Sunday, September 21, 2014

WEEK 3 NFL PREDICTIONS

     I must first apologize for not writing my Thursday night prediction.  I, like most, expected a Falcons win, but I don't think anyone anticipated THAT kind of a blowout.  This week presents an interesting challenge for the Ravens.  The Browns are riding high off of a home win over the New Orleans Saints last weekend, and I'm sure that win left many Ravens fans uneasy about traveling to Cleveland on Sunday.  It's not as though the Browns have recently dominated the Ravens.  The Ravens and Browns split their games last season with each team winning at home.  Baltimore has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between these two organizations, and games against the Browns have usually felt like relatively safe victories during the Harbaugh/Flacco era.  After an 8-8 2013 season and a home opening loss to the Bengals, however, it has become abundantly clear that Ravens fans are still unsure of the true strength of this year's squad.  What is also unclear is exactly how strong the Browns have become.
     The Browns won the last meeting between these two teams, and they did so with a mediocre former Redskins quarterback.  The Browns now operate with a better quarterback, Brian Hoyer, but they also will be without their #1 wide receiver, Josh Gordon.  Despite Gordon's absence, there's no question that the Browns have become significantly more productive on offense.  Through two weeks the Browns have scored an average 26.5 points per game.  The Browns averaged just 19.5 points per game last season, so they've improved thus far by a touchdown per game.
     A two game sample is not statistically significant in comparison with an entire previous season, but what's particularly impressive is how and when they've been able to score.  In their first week, the Browns were down 27-3 at halftime against the Steelers, and then they battled thunderously back in the second half to tie the game up 27-27 before the Steelers finally ended the game with a last-second field goal.  The Steelers defense is clearly not what it used to be, but being able to score 27 second half point on the road at the stadium of a divisional rival is an impressive feat for the Browns no matter the state of the Steelers D.  The Browns also looked offensively impressive at home against the Saints in their 26-24 win.  Cleveland put up 174 yards on the ground with 26 first downs, and there was almost no time when New Orleans could truly stop the Browns rushing or passing attack.
     The good news for the Ravens is that they appear to have a far superior defense to those of the Saints and Steelers.  Not only did the Ravens hold the Steelers to 6 points off of two field goals in their last game, but the Ravens also held the Bengals to a single touchdown in week 1 despite ultimately losing the game.  The Ravens, in fact, have given up only one touchdown on the season, and they rank 5th in the NFL in points allowed.  Even more impressive is the fact that they've done so without one of their best cornerbacks and the leader of their secondary, Lardarius Webb.  Webb is slated to return this Sunday along with 3rd string corner, Asa Jackson, so the Ravens defense will get a significant boost in time for their first road game of the season.  The Browns will also be without their first string running back, Ben Tate, which will put the ball in the hands of  rookie Terrance West.  West looked impressive last week, but the Ravens have already faced two far more impressive backs in Giovanni Bernard and Le'Veon Bell, and they held both playmakers out of the endzone entirely.
     The Ravens defense should handle business quite well tomorrow, but it's the offense that needs to show it can perform on the road and against a Browns defense that features serious play-makers such as Joe Hayden and Paul Kruger.  I expect a Ravens win tomorrow, but it's simply too early to know of  what stuff this team is truly made.  Ok, now let's get to the picks!

WEEK 3 NFL PICKS

CHARGERS AT BILLS- The Chargers should feel good about beating the Super Bowl champs last week...but not nearly as good as one might think. The Seahawks lost two of their starting D lineman, and their pass rush and vaunted secondary has clearly suffered as a result.  The Bills are undefeated, and held a supposedly impressive Bears offensive attack to mere 20 points IN Chicago in Week 1.  I don't think the Chargers are good enough to win in Buffalo on the road, but this should be a close game.  BILLS 24-21

 COWBOYS AT RAMS-  The Cowboys appear to have gotten back on track after a shaky Week 1 loss to the 49ers.  The Rams are bad at football.  COWBOYS 27-14

REDSKINS AT EAGLES-  The Redskins aren't a bad football team.  They should actually contend for the divisional crown this season.  I like the Redskins defense much better than the Eagles defense, but the Eagles D should get a boost at home. while the Redskins offense could struggle to keep up with an Eagles offense that appears to be able to score quickly and at will.  EAGLES 31-28

