2015 NFL Week 1 Predictions

Thursday Night marks the beginning of the 2015 NFL Season. This is a very exciting time for most American sports fans, and I'm intrigued to see how the season unfolds. Below are predictions for each Week 1 game. This is not a one man show, as my cousins Brad, Jeff, and Ryan have also contributed their picks for this week.

Thursday Night: Steelers at Patriots

All for of us have picked the Pats in this one. We all agree that the combination of Tom Brady's suspension being lifted, and the suspensions of Le'veon  Bell and Martavis Bryant, will be too much for the Steelers to handle. The Patriots will be raising their Super Bowl Banner, and it will be hard to stop them with the energy that will be packed into Gillette Stadium.

Sunday
1:00
Packers at Bears

Another game in which the four of us are in agreement. The Packers are overwhelming favorites to win the NFC North, and a Superbowl birth is not out of the question. The Bears, on the other hand, are expected by many to be among the worst teams in football, as new head coach John Fox will inherit a horrid defense and shaky QB in Jay Cutler. My cousin Brad summed it up perfectly when he stated, ''simply, the Packers are the better team''.

Chiefs at Texans
The four of us were split here. I, along with my cousin Brad, picked the Chiefs to win this one while my cousins Jeff and Ryan both picked the Texans. I think that this will be a very close game, but the Chiefs will pull it out in the end. Houston is a team that made great strides in 2014 after a woeful 2-14 campaign 2 years ago, but I think Kansas City has a balanced offense that will chew up a lot of clock, which will be a huge factor in this game. The loss of Arian Foster is a bige blow to the Houston offense, and KC's solid D will take advantage of it. My cousin Jeff thinks otherwise. He stated: ''Brian Hoyer and Deandre Hopkins light it up and survive against the Chiefs late in the game''

Browns at Jets

Again, the four of us are all united. The New York Jets offense is a mess. QB Geno Smith was punched in the face during training camp, leaving him with a broken jaw. The Browns have a solid defensive unit that could make life very tough for new Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets have a good defense of their own which will keep this game relativity close, but I expected Cleveland to hold on for a Week 1 win. When asked to predict, Jeff said: ''The Browns defense will start to shine, creating turnovers and propelling them to a win.''

Colts at Bills

All in agreement again for this game. The Colts offense was explosive in 2015, with QB Andrew Luck and receiver T.Y. Hilton leading the way. The Bills could surprise a lot of people in 2015, but I am not sold on them yet. They have a good defensive unit, but their offense may be in for a sub-par year. Tyrod Taylor has been chosen by Rex Ryan to be the man at quarterback. If Taylor proves to be unsuccessful, it could be another disappointing season in upstate New York. The Colts will have too much firepower for Buffalo to handle in this one, as their defense will be able to control Buffalo's questionable offense.

Dolphins at Redskins

All four of us are going with the Fins in this contest. The Dolphins offense, led by underrated quarterback Ryan Tannehill, should have little issues scoring on the Redskins iffy secondary. Miami also has a solid defense, and Redskins running back Alfred Morris will have a tough time getting something going on the Dolphins run D. These 2 things are a recipe for a Miami victory.

Panthers at Jags
3 of the 4 men in our panel have Carolina winning this, with Jeff being the only person believing in the Jags. ''The Jags somehow squeak out a win in a very bad game from both sides. The Panthers offense just can't click and they fail to score points''. While Jeff does have a point, I'm sticking with Carolina. Although the Panthers have an inconsistent offense, Cam Newton knows how to run the option, and I think that the Carolina offense will have one of its good days in Jacksonville. The Panthers defense should make life miserable for Blake Bortles, as Bortles was the most sacked QB in the NFL last season, hitting the ground 55 times, a testament to how badly the Jags Offensive Line struggled in 2014.

Seahawks at Rams

Once again, all four of us have the same winner. The Seahawks are the 2 time defending NFC Champions, and they will be looking to get back to the Superbowl for the 3rd straight year. While the Edward Jones Dome is no easy place to play, I think that the Seahawks simply have too much talent for the Rams to overcome. Brad stated: ''The Seahawks' offense and defense are simply better than a Rams team lacking a fully elite player''.

4:05
Saints at Cardinals
I am the only one out of us four that picked the Saints here. I picked them because I have a gut feeling that Drew Brees will have a big game, narrowly edging out a good Cardinals team. The Saints have the tools on offense to score a lot of points, and I think that will happen on Sunday. When asked to predict, Brad said: ''The Cardinals were 9-0 last year until Carson Palmer got hurt. Well, Palmer is back and this team will only get better''.

Lions at Chargers
In a rare twist, the 4 of us are split. Jeff and I have the Lions winning, while Brad and Ryan have the Chargers. I picked the Lions because of the combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. I think that ''Megatron'' will have a huge game to propel Detroit to a win. Brad has a different opinion. ''The Lions didn't get any better in the off season, they got worse. Lions can't beat a Phillip Rivers lead team''.

4:25
Titans at Buccaneers
This match-up would be dreadfully boring if not for the debuts of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. All four of us have Tampa being the lesser of 2 evils. Jeff stated: "Winston gets the best of Mariota in their first game as pros. Winston has more weapons on offense and that will be the difference''.

Bengals at Raiders
I don't see the Bengals losing this one, and neither do the other 3. While drafting Amari Cooper makes the Raiders a better team, it doesn't make them that much better. They still have a long way to go, and are not ready to beat a possible playoff team like the Bengals week 1. Brad summed it up perfectly: ''They are playing the Raiders''.

Ravens at Broncos
Jeff, Ryan, and I all have Denver in this one, while Brad has picked the Ravens, ''The Ravens need a confidence boosting win after losing to the Pats in the playoffs''. I think that Peyton Manning has too many weapons offensively for Joe Flacco's squad to keep pace, and that will be the difference in a Bronco victory.

8:30
Giants at Cowboys
We are all united again. The Cowboys have a great offense, and their defense will be good enough to shut down New York. The Giants simply are not a good team and they are playing against a Dallas squad that will be pumped up playing at home on opening night. Expect Tony Romo and Dez Bryant to shine.

Monday Night
6:55
Eagles at Falcons
We all have the Eagles. Sam Bradford is going against a bad defense Week 1, and the likes of him, Jordan Matthews, and Zach Ertz still make up a good offensive core even after trading LeSean McCoy to the Bills. Atlanta will not be able to hold Philly's attack, and the Eagles will be flying to a week 1 win.

10:15
Vikings at 49ers
This is another "lesser of 2 evils" game. All four of us think that the Vikings are the "lesser" here. The 49ers lost so much in the off-season, with Patrick Willis's sudden retirement the biggest of them all. Fans in San Fran will be disappointed, as Adrian Peterson will shine in his return to the Vikings, while Colin Kaepernick will struggle, resulting in a Vikings win.