JO_75
Hall of Famer
Cowboys @ Buccaneers: Within a single season away from New England, Tom Brady proved his GOAT status and led Tampa Bay to their second Super Bowl win over the Chiefs. With every starter returning from last season, Tampa looks set to run it back in 2021. Dallas had their season derailed last year when Dak Prescott was lost for the season, with a brand new contract in place Dak is ready to take the Cowboys back to the playoffs. How will Dallas' offensive line handle the pass rush without Zack Martin who is out after testing positive for COVID, and potentially Right Tackle La'el Collins who is dealing with a injury. Dallas' offense could be in for a rough go on Thursday Night.
1PM Early Games
Eagles @ Falcons: A battle of first year head coaches as Arthur Smith, who came over from Tennessee welcomes Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles. Matt Ryan returns for his 14th season as the Falcons starting Quarterback while the Eagles are hoping Jalen Hurts is their new Franchise QB. Both teams will be relying on their first round picks to make some noise early on. Can Kyle Pitts offset the loss of Julio Jones who was traded in the offseason? Will Jalen Hurts & DeVonta Smith rekindle their chemistry in the NFL?
Steelers @ Bills: Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills welcome Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers to Buffalo to begin the season. The Bills gave Josh Allen a well deserved extension as they look to build on their AFC Championship appearance last year. After going 11-0 to start the season last year, the Steelers fell off the cliff and never were the same even losing to the Browns in the playoffs. Pittsburgh drafted Najee Harris in order to fix their running game but their offensive line has some questions surrounding it. Expect this to come down to the Bills passing game vs the Steelers secondary who lost two starters from last season and depth even with the addition of Ahkello Witherspoon.
Vikings @ Bengals: The Mike Zimmer Bowl. Joe Burrow and the Bengals travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. Minnesota missed out on the playoffs last year as it may be time to call the Kirk Cousins experiment a bust. Cousins has provided consistency at QB but has yet to put them over the top like he was brought in to do. Joe Burrow returns from a torn ACL but that didn't stop the Bengals from drafting LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase. Have to wonder if that will be something the Bengals regret this season, meanwhile the Vikings are dealing with their own offensive line issues as they could be starting Rashod Hill at Left Tackle until Christian Darrisaw recovers from surgery.
49ers @ Lions: It's a new era in Detroit as they have a new GM and a new Head Coach in Dan Campbell. Matthew Stafford was sent to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff who the Lions hope will play up to his Super Bowl season a couple years ago. The 49ers were banged up last season and look to return to form that took them to the Super Bowl in 2019. Jimmy Garoppolo returns as the starter but it seems the 49ers are taking the Mahomes route with Trey Lance, who may see some action in some trick plays this season.
Cardinals @ Titans: By virtue of a tough division, Arizona will have a long way to go to be competitive but Kyler Murray taking the next step will decide if the Cardinals return to the playoffs. With the additions of A.J. Green and JJ Watt, Arizona comes into the season with a lot of hype. Meanwhile, Tennessee adds Julio Jones to their offense that already has AJ Brown and Derrick Henry that certainly will cause headaches for defenses this season.
Seahawks @ Colts: Russell Wilson and the Seahawks head to Indianapolis to take on Carson Wentz and the Colts. Carson's injury woes have already reared it's ugly head in the preseason, but will his foot injury linger throughout the season? Many expect Wentz to rebound reuniting with with Frank Reich, whether he can return Carson to pre-2017 injury form will be one story to follow. The Seahawks will hope new Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron will improve the offense after finishing 17th in offense in 2020.
Chargers @ Washington: Justin Herbert broke every rookie QB record in 2020, giving the Chargers a sneak peek at what could be a great career. His sophomore season begins by dealing with Chase Young and that foursome up front for Washington. Ryan Fitzpatrick enters the season as the new starting quarterback for Washington as he will suit up for his ninth different NFL team in his career. With Washington losing four players in their secondary, it could be helpful for Justin Herbert to start the season on the right foot.
Jets @ Panthers: The Sam Darnold Bowl in Charlotte, NC will see the new look Jets under Robert Saleh take on Matt Rhule and the Carolina Panthers. The Jets welcome in Robert Saleh who comes from San Francisco, who will be installing a similar 4-3 defense and a Shanahan offensive system. Their defense took a hit when new free agent signing Carl Lawson suffered a season ending injury. Despite getting the rebuild tag, Carolina was very competitive last year losing eight games by a score or less. Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, Run CMC and the addition of rookie Terrace Marshall gives Darnold a solid core of talent around him. Can Darnold have a Tannehill like resurgence in Carolina?
4:25PM Late Games:
Browns @ Chiefs: In a playoff rematch, the Browns look to knock off the defending AFC Champions after coming close to doing so back in January. We know what to expect of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, the only question will be how quickly their new offensive line can gel. They will have to gel quickly against Myles Garrett and newly acquired Jadeveon Clowney which will make it rough for a new offensive line. A huge win against the Chiefs will go a long way toward setting the tone for the 2021 Cleveland Browns.
Dolphins @ Patriots: Following Cam Newton's release, Mac Jones will be the first rookie QB to start for the Patriots in the Belichick era and the first QB drafted in the first round by New England since Drew Bledsoe way back in 1993. New England stocked up signing the likes of Jonuu Smith, Hunter Henry, with defensive additions like Matt Judon to bolster the defense. The Dolphins meanwhile come off a 10 win season, looking to take the next step under Brian Flore. Is Tua ready to take the next step in the NFL and show he's the man in Miami?
Packers @ Saints: While many people speculated that the 17th game should be played on a neutral site, we will see this become a reality following the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. This game will now take place in Jacksonville. It's quite fitting for a city known for Cajun food, Jameis Winston is the new starting QB for the Saints. Aaron Rodgers and company look to finally get over the hump and into the Super Bowl following back to back NFC Championship game appearances. Will the distractions of 'The Last Dance' be too much of a distraction for Green Bay, can Winston under the guidance of Sean Payton finally live up to his first overall pick status?
Broncos @ Giants: We have already seen one 2019 first round QB lose their starting job, now it's put up or shut up for Daniel Jones. The Giants added Kenny Golliday and John Ross through free agency and first round pick Kadarius Toney to give Jones new receivers to play with. In addition, they added former Vikings Tight End Kyle Rudolph, so Jones has no excuse this season. The Broncos under new GM George Paton seemed content with Drew Lock & Teddy Bridgewater battling it out for the starting job. Denver has the weapons but QB play may just hold them back barring a surprising season by Teddy Bridgewater.
Sunday Night Football
Bears @ Rams: Matt Nagy somehow is still the Head Coach in Chicago and GM Ryan Pace somehow got to select another QB after his Mitch Trubisky selection over Watson and Mahomes. Perhaps the Bears got lucky with the stupidity of other teams as they moved up for Justin Fields. While Andy Dalton is the starter for now, one has to wonder how short of a leash will he have before we see Justin Fields. The Rams may finally have the pieces in place to put together a Super Bowl run, Matthew Stafford is a clear upgrade over Jared Goff and has everything he never had in Detroit. Can The Rams repeat the Bucs' success and not just get to the Super Bowl in their home stadium, but also win it?
