We’re still five agonizing months away from the official kick-off of the 2016-17 NFL season and the league only added fuel to the eternal fire of our desire for football by releasing the official schedule on a very news-heavy Thursday.
Opening weekend is populated with 16 outstanding games, each seemingly showcasing an established NFL team with one that could be on the cusp of a real run. While it might be a little early to help you put together your NFL Sunday Ticket primer, it doesn’t make it any less fun to do. Here are my picks of the can’t miss games of Week One of the 2016 season.
The Sunday Games
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – 1 p.m. on FOX
How many week one games will have playoff implications down the road? Quite a few and the Bucs at Falcons tops that list. Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers open up his sophomore campaign against the Falcons, who were one of the hottest teams in the NFL last season in September. Head coach Dan Quinn is in his second season with Atlanta and should continue the defensive rebuild while Dirk Koetter begins his first with Tampa, hoping to continue the offensive success they had in Winston’s rookie year. Just two years ago the NFC South was the worst division in football and sent a team with a losing record into the playoffs. This year it should be one of the toughest.
Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets – 1 p.m. on CBS
Andy Dalton’s return could mean this won’t be much of a game from the Jets standpoint, that is unless they can secure Ryan Fitzpatrick’s services once again. Both these teams are loaded and with solid drafts, this could very well be a playoff preview, if not an AFC Championship preview. Dalton’s absence at the end of last season and the playoffs definitely cost his team a win in the wild card game, probably cost them home field advantage and arguably a chance at a Super Bowl. It’s time to make up for it before the Bengals and head coach Marvin Lewis’ window closes.
Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens – 1 p.m. on CBS
The Bills were in the playoff hunt all the way until December last season, where they spent the final weeks of the season ruining playoff pushes for other teams. The Ravens had an off season thanks to injuries to nearly every star player on the squad. Baltimore should come in healthy, reloaded with some top-level draft picks, and be the dangerous team that no one wants to see in the playoffs, ever. For the Bills, this could be the beginning of the end for Tyrod Taylor at quarterback and if the team drafts Connor Cook, like they should, that’s going to be a good thing.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – 4:25 p.m. on FOX
The Giants had historic collapses last season, losing six games in the the final minute. New York was one tackle a game away from a 12-4 record. It cost Tom Coughlin his job and should have, regardless of everything else that’s happened. The Giants should be healthy, they’ve moved their chips to the center of the table in free agency and have the chance to add a top-level playmaker at wideout or defensive end with the 10th pick in the draft. The Cowboys season went down the toilet with two injuries to Tony Romo’s collarbone. Not only should he be completely healed up for the season, but he’s had some kind of bionic surgery done to help prevent the injury from happening again. The NFC East’s standings will flip from last season and this is the game where it all starts.
The Prime Time Games
Carolina Panthers at Denver Broncos – Thursday night, 8:30 p.m. on NBC
The season opens with the Super Bowl rematch the Panthers have been dying to play since about 10 p.m. on Feb. 7. God only knows what the Broncos will have at quarterback (my bet is Nick Foles or Case Keenum), but they still have most of their defense intact including the personal bane of Cam Newton’s existence, Von Miller. Carolina will have to prove, maybe mostly to themselves, that there will be no Super Bowl loss hangover and they can be the best team in the NFC again.
New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals – Sunday night, 8:30 p.m. on NBC
This game serves as the potential Super Bowl preview that no one I know would ever seriously predict. There’s still a chance Tom Brady won’t play as a holdover from the present DeflateGate legal proceedings between him and the league. There’s definitely a chance Carson Palmer will play and if there’s any kind of holdover from last season’s multi-game playoff choke-fest, it’s going to show up here.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins – Monday night, 7:10 p.m. on ESPN
They’re going to sell this as a potential Super Bowl match-up hard, but not after the Steelers crush the Redskins and embarrass their family back about four generations. The idea that the Redskins somehow got over the hump last year and didn’t, in fact, benefit from the Giants’ historic late-game collapses, Chip Kelly’s roster ruin and Tony Romo’s collarbone will be disproved in about a quarter of this game. Pittsburgh, back at full strength with Le’Veon Bell in the backfield will destroy the Redskins and do in front of all of America.
Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Monday night, 10:20 p.m. on ESPN
The annual game at San Francisco has been a chance for the old California Rams fans to see their team every year since they moved to St. Louis, but this year will have a little extra special fire behind it. Fresh off Hard Knocks, their move back to L.A. and a brand new No. 1 pick quarterback under center, everyone is going to want to watch the Rams make their 2016-17 debut. In San Francisco, the Chip Kelly clown care begins its drive into the bay with Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick behind the wheel. Or, if the 49ers are desperate and can work it out with the Cleveland Browns, this might be the first of a decade and a half-long match-ups between Carson Wentz and Jared Goff at quarterback.
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