We just couldn’t get there any faster. With all the research that went into our season long predictions for the AFC and NFC, Opening Week’s picks article could not get here fast enough.
Thankfully, we would not have wanted to rush it.
After what felt like an endless offseason of shuffling – more than most in the sense of big names and high draft picks on the move – we have arrived at the most exciting, yet intimidating point of the National Football League season: Week 1.
It feels good to be back. Back, digging through teams and their odds. Back, sending emails and Tweets about the upcoming season. Back, writing a weekly picks column.
In a sense, Week 1’s picks have already been made. In the National Football League’s short season, each game has a large influence on a team’s final record. Already attempting to predict where each team finishes is, in essence, the act of projecting sixteen small seasons and compiling the results.
Unfortunately, it is not so straightforward. Despite season-long projections being featured prominently in our minds, each individual week does present an opportunity to stray from our long-term expectations. After all, a few games include projected playoff teams facing one another, where a loss for one is inevitable.
Besides the dedication to our own full season predictions muddying the waters, the obvious issue of the unknown plays a significant role in assessing each team. There are no statistics from which conclusions can be drawn. A team with a poorly-ranked rushing attack might suddenly make an effort to run the ball more. Therefore, we must believe in the foundation we laid when forming an over-arching view of the league. We then proceed with the expectation that Week 1 will solidify these projections.
Below are predictions for each game against the spread. Spreads have been taken from various websites and are subject to change. The spread in parenthesis denotes the selected team. An asterisk denotes a confidence pick.
*Confidence Picks – 2015 Season: 69-45-2 (Last Week: —)
(2014 Season: 61-46-2)
All Picks Against Spread – 2015 Season: 143-117-7 (Last Week: —)
(2014 Season: 149-114-4)