NFL Game Previews: Breaking Down Week 1

Pittsburgh (+7) at New England - Thursday, 8:30 pm EDT

Comments: Never let it be said that the Patriots don't provide reporters with plenty of copy and click bait. Deflategate and Return of the Revenge of Spygate dominated the headlines this offseason, providing Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick with plenty of incentive to not just win but destroy their opponents mercilessly. I would not want to be the Steelers this week ... There's a curious symmetry to the players missing for this game. Pittsburgh has Le'Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant suspended, while New England has LeGarrette Blount suspended and Brandon LaFell on the PUP list (foot). Obviously, Pittsburgh loses that exchange. Also, both teams look like they'll be without their starting centers. Maurkice Pouncey is on IR for the Steelers after having surgery to repair a broken fibula, while Bryan Stork is suffering from a concussion. Sloppy offensive line play due to poor communication and continuity could end up being the key factor in this one. ... Speaking of continuity, the legendary Dick Lebeau is now in Tennessee after being Pittsburgh's defensive coordinator for 11 seasons. Keith Butler, the team's long-time linebacker coach, inherited the role and didn't make any huge changes, but the unit wasn't particularly impressive in the preseason, and it remains to be seen just how much Butler absorbed sitting at the feet of the master all those years. ... If you're looking for some good news, Steelers fans, it might be this: in seven career regular season games against the Pats, Ben Roethlisberger has averaged a 23-for-38 performance for 276 yards with two TDs and an INT. Belichick, at least, doesn't seem to have his number. Of course, in his seven regular-season games against the Steelers, Tom Brady's average line is 28-for-41 for 331 yards, three TDs (well, two-and-a-half) and zero INTs. ... There's a 75 percent chance of rain Thursday night at Foxboro, so expect the Patriots to find a way to apply some experimental procedure to their footballs or gloves to make them hydrophobic which, of course, won't be illegal because the NFL hasn't specifically outlawed it yet

Predictions:DeAngelo Williams' Pittsburgh debut doesn't amount to much, but he does eke out 60 yards on the ground. Roethlisberger doesn't have a big yardage game but gets his two TDs, one to Antonio Brown and one to Heath Miller. Brown also gets held to less than 100 yards receiving. Brandon Bolden wins the Pats RB lottery for Week 1 and rushes for 80 yards and a score, but James White also has a little PPR value with five catches and 60 combined yards. Brady tops 300 passing yards and finds Rob Gronkowski twice in the end zone, adding one TD to Danny Amendola for good measure, while Julian Edelman pulls down 10 catches for 110 yards and adds a two-point conversion. Patriots 35-17

Green Bay at Chicago (+7) - Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Comments: Jordy Nelson's season-ending ACL tear is still the big news, but Chicago's receiving corps isn't doing much better with its top three wideouts all listed as questionable. Alshon Jeffery has a calf injury, Eddie Royal has a hip injury and Marquess Wilson is on the limp with a hamstring problem. All three were limited participants in Wednesday's practice, but whether any or all make it to Sunday is, well, questionable. ... They might as well change the saying to "Death, taxes and Aaron Rodgers against the Bears." Last year, Rodgers torched them for 617 yards, 10 TDs and no INTs in two games. In 2013, he hit them up for 345 yards and two TDs (with two INTs) in one game. Chicago's defense hasn't exactly gotten better since then either, so even without Nelson, expect some big numbers from Rodgers in this one. ... Some of those big numbers could go to his namesake, Richard Rodgers. The Bears' defense has been notoriously generous to opposition tight ends, allowing 13 tight end TDs last season and more than 60 receiving yards a game. That's a shocking number when you consider that the Bears had the NFC North's only real weapon at TE, Martellus Bennett, on their own roster, so it's not like they had to face Rob Gronkowski twice or something to skew those numbers. New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's 49ers weren't all that much better in 2014 either, with much better talent at linebacker and safety. Rodgers may be more Heath Miller than Jimmy Graham when it comes to his skillset, but someone has to get those red-zone looks Nelson left on the table.

