Five best games to watch week one in the NFL that is not the Dolphins

The NFL kicks off the 2018 season on Thursday night and the Miami Dolphins won’t play until Sunday. There are some good games on tap for opening weekend.

While the Miami Dolphins will kick-off their 2018 NFL season at home against the Tennessee Titans, there are plenty of game to watch when you are not watching the Dolphins on Sunday. It’s a full slate of games this week so here is your primer.

In the AFC East, only the Dolphins play home to open their schedule.

The Patriots travel to the Texans on Sunday. Last year the Patriots opened the league year at home against the Chiefs and got beat. Could a repeat happen this weekend in Houston? Probably not but the Patriots are showing some signs they are beatable and the Texans continue to trend upwards.

In Baltimore the Bills will be hosted by the Ravens. The Bills announced that Nathan Peterman will be the starting quarterback. The team has some offensive line concerns and that could create some problems for their offense against the Ravens defense.

The Jets will start rookie Sam Darnold. Throwing the rookie into the fire early against the Lions may not be a bad thing. At some point the rookie needs to play and the Lions, who will host, may be a good team to get his feet wet against.

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The best non-division games of the NFL’s first week.

Falcons at Eagles: Thursday night 8:20 p.m.

The Philadelphia Eagles begin the defense of their 2017 Super Bowl season with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are a team that many believe will legitimately challenge for the NFC championship. The Eagles have some question marks and Nick Foles will lead the team early while Carson Wentz gets back into football shape after ACL surgery. The game should be a good one given the potent offenses on both sides. Defense may have to step up to decide this games outcome.

49’ers at Vikings: Sunday 1:00 p.m.

You will be watching the Dolphins on Sunday at 1:00 but keep an eye on this early season gem. 49’er quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is undefeated as a starter in San Francisco but they will face a Vikings team that came very close to representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. Are the 49’ers for real or was last year just a mirage? A good close game is expected so if you don’t get the Dolphins game, this might be a good one to watch.

Chiefs at Chargers: Sunday 4:05 p.m.

The Chargers are one of the favorites in the AFC this year and the AFC West should come down to the Chargers or Chiefs when the season ends. It’s a great beginning for two division rivals. Phillip Rivers is looking to make a big push towards the post-season while the Chiefs are banking on Patrick Mahomes to lead their team this year after getting rid of Alex Smith. Can the Chiefs stop the powerful Chargers offense? We will know come Sunday evening.

Cowboys at Panthers: Sunday 4:25 p.m.

The Cowboys are holding on to the hope that Dak Prescott’s rookie season wasn’t a fluke. Last year he took a step backwards and the team suffered as a result. The Cowboys finished 9-7 but were expected to make a big push for the division and the post-season. They came up short behind the Eagles. The Panthers on the other hand finished 11-5 but lost the division tie-breaker to the Saints. The Panthers believe they have the tools to take the division this year.

Steelers at Browns: Sunday 1:00 p.m.

The Browns have won only one game in two seasons and it’s not looking like 2018 will start off well for them. However they do play at home have a very solid defense and an offense that could win a couple of games this year. They will need to come out hot but this game is worth watching for two reasons. If the Browns upset the Steelers the fans might tear down the stadium in a rush to the free beer fridge that will be opened or they may tear down the stadium as their losing streak continues.

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