NFL returns today with full slate of games we tell you the winners

As the NFL prepares to open its 100th season with a full slate of games today picking the winners and losers is not an easy task.

On Thursday night the NFL officially kicked-off the season with the Bears and Packers. The league opted for tradition over the reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots who will get the Sunday primetime game instead.

Today’s games begin the trek to the post-season. It is the first Sunday of football since week 17 of last season. Fans are hungry for real games and still hold the hopes of a championship season. For some of those fans, today will squash some of those dreams when they realize just how bad their teams are going to be.

Here are our predictions for the first Sunday of football, the home team is listed last.

Chiefs and Jaguars – An early season gem that could factor into the late-season playoff scenarios. The Chiefs are coming off a fantastic season that ended with disappointment. The Jaguars were supposed to be great last year but took a big step back. It’s the Jags defense vs the Chiefs stellar offense.

Winner – Chiefs in a close one

Falcons and Vikings – Matt Ryan is back and so is his top offense that struggled at times last year. The Vikings are an enigma. Kirk Cousins has struggled and is far from the $100 million contract the Vikings threw at him.

Winner – Falcons

Titans and Browns – Is this game interesting? Yes, yes it is. After listening to all the talking heads tell us that the Browns are a team that could rise to the top of the AFC, they need to win games to prove it. Baker Mayfield is a young quarterback who showed a lot of talent last season. He needs to avoid the sophomore curse and lead his team. The Titans are not a big threat but if the Browns can’t beat the Titans at home, we can put away the championship talk this year.

Winner – Browns in a close one

Bills and Jets – Starting the season off with a rivalry game is always fun. Starting off with the Bills and Jets is even better. While it’s not a must-watch game unless you are a fan of one of those teams, we get to see who is staking a claim to the 2nd spot in the division early. And we get to see a lot more of Adam Gase’s weird eye rolls when they lose.

Winner – Bills

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Ravens and Dolphins – For Dolphins fans this is more about seeing positives rather than an early-season victory. If the Dolphins manage to win this game, fans’ expectations will grow but they shouldn’t. Miami could come away with a victory as the Ravens don their black uniforms in the Dolphins 100 degree hometown weather.

Winner – Ravens

Redskins and Eagles – Two teams that believe they can take their division. The Eagles have the better shot. Washington is a team that is transitioning to a new quarterback, a rookie quarterback, and the Eagles are hoping that they can ride Carson Wentz to the Super Bowl.

Winner – Eagles

Rams and Panthers – The Super Bowl runner ups will open on the road across the country. The Panthers are a team that many are not certain how good or how bad they will be. Last year they were not very good. Cam Newton needs to take this team on his shoulders. But maybe he will start next week.

Winner – Rams

Colts and Chargers – About two weeks ago this would have been a great match-up that many fans would have liked to of watched. Now, not so much. This is now more about seeing what Jacoby Brissett will do as a starter than the Andrew Luck vs. Philip Rivers showdown.

Winner – Chargers

Bengals and Seahawks – For anyone hoping the Dolphins can tank for Tua, the Bengals want you to hold their beer. Former Miami Dolphins coach Zac Taylor is the team’s new head coach and they are a pretty bad football team. You know when you see those betting commercials and they say call for this weeks free guaranteed winner? Yeah, this is what you get.

Winner – Seahawks

Giants and Cowboys – The NFL were supposed to keep the NFL at four pre-season games but apparently, they opted to give both the Seahawks and the Cowboys an extra one.

Winner – Cowboys

49’ers and Buccaneers – This one could be interesting. Is the return of Jimmy Garropollo going to lift the 49’ers? Is Jameis Winston going to become the prospect that the Bucs thought they were drafting number one overall in 2015? He enters his fourth year and needs to make some progress.

Winner – 49’ers