Predictions:Eddie Lacy rumbles for 120 yards and two scores (one on the ground, one in the air), while Aaron Rodgers spreads the ball around, throwing for 320 yards and three TDs to Lacy, Davante Adams and Richard Rodgers. Jay Cutler throws his usual couple of interceptions trying to keep pace, but also finds Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett in the end zone. Matt Forte gets just 90 combined yards in a disappointing afternoon. Packers, 31-20

Kansas City (+1) at Houston - Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Comments: Arian Foster may be an incredibly quick healer (his middle name wouldn't happen to be Logan, would it?), but he isn't back from groin surgery yet. That leaves the Texans run game in the hands of the less-than-capable Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk. The Chiefs were among the worst run defenses in the league last year though (127.3 yards per game, good for 28th) and didn't do much to upgrade other than get Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry back on the field, so it will be interesting to see whether the resistable force or the movable object win this clash... On the flip side, Houston's run defense was surprisingly only 10th last year (105.1 yards per game) but they did do something about it, adding massive veteran Vince Wilfork at nose tackle. Justin Bieber could be the third guy on the Texans defensive front alongside him and J.J. Watt, and teams still wouldn't get anywhere on the ground against them. ... With Andre Johnson in Indy and Foster on the sidelines, the Texans' red-zone offense is going to look very different in the early part of the season. Between Blue and DeAndre Hopkins, I know who I'd want to get the ball to when it mattered, and new coach Bill O'Brien is from the Belichick coaching tree. In 2011, O'Brien's one year as the Patriots offensive coordinator, Rob Gronkowski caught 17 touchdowns. This may not be the ground-and-pound Texans offense we're used to seeing.

Predictions:Jamaal Charles has a tough day against that Houston front seven and loses some touches to Knile Davis, but still manages to get 70 combined yards and a TD. Travis Kelce also gets held in check, Jeremy Maclin is held to less than 100 yards, and Alex Smith can't move the chains. Polk has the best day of any of Houston's backs, picking up 80 combined yards, but Blue grinds out a short score. Brian Hoyer connects with Hopkins twice in the end zone as Hopkins finishes the day with 140 yards. Texans, 24-16

Cleveland (+3) at N.Y. Jets - Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Comments: Sometimes I feel like I'm dismissing Isaiah Crowell too easily. I didn't exactly give him a glowing write-up in the RotoWire Fantasy Football magazine and shied away from him in every draft and auction, but he does have some things to recommend him. He runs behind a strong Browns offensive line, for instance, and at least for Week 1 should have a heavy workload with Terrance West in Tennessee and Duke Johnson still unproven and recovering from a concussion. Then I look at the Cleveland passing game, start thinking about all the overloaded fronts Crowell will see, and go right back to being down on him. Good luck, kid, you're going to need it. ... Department of Profligate Spending report: the Jets shelled out more than one hundred million dollars this summer to have Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie cover, uhh, Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins? That can't be right. ... The matchups on the other side of the field figure to be a little more dramatic. Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden was joined by former Packer Tramon Williams in the offseason, and the duo will take on New York's rather impressive new receiving tandem of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't great, or even good, but he's just adequate enough to get them some catchable balls if they can get themselves open. That game-within-the-game is probably going to be what determines the outcome. If Haden and Williams can keep Marshall and Decker in check, the Browns have a chance.