TEXANS AT GIANTS- TEXANS 34-17

VIKINGS AT SAINTS-  The Saints have looked disappointing thus far this season.  I think they underestimated exactly what Darren Sproles did for their offense.  Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham can't do it all...but the Vikings are simply worse.  This will be the first Saints win of the season.  SAINTS 38-13

TITANTS AT BENGALS-  The Titans aren't terrible, but they're also not consistent.  The Bengals offense has been incredibly impressive thus far, and there's little change the Titans are strong enough to slow it down.  BENGALS 28-16

RAVENS AT BROWNS- With the return of Lardarius Webb and Asa Jackson, the Ravens should be strong enough defensively to hold the Browns to field goals and give the Ravens offense plenty of opportunities to get something started.  The Ravens pass protection and short passing game are much stronger this season, and that along with a strong running game should help neutralize any pass rush the Browns can muster.  This will simply be a matter of Ravens receivers catching the football and executing plays.  Opposing teams can no longer look to simply take away Torrey Smith in order to stop this offense.  Torrey, in fact, may have his breakout game of the season considering the fact that the Browns will be looking to stop Steve Smith.  There are too many Ravens weapons to be accounted for, the Ravens just need to execute and not turn the ball over.  RAVENS 26-16

PACKERS AT LIONS- These are two flawed teams that won't go anywhere serious this season.  In this case, I have to give the edge to the team with the better defense and home field advantage.  LIONS 35-30

COLTS AT JAGUARS- The Colts are the best team in the NFL without a win.  The Jaguars just straight up suck.  COLTS 42-21

RAIDERS AT PATRIOTS-  I think Charles Woodson said it best about his new team: "We suck."  The Patriots may not have fully hit their stride yet, but Towson could beat the Raiders.  PATRIOTS 33-6

49ERS AT CARDINALS- This is probably the best game of the week.  The Cardinals defense isn't as strong as it was last season, but neither is that of the 49ers.  The Cardinals should be able to slow the 49ers' rushing attack, but Carson Palmer is not 100%.  Despite their loss to the Bears last week, the 49ers should win this game and improve to 2-1.  49ERS 23-20

BRONCOS AT SEAHAWKS- The Broncos have an atrocious pass defense.  Their offense also doesn't particularly impress me.  The Seahawks also aren't that impressive and can clearly be attacked through the air as was made apparent by the Chargers last week. I don't care that this game is in Seattle.  This game has been circled on Peyton Manning's calendar for the better part of a year.  The Seahawks' pass rushing ability simply isn't what it once was without two of its starting defensive lineman from last season.  Peyton Manning is difficult to pressure because of his quick release.  If the Chargers can torch the Seahawks using a big tight end, the Broncos will do the same thing with Julian Thomas.  Peyton Manning is the arguably the greatest regular season quarterback in NFL history.  BRONCOS 28-21

CHIEFS AT DOLPHINS-  The Dolphins will take care of business at home.  DOLPHINS 27-17

STEELERS AT PANTHERS-  If the LIONS couldn't move the ball against the Panthers, then the Steelers DEFINITELY won't be able to move the ball against the Panthers.  PANTHERS 20-10

BEARS AT JETS-  The Jets aren't a bad football team this season, but the Bears have too many weapons for the Jets' secondary to handle.  If the Bears can take down the 49ers, they can take down the Jets.  BEARS 30-19

    Scandal has rocked the Ravens organization, and I can't say that I'm not disappointed.  I will, however, be happy to forget about scandal for a day and simply enjoy NFL football.   

AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS 



 

Sunday, September 14, 2014

NFL WEEK 2 PREDICTIONS

     Beating the Steelers seemed almost too easy for the Ravens on Thursday night.  It's not that there weren't times where I was frustrated seeing Le'Veon Bell break evade and break tackles, and it's not that the Ravens didn't struggle again to punch the ball in on the goal line.  It's that even when the Ravens made minor mistakes the Steelers simply were too inept in too many respects to take advantage the way they would have once upon a time.  I don't want to speak too soon, but it appears as though Ben Roethlisberger's skills are beginning to decline.  We all watched Ben miss open receivers in totally uncharacteristic fashion.  During the first few years of the Flacco/Harbaugha era, Roethlisberger would have easily made such throws, and he would have done so under even more pressure.  The Steelers haven't had a winning season since Todd Haley became the offensive coordinator two seasons ago.  I was actually almost looking forward to a hard-fought nail-biter.  I'm always thrilled to watch the Ravens beat the Steelers in every phase of a game, but it just seems too easy at this point.
     I'd like to think that the Ravens finally hit their stride since the second half of the Bengals game, but it's far too early in the season to truly know of what any team is truly capable.  The Patriots, for example, looked totally inept last week in the second half of their first game, and the Saints lost to one of last season's worst teams despite being thought of by many as a top 4 super bowl contender.  How teams begin the season isn't irrelevant, but it's also not vitally important.  Truly great teams are able to adjust as the season progresses and learn how to tweak their schemes and plays to fit the personnel they have if their original plans prove unsuccessful within the first couple of weeks. 
     There's no reason to place great stock in predictions of games during the first month of the season as the amount of statistics recorded simply isn't significant enough to be accurately predictive in most cases.  That fact, however, won't stop us from having fun and taking a shot at weekly picks.  I'm glad my Thursday night pick was correct, and now Ravens fans get to kick back, relax, and enjoy watching the rest of teams beat each other senseless.  The Ravens also get a nice extra long break to rest up, get healthy, and game plan to absolutely smash the Browns and remind them that they're still just the Browns.  Let's take a look at the picks for Week 2!

WEEK 2 NFL PICKS

DOLPHINS AT BILLS-  Both of these teams won surprise upsets last week, and had similar statistical performances as far asIf  yardage was concerned.  The Bills and Dolphins rank 3rd and 4th respectively in rushing yards, and rank 10th and 11th respectively in rushing yards allowed.  The Bills have the 29th ranked pass offense, and the Dolphins have the 28th ranked pass offense.  The only major discrepancy is that the Dolphins rank 15th in pass defense, and the Bills rank just 28th in the same category.  The Dolphins won big at home against the Patriots by nearly two touchdowns, but the Bills narrowly won in overtime on the road against the Bears.  When two teams are so statistically close, I tend to go with the home team.  Ryan Tannehill also has had nearly no success in Buffalo.  I'm hoping the Fins will once again prove me wrong here.  BUFFALO 20-17

JAGUARS AT REDSKINS-  Is it possible for two teams to lose a game?  If it is, I feel as though the Jags and Skins will have found a way by now.  It's difficult to know which one of these teams is truly worse, but I feel as though the Skins D will shut down anything the Jags will try to get going.  Jacksonville doesn't have good enough defense to win this game.  REDSKINS 24-10

COWBOYS AT TITANS-  There are simply too many things wrong with the Cowboys.  TITANS 31-14

CARDINALS AT GIANTS-  I actually saw an analyst or two pick the Giants to win this game.  That begs the question of what particular strain of hydroponics they were bonging prior to writing their picks.  CARDINALS 21-10

PATRIOTS AT VIKINGS- No AP, no beating the Patriots after an embarrassing loss.  PATRIOTS 28-16

SAINTS AT BROWNS-  The Browns managed a furious comeback last week against the Steelers that ultimately fell short.  Newsflash, Cleveland:THE STEELERS WERE EXPOSED AS BEING ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE, SO WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU?  Ok, so I fully expect Drew Brees to get into the swing of things this weekend, and the Browns couldn't even hope to keep up.  SAINTS 42-19

FALCONS AT BENGALS-  The Ravens gave the Falcons some good video on how to stop the Bengals offense in the second half of last week's game.  I've never been blown away by Matt Ryan with his poor playoff record, but he is typically master of the regular season.  This should be the game of the day for Ravens fans.  FALCONS 28-24

LIONS AT PANTHERS-  I love to watch Luke Kuechly, and the Panthers defense is impressive, but the Panthers don't have enough offense to keep up with Stafford and Megatron.  LIONS 31-23

