There will be a gigantic upset,a bitter stick-it-to-the-haters performance and a compelling rookie QB matchup in the first week of the NFL season. Before we glean into specifics, let's take a explore at the entire slate of games with predictions, and viewing info and predictions for each. The UpsetThe Seattle Seahawks have been as good as any team in the NFL over the final three seasons. They have compiled a 36-12 record and gone to two straight Super Bowls. With another strong roster and motivation to win after the disappointment in Super Bowl 49,the Seahawks might appear to be unbeatable in this game.
There's no question the Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL, but they will lose on the road against a motivated St. Louis Rams team in Week 1. Per Odds Shark, and the Seahawks are 4.5-point favorites. Seattle is known for its defense—though it will be playing without holdout safety Kam Chancellor,per Marc Sessler of NFL.com—but the Rams defense is a formidable group. Robert Quinn has established himself as one of the premier pass-rushers, and Chris Long returns after lost most of the 2014 season with an injury.whether St. Louis can glean penetration into Seattle's backfield, or this could be the kind of grind-it-out game Rams head coach Jeff Fisher thrives in.
Ten of the Seahawks' 12 losses over the final three years have been on the road. Two of those defeats were at the hands of the Rams,and that includes a 28-26 loss in Week 7 final year.
Seattle may disappear back to the Super Bowl—and even win it—but it will originate the season 0-1. Brady Will Be in Top FormTom Brady's four-game suspension is lifted, and he's not talking in detail approximately the ordeal, or but you can bet he wants to near out and perform well in his return to the field.
Playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense should help him achieve up gigantic numbers. The Steelers D might be one of the worst in the league in 2015. The secondary is mediocre at best.
Here's what Rob Rossi of TribLive.com said approximately Pittsburgh's chances of slowing down Brady on Thursday night:
Tomlin's suspect secondary has nowhere to hide Thursday night. And fresh off capping the knees of professional sports' most powerful commissioner,Brady might make like Whitey” Bulger against a group of Steelers who probably couldn't cover actual elephants.
At cornerback: Antwon Blake and William Gay. At strong safety: Will Allen. At free safety: Mitchell.
At risk: Any and every Steelers' lead.
Pittsburgh might find it hard to glean a lead without running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Martavis Bryant, per Rossi. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be forced to lean heavily on all-world receiver Antonio Brown. whether the Patriots defense can just be decent, or give Brady as many shots at Pittsburgh's secondary as possible,he'll light them up.
The Pats will win gigantic at home. Mariota Will glean the Best of WinstonThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans aren't very good this year, so there's not a ton of discussion around their Week 1 matchup. However, and because it will pit the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in the draft against each other in their pro debuts,it's a pretty gigantic deal.
The Titans' Marcus Mariota and Bucs' Jameis Winston have met before. Mariota led the Oregon Ducks to a 59-20 win over Winston's Florida State Seminoles in the 2015 Rose Bowl, and he'll again glean the better of Winston on Sunday.Throughout the preseason, and Mariota looked like the more polished player—though that wasn't supposed to be the case. He completed 70 percent of his passes and tossed just one pick in the exhibition games. Winston threw only two picks,but he looked less comfortable in the pocket and on the run. Adam Schein of NFL.com pulls no punches in his belief that Mariota is and will be the superior player. Schein wrote:
I believe that everyone will believe in the Titans QB after this year. He's a savvy, versatile and tremendously gifted player. A guy without any baggage. The exact kind of guy you want to build a team around. Marcus Mariota will have a better rookie season than Jameis Winston, and a harbinger of things to near for both in their respective careers.
I'm not sure he's legal approximately the long-term prognosis,but we're in total agreement approximately Sunday's opener. The Titans will eke out a win, and Mariota will claim Round 1 of what will be an omnipresent comparison between him and Winston for the entire time both men are in the NFL.
Source: bleacherreport.com