Predictions: Crowell manages to grind out 70 yards, which is the high-water mark for any Browns skill player in the game as Josh McCown gets the Johnny Manziel bandwagon rolling early. Travis Coons is the team's best fantasy asset on the day. Chris Ivory rushes for 90 yards and a TD, while Fitzpatrick manages to connect with Decker for another in a low-scoring affair. Jets, 17-9

Indianapolis at Buffalo (+2.5) - Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Comments: Rex Ryan's defection from the Jets to the division-rival Bills didn't cause as many waves as you'd expect in the offseason, but perhaps it should have. Ryan long ago wore out his welcome in New York, but given his aggressive coaching style and the defensive line talent he got handed in Buffalo, there's a chance the Bills pass rush is great enough to mask the rest of the team's short-comings. The team's playoff drought stands at 15 years, but barring bad injury luck, my gut says this is the season they end it. ... Speaking of luck (c'mon, you knew that segue was coming), I don't think the Colts have provided Andrew Luck with enough weapons in the passing game yet. It's getting ridiculous. The team has two viable tight ends who just cannibalize each others targets, Indy's No. 4 wide receiver, Donte Moncrief, would be a No. 1 on some teams (see above with the Browns, for instance) and even Frank Gore is capable of hauling in a few when his number gets called. T.Y. Hilton should get his on a consistent basis, but after that the team could actually be a fantasy guessing-game nightmare as you try to predict whose turn it is for a big performance. Is Andre Johnson going to go off this week? Coby Fleener? Phillip Dorsett? A lot of DFS fortunes could be won and lost riding that wheel. ... There's a decent chance it could be raining at Orchard Park on Sunday, which would play into the Bills' hands a little. That pass rush is still their best chance of slowing Luck down, though.

Predictions: Gore's Indianapolis tenure gets off to a slow start as he rushes for only 60 yards. Luck abuses Bills rookie corner Ronald Darby mercilessly, hitting Hilton and Moncrief for touchdowns, but he also gets sacked five times. LeSean McCoy gains 110 combined yards and a TD, and while Tyrod Taylor's debut is a disappointing one statistically, he does keep the sticks moving with his legs and finds Sammy Watkins on a late, game-winning score. Bills, 23-20

Miami at Washington (+3.5) - Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Comments: I'm not sure there's much left to say about the Washington front office clown show. The really sad part is they might have actually gotten the call right at quarterback, as Kirk Cousins probably does give them a better chance to win, but that's more due to Robert Griffin's complete alienation from the team and coaching staff than it is Cousins' own abilities. The fact that RGIII will still be on the sidelines as a reminder of how the team got to this point is just the cherry on the fail sundae. ... The Dolphins were considered by some to be a sneaky-good D/ST play through the early part of the season due to a favorable schedule, and we should find out quickly just how accurate that prediction was. Washington's offensive line isn't good at all, and can best be summed up by the fact that fifth overall pick Brandon Scherff, drafted to be the long-term answer at right tackle, looked awful in the preseason and will make his NFL debut at right guard instead. Trent Williams is still an elite left tackle, but the fact that Cousins' blind side is well protected won't help him if the rest of the line is a jailbreak. ... It's put -up or shut-up time for Lamar Miller. He's had a lot of preseason hype but also some people pumping the brakes, saying that the fact that he didn't get 20 carries in any game last year was a sign that he didn't have the full trust of the coaching staff. Well, rookie Jay Ajayi is starting the season on IR and Miller really doesn't have much in the way of backups, so there's no obvious reason for him to continue seeing a reduced workload. An extremely winnable game like this one should quickly show which side of that debate was correct.

Predictions: Miller runs 23 times for 120 yards and two TDs, and anyone who invested heavily in him breathes a sigh of relief. Ryan Tannehill also has a good game, topping 270 passing yards and finding Jarvis Landry and Jordan Cameron for scores. Cousins gets dropped six times by the Dolphins and fumbles once, but does manage to hit DeSean Jackson for a touchdown. Alfred Morris rushes for 80 yards and doesn't find the end zone. Dolphins, 31-13

