| Thursday, Sep. 6, 2007 | ||||
| New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts | ||||
| If you like offense, this is the game for you this week. Both teams have the ability to put up 30 points on anybody. So this will come down to the defense that plays better. The hunch is that it's the Colts. It helps that they're at home in the Dome. Watch Dwight Freeney get loose. Result: Indianapolis Colts 41, New Orleans Saints 10 | ||||
| Sunday, Sep. 9, 2007 | ||||
| Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans | ||||
| The Chiefs turn to Damon Huard at quarterback, while the Texans turn to Matt Schaub. That is an advantage to the Texans. I look for them to be improved, while the Chiefs are going backwards. The Texans get win the home opener. Result: Houston Texans 20, Kansas City Chiefs 3 | ||||
| Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers | ||||
| Going to Lambeau and winning on opening day isn't easy, even for a veteran team like the Eagles. The Packers have some young talent and they have Brett Favre. Look for Favre to have success against the Eagles blitzes and the young Green Bay defense will play well. Upset special. Result: Green Bay Packers 16, Philadelphia Eagles 13 | ||||
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns | ||||
| The Mike Tomlin-era gets underway against a division rival, which won't make for an easy game. These two teams don't like each other, so the Browns will hang for a while on emotion and being at home. But in the end, the Steelers and their new-look passing game will pull away. Result: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Cleveland Browns 7 | ||||
| Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills | ||||
| The Broncos stumbled a few years back making an opening-week trip to Miami. This the same type of trip. And for Jay Cutler, it won't be easy opening his first season as a starter. The Bills are better on both sides of the ball than a year ago. This will be close. Result: Buffalo Bills 14, Denver Broncos 15 | ||||
| Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins | ||||
| New Dolphins coach Cam Cameron opens on the road against one of his former employers. That's never an easy thing to do. But it's even tougher when his offense is limited. This should be a defensive battle, so any big plays will decide it. The Redskins will make more of them. Result: Washington Redskins 16, Miami Dolphins 13 | ||||
| Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams | ||||
| This is a game matching two teams with legitimate playoff hopes. The Rams have to show that their defense is better, while the Panthers have to show they are better on offense. In their opener a year ago, the Rams shut down the Broncos. Can they do it again? Maybe not to that degree, but they will play good enough. Result: St. Louis Rams 13, Carolina Panthers 27 | ||||
| New England Patriots at NY Jets Jets | ||||
| The Bill Belichick-Eric Mangini coaching matchup is always intriguing. Even the post-game handshake is interesting. The Patriots get to show off their new-look passing game for the first time. The Jets were a playoff team a year ago, losing to the Patriots, but they did it with some not-so-pretty numbers. This will be a lot like the playoff game. Result: New England Patriots 38, NY Jets Jets 14 | ||||
| Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings | ||||
| So which quarterback is it? Joey Harrington or Tarvaris Jackson? They both have questions heading into the opener, but Jackson has the better players around him. And winning at the Dome is never easy. The Vikings will limit Harrington and his offense on this day and the Vikings will run the football. Result: Minnesota Vikings 24, Atlanta Falcons 3 | ||||
| Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars | ||||
| The last time David Garrard faced the Titans as a starter he had two picks returned for scores and a fumble returned for a touchdown. That won't happen again. And this time the Jaguars will do enough on offense to overcome the mistakes, if there are mistakes. The defense will shut down Vince Young and the Titans. Result: Jacksonville Jaguars 10, Tennessee Titans 13 | ||||
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks | ||||
| This is a long road trip for an opener for Tampa Bay. The schedule-maker sure wasn't kind. The Seahawks should have an easy time with Tampa Bay in this one -- even it wasn't a long trip. They're simply better. Result: Seattle Seahawks 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 | ||||
| Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders | ||||
| This is the crummy game of the week. But it might end up being a lot of fun. The battle between the Lions offense and the Raiders defense will be one of the better unit battles of the week. Mike Martz against Rob Ryan will be fun stuff. Result: Oakland Raiders 21, Detroit Lions 36 | ||||
| Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers | ||||
| This is the game of the week, featuring two dominant defenses. The hitting will be amazing. But San Diego has the better offense and they're at home. Look for Philip Rivers to be the difference. Result: San Diego Chargers 14, Chicago Bears 3 | ||||
| NY Giants Giants at Dallas Cowboys | ||||
| This is a tough start for both teams, but especially for the Giants on the road. The Cowboys front seven will cause a lot of problems for the Giants offensive line. That will lead to a couple of turnovers and short-field scores. Result: Dallas Cowboys 45, NY Giants Giants 35 | ||||
| Monday, Sep. 10, 2007 | ||||
| Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals | ||||
| This is a classic case of an offensive team against a defensive team. So which of the weaker units plays better? The guess here is that it's the Bengals defense. The home team is tough to beat on Monday, but I got a hunch the Ravens will run it all night at the Bengals' defense. Result: Baltimore Ravens 20, Cincinnati Bengals 27 | ||||
| Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers | ||||
| The 49ers are the trendy pick here, but I think the Cardinals blitzing defense will cause some turnovers. Look for Matt Leinart to have a big night. The Cards take it in an upset with plenty of points in a fun one. Result: Arizona Cardinals 17, San Francisco 49ers 20 | ||||
| PRISCO'S WEEKLY WINNING PERCENTAGE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | total | ||||||||||||||||
| 62% | 62% | 81% | 42% | 71% | 61% | 71% | 53% | 35% | 50% | 81% | 68% | 68% | 87% | 68% | 81% | 81% | 66% | ||||||||||||||||