RAMS AT BUCCANEERS-  The Rams are bad at football.  BUCCANEERS 21-10

SEAHAWKS AT CHARGERS-  Yes, the Seahawks looked dominant last week against a broken Packers team.  No, that doesn't mean as much away from Seattle, but the Seahawks still match up quite well against the Chargers.  I hope Philip Rivers shakes things up and takes the Seahawks down a peg or two in San Diego, but I don't expect them to do so.  SEATTLE 33-24

 TEXANS AT RAIDERS- Beating the Redskins is nothing tremendous about which any team should brag, but holding any NFL team to 6 points is a big deal.  The Raiders are basically useless.  TEXANS 17-10

JETS AT PACKERS-  The Packers may or may not have Eddie Lacy, but they certainly still have Aaron Rodgers.  The Jets currently own the first ranked defense in the league by yardage, but they still allowed the Raiders to score 14 points.   Rodgers is going to get the offense going this week at home in Green Bay.  The Jets will keep this one close by pounding the rock, but the Packers will be able to score quickly regardless. PACKERS 21-20

CHIEFS AT BRONCOS-  The Chiefs couldn't beat the Titans IN Kansas City.  There's NOOO way they beat the Broncos IN Denver.  The Broncos will start slow, but expect Manning to pick apart the Chiefs defense in the second half.  BRONCOS 30-21

BEARS AT 49ERS-  I think a lot of people were giving the Bears FAAAR too much credit before the season began.  Jay Cutler is not elite, and the Bears run defense isn't  strong enough to stop the 49ers' rushing attack.  49ERS 27-23

EAGLES AT COLTS-  I like what I saw from both of these teams in the second half of last week's games, but the Colts will take charge in their own house.  Who needs defense when you have oodles of offense?  COLTS 38-35

     I hope I'm wrong about a handful of these games.  Regular season football is incredibly boring if it's predictable this early in the season.  Oh, and in case anyone already forgot, the Ravens beat the Steelers right out of M and T back and right back on to their loser buses. I wonder if they've realized that the Terrible Towel now truly matches their terrible team...OK OK enough fun at Pittsburgh's expense for now.

AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

RAVENS RECAP AND THURSDAY NIGHT PREDICTION

     I'd like to think that the Ravens can take away some positive points from Sunday's disappointing and confusing season opening loss to the Bengals.  A loss is always miserable in a season that consists of only 16 regular season games, but I was happy to see that it appears as though certain major flaws from 2013's team corrected in the second half against Cincinnati.  Other major flaws once again reared their ugly heads, but this is no time to panic.  It's possible that last season desensitized me to frustratingly slow offensive starts and heartbreaking late-game defensive collapses, and it's also possible that I expect (maybe unreasonably so at this point) the Ravens organization to make the necessary corrections to get back on a playoff-bound track.  The fact is that there ARE major improvements to the Ravens offense even if they took half of a football game to present themselves.  The scoring pattern may have followed last year's trend, but not for last season's reasons.  The defense struggled for much of the game as well, but there are still reasons to believe that minor tweaks and adjustments along with better and more consistent offensive production can help to bring that unit back to dominance.
     I doubt there has been a game in over a decade where Steve Smith has dropped 4 passes.  One pass was jarred lose from his hands with a solid hit, but there was another that hit him square in the hands in front of his chest and he simply couldn't catch it.  Smith more than made up for those drops with a fantastic 80 yard catch and run highlighted by Smith slinging Adam "Pacman" Jones violently to the ground en route to the endzone.  Yards after the catch and after contact are Steve Smith's forte.  Despite his diminutive height and weight, Smith possesses a startling level of strength and an impressive ability to use his opponents' size, weight, and momentum against them.  Smith's four drops on Sunday were presumably an aberration and not indication of some sort of drop-off in catching ability. 
    Both Jacoby Jones and Torrey Smith also had notable drops in the first half of the game, but they've both been known to drop an occasional pass despite explosive athleticism and blinding speed.  Torrey Smith's major drop was on a deep pass down the right sideline as he ran a go-route.  Torrey had been interfered seconds before the ball hit his fingertips, but no penalty was thrown.  Jacoby Jones' drop was far less forgivable.  Jones was wide open in the middle of the field and allowed a pass to sail between his hands and fall uselessly to the turf.  This was bad news for the Ravens and Jacoby, but it's good news going forward for another reason.  The pass Jacoby Jones failed to catch was beautifully placed despite being thrown on the run and off of Flacco's back foot.  In years past Flacco likely would have underthrown such a pass off of his back foot, but this time he showed serious precision and touch on an extremely difficult pass.
     Dropped passes were the theme of the first half of the game against the Bengals, but the second half revealed something that Ravens fans had pondered and dreamed about since the hiring of Gary Kubiak in the off-season.  The Ravens suddenly ran roughshod over the Bengals offensively, and Flacco spread the ball out to a number of different weapons including Dennis Pitta, Owen Daniels, Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, and Jacoby Jones.  The success of the passing game opened up opportunities for Justin Forsett in the running game with 70 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries.  Suddenly the offense that couldn't move the ball 100 yards in the first half was knifing through a highly ranked Bengals defense in the second half to even take a one point lead late in the 4th quarter.  Gary Kubiak's system clearly puts offensive weapons in a position to get open and make plays--it was simply a matter of execution. 
     Joe Flacco threw for a total of 345 yards against a typically impressive Bengals defense, and that had a lot to do with his protection.  Flacco's line did give up two late sacks on the final drive of the game, but he was able to avoid serious pressure from a formidable Bengals pass rush for almost the entire 60 minutes as the offensive line held up quite well and Kubiak's system allowed Flacco to smoothly evade pressure by easily rolling out of the pocket.
     Not everything went well in the second half.  The Ravens held the Bengals scoreless until the last 5 minutes of the game when A.J. Green caught a deep pass from Andy Dalton and took it a total of 77 yards for a touchdown.  What was mind-boggling and infuriating to even slightly observant fans was the fact that Chykie Brown had been left to cover A.J. Green.  The Ravens have a top tier corner in Jimmy Smith, and Smith possesses the height, speed, and ball skills to cover and potentially shut down even a receiver as talented and athletic as Green.  With the Bengals #2 wide receiver, Marvin Jones, out and their best tight end sidelined with a dislocated elbow, why was it that Chykie Brown wasn't asked to cover backup wide receiver, Mohammed Sanu so late in the game?  The bad thing is that such a mistake shows a lack of judgement on the part of the Ravens defensive coordinator.  The good thing, however, is that Lardarius Webb SHOULD be back to play against Pittsburgh tonight and no longer will the Ravens have to use backups to cover top talent.  Chykie Brown can stay with almost any wide receiver in coverage, but he has never been able to truly master the technique of making plays on the ball instead of simply running with the receiver...but no matter because Webby knows EXACTLY how to knock down a pass.
     Beyond issues of one on one deep pass coverage, the Ravens showed vulnerability when it came to the short passing game.  Baltimore gave up major chunks of yardage to quick, precise screen passes, and those screen passes easily opened the Bengals up for inside runs.  The Ravens' only saving grace was buckling down in the redzone, but allowing long drives still serves to wear down a defense so that it gives up big plays late in the game such as the touchdown pass to A.J. Green.  The offense certainly didn't help matters by not finishing drives and keeping the defense off the field, but the defense simply couldn't halt drives and force nearly enough punts in the first half of the game.  I'd like to think that these issues were corrected in the second half and that they were mostly schematic problems rather than major personnel deficiencies, but the Ravens were facing a Bengals team playing without a full offensive staff.
     Tonight's game against Pittsburgh should give us a much better idea of how well this coaching staff adjusts defensively.  The Steelers will likely run a good amount of no-huddle offense much like that which the Bengals ran against the Ravens last weekend.  I fully expect the Ravens offense to have earlier and more frequent success against a clearly flawed Steelers offense, but the Steelers almost always defend the Ravens well regardless of how they perform against other teams.  The big question will be whether or not the Ravens defense can stop the Steelers early and often enough to give the Ravens offense enough opportunities for scoring drives and to eat up time off the clock.  Most of the national media is calling for a Steelers win.  Why shouldn't they?  The Steelers won in Week 1 and the Ravens lost, right?  Well that might be a valid point expect that the Steelers only won by a late field goal against a Browns team that once trailed by a whopping 24 points in the first half.  The Ravens lost, but at least they did so to last season's division leader.
     A major key to tonight's game is the return of Lardarius Webb.  If Webb does, in fact, return, how well will he play?  The Steelers will undoubtedly pick on him, but given his talent an experience level, that could be quite a bad idea.  Another major question mark is the play of Bernard Pierce.  Pierce did not run impressively against the Bengals and found himself on the sidelines after a fumble on what could have been a 20 yards run had he simply ran slightly to his left rather than pushing right back into heavy traffic.  The hands of the Ravens wide receivers will clearly be a major key to this and any game they play, but I'm confident they'll do a better job than last Sunday.  After all, Flacco led the league with 110 lost yards to dropped passes.  Even if he had half of that number, he'd have thrown for an even 400 yards and likely been able to score one or two more times.
     This is the night where we see what this defense with a host of new defensive pieces is able to do to an offense that features an elite quarterback and an explosive young running back in Le'Veon Bell.  If the Ravens can limit Bell and get pressure on Big Ben, this could be a dominant win.  I, however, don't expect a dominant win.  I expect a low margin of victory Ravens-Steelers slobber-knocker with victory going to the team that scores last.  I firmly believe that team will be the Ravens, but it wouldn't surprise me to see the Steelers come out on top either.