Carolina at Jacksonville (+3) - Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Comments: Count me among the skeptics who don't think Devin Funchess is just going to step right into Kelvin Benjamin's spot without the Panthers missing a beat. Before last season's ridiculous rookie class, first-year wide receivers were almost always a sucker bet, as it wasn't until their second or even third season in the NFL that they emerged as real fantasy assets. The league is certainly more pass-friendly than it used to be, but I still need to see more than one season's worth of productive rookie WRs before I'm willing to assume that trend has radically changed. Add in the fact that Funchess mostly played tight end in college, which means his route-running skills on the outside will need a lot of work as well, and I just don't see much value in him beyond whatever red-zone looks don't go to Greg Olsen. ... If Dante Fowler were healthy, I'd actually think the Jaguars could have a solid defense. They have a strong linebacking corps, a couple of solid corners and Johnathan Cyprien at safety, and a bulked-up interior on the defensive line. What they don't have is any kind of a pass rush. Without the ability to apply pressure, it should be another long season for a Jags defense that finished in the bottom 10 in just about every category last year. ... The Panthers and Jags are 30th and 31st, respectively, in our offensive line rankings, but at least Jacksonville tried to do something about it in the offseason. While that doesn't bode well for Blake Bortles, who got sacked an unconscionable 71 times in 2014, it also means you should temper expectations for Jonathan Stewart and T.J. Yeldon, at least until those units prove they can open some holes consistently.

Predictions: Stewart slogs his way for 80 yards and a TD. Cam Newton also runs for 60 yards and a score, and chips in a passing TD to Jerricho Cotchery for good measure. Yeldon's debut doesn't amount to much, but Blake Bortles stays mostly upright and throws for 250 yards and two TDs to Allen Robinson and Denard Robinson (no relation). Panthers, 24-20

Seattle at St. Louis (+4) - Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Comments: The Legion of Boom is still without its biggest boomstick, as Kam Chancellor's holdout will last into Week 1, forcing former practice-squad player Dion Bailey into the starting lineup. The Rams don't exactly have the ideal passing game to take advantage of Chancellor's absence, but Nick Foles does throw a pretty deep ball and players like Brian Quick have the ability to exploit that unexpected hole in the Seahawks secondary. ... While most of the attention directed toward the Jimmy Graham-Max Unger trade dealt with what Seattle received, what they lost might end up being more important. Unger's being replaced by Drew Nowak, a former defensive tackle who got switched to the offensive line by the Jags in 2012 and only started playing center about three months ago, during the Seahawks OTAs. To say that's a drop-off from a two-time Pro Bowler would be a bit of an understatement. Russell Wilson's mobility and Marshawn Lynch's beastliness already covered for a lot of the line's short-comings last year, but this could push things too far, especially against a Rams pass rush that can flash as dominant. ... The Hawks aren't the only ones with weak spots, though. Todd Gurley has been ruled out as he gets brought along oh-so-slowly from his ACL surgery, while Tre Mason is battling a hamstring injury and didn't practice Wednesday. A Rams running attack featuring Benny Cunningham, Isaiah Pead and special teams ace Chase Reynolds isn't going to worry anyone, particularly last year's third-ranked rush defense.

Predictions: Lynch scores a goal-line touchdown on the first drive of the season, giving Seahawks fans flashbacks to February, but is mostly held in check after that. Wilson scrambles for 50 yards and finds his new best friend Graham for another score, and Tyler Lockett returns a kick to the house in his NFL debut. No Ram rushes for more than 40 yards, but Foles gets some room to operate and throws for 280 yards and TDs to Quick and Lance Kendricks, capping things off with a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Rams, 23-21

