The new NFL season is finally here, and SPOX presents a new format to go with it: the weekly picks and predictions for the upcoming games of the matchday! SPOX editor Adrian Franke will look into the glass sphere every week and present his tips. All games on Sunday will be available as usual at the Red Zone Conference on DAZN.
Injuries dominate the picture for the Eagles: Alshon Jeffery and Carson Wentz will not play, Jordan Hicks and Jason Peters will return after serious injuries, Jay Ajayi was also struck during the week. The defense can keep the game tight even against Atlantas’ brilliant offense – but the Nick Foles factor will weigh heavily if it remains as inconsistent as in the preseason and shows clear deficits, especially on passes where it has no clear first read. The Falcons defense is explosive and aggressive enough to exploit that.
Tip: 13:23.
Sneaky good duel! Tennessee is presenting its completely redesigned offense for the first time, and at the same time the defense should also be significantly improved. But: the Dolphins should not be underestimated. The offense with Tannehill, Drake and a better offensive line could cause problems for opponents – but the defense must show that it can stop Tennessee’s run game. And that you can find any answer to Dion Lewis in passing. Still: Miami surprises in Week 1.
Tip: 24:21.
The Jimmy Garoupolo Undefeated series ends here. Minnesota’s defense will cause problems for the Niners, also because the Vikings have the individual staff not to allow Shanahan advantageous matchups. Conversely, the linebackers and the edge rush remain a theme in San Francisco’s defense, where Kirk cousins, the play-action passing game and Dalvin Cook will strike.
Tip: 27:17.
The Texans are without a doubt one of the biggest wonder bags of the coming season and this duel is one of the most exciting in Week 1 – can J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Co. Brady put pressure on them? And can Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, even begin to build on his achievements of the previous year? At least not in this game: The Patriots’ quick-passing game takes the pass rush out of the game comparatively efficiently, while Houstons biggest weakness – the O-Line – should dominate. This results in some costly turnovers for the Texans.
Tip: 30:20.
An aggressive Saints defence against Ryan Fitzpatrick – despite the undoubtedly good weapons arsenal of the Bucs, this is not a nice matchup for Tampa Bay. Even worse, Drew Brees has a better arsenal of weapons than Michael Thomas, Cameron Meredith and Rookie Tre’Quan Smith to risk more deep passes; no good news for the questionable Bucs-Secondary. Tampa’s improved defensive line also gets a headache with the Saints-O-Line.
Tip: 30:17.
Blockbuster Matchup in Week 1: Odell Beckham v Jalen Ramsey! The most ungrateful opponent is waiting for the schematically renewed Giants-Offense, and the right side of the line should tremble before the hunts. New York’s defense has to find itself first. Jacksonville can take advantage of this to take a narrow away win back to Florida on the back of the defense.
Tip: 13:17.
Cincinnati is not to be underestimated this year. The defense with the strong D-Line and the good Secondary has everything to impose Indianapolis unfavorable matchups. Meanwhile, the situation in the Colts’ backfield is not promising, and the Indy defense is a huge question mark anyway. Cincinnati has playoff potential this year, and to reach the goal, the Bengals must win such games.
Tip: 17:23.
A lot of hype about the browns, but first of all this has to be transferred to the pitch – specifically with regard to the coaches. Of course, the Bell situation is a big blow to the stomach for the Steelers, but Pittsburgh’s receiving corps in the new, faster offense will still be too much for the young Browns defense. But it won’t be a nice game.
Tip: 13:20.
On paper one of the clearer matchups. The defense front of the Ravens should have Buffalo’s offensive line largely under control, the secondary will bring Nathan Peterman to some unpleasant decisions. Defensive turnovers and a safer offense ensure that the Ravens win at the beginning of the season without any risk.
Tip: 24:10.
Very good matchup for the Chargers Open. At home, against one of the more questionable secondaries of the coming season, with their own improved line, Rivers, Keenan Allen, a fit Mike Williams and now again Antonio Gates in the Red Zone. The Chargers’ pass rush will tempt Patrick Mahomes to make one or two mistakes, L.A. starts the season with an internal division victory.
Tip: 30:21.
If you’re looking for spectacular offensive football, you should probably choose another game. The Cardinals will bet on their run game around David Johnson and an aggressive defense, Washington with a new quarterback, a good front on his part and Adrian Peterson against. Sounds like a game dominated by the defenses.
Tip: 13:10.
No Travis Frederick – that will hurt the cowboys especially in the run game. For the duel on the Line of Scrimmage this could be the decisive factor in favour of the Panthers front, while the cowboys first have to show that at times their very good pass rush of the previous season was no flash in the pan. And Carolina’s offense? Some of this looked surprisingly good in the preseason.
Tip: 24:17.
Two recent heavyweights on the brink of a somewhat uncertain season. Denver’s front, now with Bradley Chubb, should be able to prevent Seattle’s primary target – the run game. Doug Baldwin is struck and gets to deal with Chris Harris, a difficult matchup. So the question remains: Can Case Keenum cause problems with the newly assembled Seahawks-Defense – even with Earl Thomas returning? Anyway, he’s got the arsenal for it.
Tip: 20:13.
Great Sunday Night Game, all the more as Khalil Mack is now part of the Bears. Chicago’s Defense is a crisp test for the packers-open, which schematically comes with some changes and at the same time will look individually different. And vice versa it is just as exciting: The new Bears-Offense meets the new, aggressive Packers-Defense. The latter could be the deciding factor here.
Sam Darnold’s NFL career starts out at prime time, but the matchup could be worse – at least in terms of pass rush, the Lions don’t make for sleepless nights, even on a vulnerable line like the jets. Detroit’s Secondary, however, Darnold could set a trap or two, and Gang Green doesn’t exactly have an elite pass rush either. The narrow advantage therefore goes to the clearly better offense in the overall package.
Tip: 27:20.
The Raiders are one of the strangest teams in the league before the Khalil-Mack trade – and defensively they could be one of the most vulnerable. Not a good start before the duel against one of the most dangerous offenses of the past season.
Tip: 13:30.