THUSDAY NIGHT PREDICTION

STEELERS AT RAVENSThe Ravens have not gone 0-2 to start a season since 2005, and they're not going to break that trend tonight.  Flacco looks on point in this new offensive system even if he did mismanage the clock at the end of the first half in that boneheaded play.  The Steelers defense gave up 27 second half points to Browns team without Josh Gordon, but the Ravens have a full array of weapons and an offensive line that protects Joe Flacco well.  The Ravens defense is still strong enough in the redzone to limit touchdowns, but the Steelers defense appeared way too slow and old last weekend.  The Steelers corners and safeties simply aren't good enough to shut down Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, Jacoby Jones, Dennis Pitta, and Owen Daniels.  RAVENS 31-26.

     If the Ravens lose this game, it's not the end of the world, but it means there are serious issues in Baltimore that need to be addressed.  The Steelers simply aren't that good, and a loss tonight means the Ravens will have their hands full with the likes of the Saints, Dolphins, Chargers, and Texans...oh and the Bengals again.  Don't panic yet, Ravens fans.  It's RAVENS-STEELERS NIGHT IN BALTIMORE!!!!

AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
    
    

Thursday, September 4, 2014

PURPLE NIGHTMARE PREDICTIONS: WEEK 1

     The 2014 regular season is finally upon us.  Unlike the Ravens the year before, the Super Bowl champion Seahawks actually get to play the NFL season opener at home in Seattle.  I have not heard more than one pundit predict a victory for the Packers, and many have gone so far as to predict the Seahawks to repeat with a second Super Bowl win.  I refuse to make any pre-season Super Bowl predictions as there's simply no video or statistical evidence to support such supposedly educated guesses.  Football is a violent, injury-filled sport, and the performance of even major stars can fall precipitously into oblivion from one season to the next.  Teams that rely on the legs of premier running backs such as the Seahawks could see a steep decline of players such as Marshawn Lynch within the next season or two.  Adrian Peterson is another such back whose production could drop off soon despite his own expectations of dominance for years to come.  I'm not necessarily predicting down years for Peterson or Lynch, but simply illustrating the point that proclaiming a Super Bowl champion before the season is a meaningless endeavor and truly just a guess.
     The preseason doesn't tell us much about the true strength of each team as teams tend not to tip their hand with regards to schemes and plays before the games actually count.  With that said, I'm not going to place much stock in the predictions made today, but we'll certainly have fun watching the first football of the season between two playoff contenders!