New Orleans (+2.5) at Arizona - Sunday, 4:05 pm EDT

Comments: I get a distinct Cowboys 2014 vibe from the Saints this season. Look at the similarities: a team known for its passing game but with a porous defense tries to re-focus the offense around ball control and a talented but injury-prone running back, both to preserve its aging quarterback and keep that defense off the field. Now, trading for center Max Unger isn't quite the same as loading up your offensive line with three first-round picks, but it's a start, and if the similarities hold Mark Ingram is going to prove to be a massive bargain as this season's DeMarco Murray. Hey, that plan got Dallas within one play of the NFC title game last year, so why not give it a whirl? ... The Cardinals have the makings of a very good, even great, offense this year, but it has a fragile foundation. Carson Palmer's played 16 games just once in the last four years due to a variety of injuries, while Andre Ellington is the bargain-rack version of Jamaal Charles both in production and durability and Larry Fitzgerald is in the twilight of his career. There are youngsters like David Johnson and John Brown who seems ready to step up at the skill spots, but if Palmer goes down again there really is no dependable Plan B unless you think Matt Barkley is a future star. That's a lot of pressure to put on a 35-year-old QB with a history of arm trouble. ... Now that Patrick Peterson has a handle on his diabetes, expect him to return to shutdown form. He may not get tested much early (Drew Brees is the only top QB option the Cardinals see through the first quarter of the schedule), but road games against the Lions and Steelers in Weeks 5 and 6 will establish whether he's back at the top of his game. For this week, though, he'll have an intriguing duel with second-year speedster Brandin Cooks.

Predictions: Ingram takes advantage of a depleted Arizona defensive line, rushing for 110 yards and a score. Brees piles up 250 yards but only finds the end zone once, connecting with Josh Hill. The Cardinals' backs rack up 200 combined yards and three TDs, but it's split three ways between Ellington, David Johnson and Chris Johnson (no relation) with Ellington scoring twice and Chris Johnson once. Palmer doesn't need to throw much but is effective when he does, hitting J.J. Nelson for a long touchdown and Fitzgerald for a short one as the Cardinals win big. Cardinals 38-23

Detroit (+3) at San Diego - Sunday, 4:05 pm EDT

Comments: Out with the old, in with the older. The Lions wasted little time acquiring Haloti Ngata from the Ravens once Ndamukong Suh took his talents to South Beach, and while their front seven should remain as dominant as ever after the switch, things could be a little different. Ngata is more of a traditional lane-clogging, block-absorbing tackle who makes everyone around him better, so while the unit can hardly improve much on last year's first-place finish against the run, they could see a few less than the 42 sacks they managed in 2014. On the other hand, maybe those sacks simply get re-distributed, in which case Ezekiel Ansah is in line for a monster IDP season. ... Melvin Gordon was supposed to step right in and be a replacement for Ryan Mathews in the Chargers' backfield if not an outright upgrade, but a poor preseason suddenly has everyone nervous, summoning up the NFL failures of previous Wisconsin studs and bemoaning the use of a first-round pick on such a common asset as a mere running back. A brutal Week 1 matchup against that Lions front seven is just going to make that din louder, but things get much easier for Gordon after his Week 1 hazing. Five of his next six games are against teams that struggled against the run last year (by yards per game, he gets the 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 25th and 32nd-ranked 2014 run defenses), so you may want to start firing out trade offers for him starting at about 7:06 EDT on Sunday night. ... Speaking of rookie running backs, the hype is dying down a bit with Ameer Abdullah after Detroit's initial depth chart landed him in the third spot. Joique Bell skipped the entire preseason while recovering from knee surgery but is still the incumbent. Abdullah has great upside, especially in PPR formats, but Bell hogged the goal-line carries last season and that isn't likely to change while he's healthy, putting a definite cap on Abdullah's potential.

