before the Pats/Chiefs game

What do your week 1 game predictions look like? Include the score if you'd like to be extra specific!

What do your division winners look like?

What does your way too early playoff bracket look like? Who do you have winning the Super Bowl?

What are your predictions for the Lions/Cardinals game this weekend? What do you think the score will be?

Get as detailed as you would like! It would be fun to look back on these predictions at the end of the year! 

[detroitroar]

Jim-Bob is gonna need a hell of a gameplan for us to put up 28+ on that D.

[Louis Friend]

I'm going to be honest, I don't get the Cardinals infatuation. They are a good team, better than their sub .500 record last year, but not much better. Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are ancient. David Johnson is awesome and their defense is amazing. But they didn't add anything special this offseason other than more experience for Johnson, while adding more miles on Palmer/Fitzgerald. Most are pegging them as a top ten team and they are favored against us on the road. 

[detroitroar]

10 minutes ago, Louis Friend said:

I'm going to be honest, I don't get the Cardinals infatuation. They are a good team, better than their sub .500 record last year, but not much better. Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are ancient. David Johnson is awesome and their defense is amazing. But they didn't add anything special this offseason other than more experience for Johnson, while adding more miles on Palmer/Fitzgerald. Most are pegging them as a top ten team and they are favored against us on the road. 

That D can be nasty. LOTS of good players.

[X_Factor_40]

1 hour ago, Louis Friend said:

I'm going to be honest, I don't get the Cardinals infatuation. They are a good team, better than their sub .500 record last year, but not much better. Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are ancient. David Johnson is awesome and their defense is amazing. But they didn't add anything special this offseason other than more experience for Johnson, while adding more miles on Palmer/Fitzgerald. Most are pegging them as a top ten team and they are favored against us on the road. 

One of my best friends is absolutely obsessed with Larry Fitzgerald. I don't really understand it. He's had an amazing career, no doubt. He's a really nice possession guy at this stage, but he drafted him pretty high in a couple of our fantasy leagues we run with our group of friends (two dynasty, two keeper, couple redraft with crazy settings). I like him a lot more in real life than I do in fantasy. I think Palmer will be better this season than he was last year when he ran into a bit of a dead arm issue, but he's a bit of a question mark.I wouldn't go as far as calling them top 10. They have a lot to prove before I put them there. 

[Lionized]

I just don't see the cardinals beating out the seahawks for the division.