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS

 PACKERS AT SEAHAWKS- Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy should tear it up offensively this season, but their efforts will not be enough to beat the Seahawks in their season and home opener.  The Seahawks DID lose two of their starting defensive linemen who are both now on the Jaguars.  The loss of those players will prove critical in road games, but the 'Hawks simply get too much of a defensive boost in front of their raucous home crowd.  SEAHAWKS 24-17

SAINTS AT FALCONS-  The Falcons used to be great at home...until last seasons when they became one of the worst teams in the league.  There are too many issues with the Falcons and the Saints look far too strong to bet against here.  SAINTS 35-23

VIKINGS AT RAMS- Rams defense has truly become a strong unit over the last two seasons, but the loss of their starting quarterback should prove a difficult hurdle to clear especially this early on.  I expect a big day from the Vikings offense, but this should be a squeaker.  VIKINGS 21-20

BROWNS AT STEELERS- I was among those impressed by Brian Hoyer last season in his brief but successful stint as the Browns' starting QB.  Without Josh Gordon, however, the Browns simply don't have the aerial firepower to take down any of their divisional foes this season.  I PRAY that the Browns prove me wrong, but I gotta take the team I hate more than anything (I think I'd root for the old Soviet Union if they played the Steelers).  STEELERS 27-13.

JAGUARS AT EAGLES- ....EAGLES 38-10

RAIDERS AT JETS-  The Jets surprised a lot of people last season.  On paper they appeared to be a 4-5 win team and ended up winning half of their games.  The Raiders are terrible top to bottom.  They will lose--that is all.  JETS 20-14

BENGALS AT RAVENS- Andy Dalton has never won a football game in Baltimore.  The Ravens look dramatically improved, and the Bengals will be without starting WR Marvin Jones.  The Ravens will have at least 2 out of 3 if not all of their starting cornerbacks healthy and ready to go for this game.  Joe Flacco has never lost a home opener.  Expect offensive fireworks for the Ravens and two picks from Andy Dalton.  Heeeeere kitty-kitty-kitty...  RAVENS 33-21

BILLS AT BEARS- The Bills don't have a strong enough defense to win on the road against a scary Bears offense.  BEARS 28-16

REDSKINS AT TEXANS-  Hmmmm which one of these losers is less of a loser?  The Redskins secondary looked vastly improved, but now it will be without Brandon "I was only trying to headbutt him" Merriweather.  I haven't the faintest clue of what the Texans offense will look like, but .their defense should still be a force.  I'm going with the home team here.  TEXANS 17-14

TITANS AT CHIEFS-  I expect a strong Chiefs defense and a big day from Jamaal Charles.  Aarowhead is a loud, terrifying stadium in which to be a visiting team.  CHIEFS 23-20

PATRIOTS AT DOLPHINS-  I'd love to see the Dolphins surprise the world here and take down Brady and company, but with Gronk back in the mix, the Patriots are going to be a contender once again....until he snaps his spine or an arm falls off (both are not only plausible but also likely).  I like Tannehill, but Revis should shut down Mike Wallace.  This should be a close one, but the Patriots are too dangerous when healthy.  PATRIOTS 24-21

PANTHERS AT BUCCANEERS-  Cam Newton is not 100% and they have no Steve Smith (heh heh) but the Panthers still have a dominant defenseThe Buccaneers have not given me a reason to respect them in years.  PANTHERS 13-7

49ERS AT COWBOYS-  The 49ers have serious personnel issues.  The Cowboys weren't as bad on defense in the preseason as I expected.  Romo should have a big day.  COWBOYS 28-21

COLTS AT BRONCOS-  Peyton Manning at the beginning of the season? At home?  Against an uneven Colts defense?  BRONCOS 42-28

GIANTS AT LIONS- I'm not sure how I feel about Jim Caldwell as a head coach, but a healthy Lions offense should torch a broken Giants secondary.  LIONS 35-17.

CHARGERS AT CARDINALS-  This is probably one of the top 2 most difficult games to predict.  The absence of Darnell Dockett along with a poor preseason showing against the Chargers leads me to believe that Phillip Rivers has a decent idea of how to attack the Cardinal's defense.  CHARGERS 30-21

    
     It appears clear to me that the Ravens are primed for a big bounce back season in 2014.  The rest of the country does not yet agree, but beating the Bengals, Steelers, and Browns in a row should be enough to change their minds.

AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!