Predictions: Bell collects 100 combined yards and a touchdown, while Abdullah catches a handful of passes for 50 yards. Matthew Stafford slings around his usual volume of passes and managed to hit Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate in the end zone on a couple of them, but also throws two INTs. Gordon gets stonewalled, running for an embarrassing 30 yards in his debut, but Philip Rivers picks up the slack, passing for 270 yards and TDs to Keenan Allen and Steve Johnson. Kicker Josh Lambo, not Gordon, proves to be the rookie hero. Chargers, 26-24

Tennessee (+3) at Tampa Bay - Sunday, 4:25 pm EDT

Comments: The battle of the rookie quarterbacks may not be quite as exciting as you expect, unless you think watching QBs run for their lives is exciting. Both teams feature awful offensive lines that combined to allow 102 sacks in 2014, though the Bucs at least had the courtesy to draft a couple of offensive linemen in the second round this year to support Jameis Winston. The Titans will simply rely on improvement from disappointments like left tackle Taylor Lewan and Marcus Mariota's legs to keep him in one piece. On the bright side, neither defense finished in the top half of the league last year in sacks, so they're well-matched in their inability to fully exploit the other team's biggest weakness. ... More weird symmetry between the teams: both feature disappointing running backs looking to rebound. Bishop Sankey has already been written off by a lot of people after an awful rookie year, while Doug Martin's rookie success is a distant memory after two poor, injury-plagued campaigns. It all comes back to those O-lines. If either or both units can step up, expect the guy running behind them to do the same, but if not it's going to be another long year of dodging backfield penetration and trying to thanklessly turn three-yard losses into one-yard gains. ... Mike Evans missed practice with a hamstring injury, and if he can't play Sunday, a 60 percent chance of rain may not be the only thing putting a damper on Winston's debut.

Predictions: Sankey managed 60 yards and a score but gets overshadows on the ground by Mariota, who runs for 70 yards and a TD. The rookie QB also throws for more than 200 yards and finds Harry Douglas for a touchdown. Martin also rushes for 60 yards and a TD, but Winston can't keep pace with his fellow first-rounder, finding Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the end zone but also throwing two INTs. Titans, 24-20

Cincinnati at Oakland (+3.5) - Sunday, 4:25 pm EDT

Comments: The Bengals defense, hobbled by an injury to Vontaze Burfict and a slow recovery from injury by Geno Atkins last year, was supposed to roar back to life this season, but then Burfict went and landed on the PUP list after having microfracture surgery and ruined it. The team did sign former Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk to fill the gap, but this could still be a maddeningly inconsistent unit in 2015. ... If there's one word that defines the Raiders' offense this season, it's "hope." The club hopes Derek Carr turns into an NFL-caliber quarterback despite last year's poor efficiency numbers. They hope that Latavius Murray is the real deal at running back and not just a late-season mirage. They hope that Amari Cooper can replicate the success of 2014's rookie wide receiver class and not take a season or two to acclimate himself to the NFL, the way everyone expected rookie wide receivers to do before Odell Beckham, Mike Evans et al., threw off the grading curve. Now, any one of those hopes could certainly become reality, but the Raiders would pretty much need to hit on all three if they're going to make any noise this season, and that's not a hope, that's a pipe dream. ... The line to hop on the Tyler Eifert bandwagon starts here. The third-year tight end finally looks healthy enough to capitalize on his physical skills, and Oakland's defense was among the most generous against the position last year, allowing more than 50 receiving yards a game and 10 TDs. Granted, they saw Julius Thomas, Travis Kelce and Antonio Gates six times last year so you'd expect their numbers against tight ends to be bad, but Eifert's ceiling is every bit the equal of the first two guys (I'll hold off projecting him for a Hall of Fame career for now). If this is the season he's going to step up into the top tier, he'll prove it Sunday.

Predictions:Jeremy Hill rumbles for 110 yards and two TDs, while Andy Dalton throws for 240 yards and scores to A.J. Green and Eifert. Murray manages 80 yards but doesn't get into the end zone. Carr throws a lot, if not well, and manages 220 yards and touchdown strikes to Cooper and Roy Helu. Bengals, 31-17

Baltimore (+4.5) at Denver - Sunday, 4:25 pm EDT

Comments: Marc Trestman may have been an unsuccessful head coach in Chicago, but there's no shame in that. Plenty of talented coordinators have failed in the top job before (hi, Norv!). If we learned anything from his time with the Bears, though, it's that Trestman loves throwing the ball to a running back who can catch it, which would seem to leave Justin Forsett poised for a very big year. The thing is, Forsett's never carried the load for a full 16-game schedule in his career, and it would be more than a little unusual if he did it for the first time just as he turns 30 years old. If he falters, he could suddenly be seeing only a half-dozen or so touches a game in a hurry. I'm not a big proponent of handcuffs, but if you've invested in Forsett and have the space on your bench, Javorius Allen would seem to be a must-add. ... Which Peyton Manning are we going to get this season, the ageless wonder of 2014's first half or the broken-down old man we saw as the season closed? That could depend on an offensive line that lost left tackle Ryan Clady in the offseason. The Broncos did pick up veteran guard Evan Mathis to help rookie Ty Sambrailo fill in for Clady on the left side, but it's still a major concern. One blown block, and their 39-year-old quarterback's season (not to mention the team's) could be kaput. ... The Ravens pass rush tied for second in the league last year with 49 sacks, so they certainly have the ability to get to Manning, but there could be a bit of a drop-off this season. Second-year end Timmy Jernigan was expected to replace Haloti Ngata, but he's battling a knee injury and missed Wednesday's practice, while veteran Chris Canty doesn't offer much on the other side. There's still plenty of pass-rush talent on the roster at OLB, but they won't get the support they're used to up front.

Predictions: Forsett doesn't get much on the ground against last year's second-ranked run defense, but he does catch six passes for 70 yards and a TD. Joe Flacco also finds Kamar Aiken for a second score, while Steve Smith collects 80 yards through the air. C.J. Anderson sees a heavy load and grinds out 90 yards and a touchdown. Manning picks his spots, throwing for 210 yards and connecting with Demaryius Thomas and Cody Latimer for TDs. Broncos, 24-17

N.Y. Giants (+6) at Dallas - Sunday, 8:30 pm EDT

Comments: The marquee matchup of the day, at least if you're a TV executive, is Sunday night's clash between Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant. Neither team seems to have the talent on the back end to contain their opponent's biggest weapon, and both have made a habit of torching their division rivals (last year the two combined for 30 catches, 417 yards and six TDs in the two Cowboys-Giants games). The only thing that could disrupt a repeat of those fireworks (err, I mean "performances" ... sorry, JPP) is an improved Dallas pass rush that could overwhelm an underwhelming New York offensive line and have Eli Manning staring up too often at Jerry World's massive TV screen. ... That pass rush deserves a second mention. The Cowboys had the fifth-fewest sacks in the league last year with 28, but now have second-year end DeMarcus Lawrence healthy and second-round pick but first-round talent Randy Gregory filling in on the other side of the line while Greg Hardy sits out his suspension. Add in the return of linebacker Sean Lee and further improvement from fourth-year defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford, and coordinator Rod Marinelli may finally have enough weapons to turn the unit into something dangerous, especially once Hardy joins in. ... It seems highly unlikely that Victor Cruz (calf) will play Sunday, and while that means more targets for Rueben Randle, don't be surprised if Dwayne Harris makes his mark too in his first game against his former team.

Predictions:Rashad Jennings leads the Giants' three-headed backfield with 100 combined yards but can't find the end zone. Beckham is his usual unstoppable self, hauling in 140 yards and two scores, but Manning gets sacked four times and doesn't produce much beyond that. Harris also returns a kick for a TD. Tony Romo has a solid night as Bryant matches Beckham catch for catch and pulls down 120 yards and two scores, while Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden are both productive, each topping 70 yards, each hitting paydirt and neither doing anything to resolve the Dallas backfield "dilemma." Cowboys, 34-24

Philadelphia (+3) at Atlanta - Monday, 7:10 pm EDT

Comments: If any game has the hallmarks of a blowout, it's this one. Roddy White has returned to practice after his elbow surgery, so Matt Ryan should have all his main weapons available against an Eagles secondary that got retooled but not necessarily improved in the offseason. On the other hand, Sam Bradford will get to attack a Falcons defense that finished dead last in 2014 in passing yards allowed per game. If either team scores below 30 points, I'll eat my hat, should I happen to be wearing one Monday night (note to self: don't wear a hat Monday night, just in case). ... Rookie Tevin Coleman will start for Atlanta and has the speed and vision to take any touch to paydirt, but take a second before you go all-in on him in Week 1. Philly brings a ton of pressure (they tied for second in the NFL last year in sacks), which means the Falcons' backs will be asked to do a lot in pass protection. There were no real complains about Coleman's blocking coming out of college, but he played in a spread offense at Indiana and the matchup against the Eagles will be an acid test for that part of his game. If he doesn't deliver, his snaps are going to be limited no matter what position he holds on the depth chart. ... The biggest question for the Philadelphia offense (other than if and when Bradford gets hurt again) will be how much DeMarco Murray gets used. He saw an astronomical workload last season with Dallas, and with Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles in the same backfield it's highly unlikely he gets anything close to 449 touches again. Murray's still the lead dog for Chip Kelly, but if he sees something closer to 15 touches a game rather than 25-plus, it's going to be awfully tough for him to return first-round fantasy value.

Predictions: Murray rushes for 90 yards and a score, but Mathews also collects 70 combined yards. Bradford puts it up for just shy of 300 passing yards and three TDs, one to Jordan Matthews and two to rookie Nelson Agholor, who leads the team with 130 receiving yards. Coleman finds a seam and explodes for a 40-yard TD run in the first quarter, but is fairly quiet after that. Ryan does Bradford one better, topping 300 yards and throwing four TDs, two to Julio Jones en route to a 170-yard receiving night and one each to Leonard Hankerson and Justin Hardy. Falcons, 38-34

Minnesota (+2.5) at San Francisco - Monday, 10:20 pm EDT

Comments: The last time Adrian Peterson missed a significant number of games, he came back the next year and gashed the league for more than 2,000 rushing yards. That was three years ago, though, while he was still in what is typically a running back's late prime. But 30 years old is ancient by RB standards, and while Peterson has been the exception to every rule in his career, it's fair to wonder if missing essentially an entire season is going to cost him. A Peterson who's lost-a-step is still probably better than 90 percent of the other running backs in the league, but after not playing at all in the preseason we won't know how he looks until Monday night. ... Actually, we may not even really know how he looks Monday, because the 49ers defense could be bad enough this season to make any back look like vintage Adrian Peterson. The unit has been absolutely gutted by injuries, retirements and whatever is it you want to call what Aldon Smith does in his spare time, and NaVorro Bowman is essentially the last guy left standing from the dominant defense of a few years ago. Bowman's value in IDP leagues is, therefore, sky high, as he might have to make every tackle himself, but this isn't a group that figures to be slowing anyone down. ... While Peterson's return, further development from second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the addition of Mike Wallace all point to a banner campaign for the Vikings' offense, it's a better performance on the defensive end that will be the key to their season. The team struggled against the run in 2014, allowing 4.3 yards a carry (24th in the league) and a 92.3 opposition QB rating (23rd in the league), so there's plenty of room for improvement on both ends. The Vikings devoted most of their draft to defense, but it's the health of 2014 first-round pick Anthony Barr that will be crucial. Barr looked like a difference-maker before injuring his knee last year, and if he emerges as the unit's leader the team could be a legitimate threat to the Packers in the NFC North, not just a wild-card hopeful.

Predictions: Peterson erupts for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Bridgewater has a strong game as well, throwing for 240 yards and TDs to Charles Johnson and Jarius Wright. Carlos Hyde grinds out 80 yards and a score, but Colin Kaepernick can't get much going in the air, scrambling for 50 yards but managing just one touchdown to Reggie Bush while throwing three INTs. Vikings, 31-17