NFL Week 1 picks: Patriots win big over Steelers, Falcons upset EaglesBy John Breech | CBSSports.comSeptember 8, 2015 Week 1 Picks
The Steelers are going to see a mad GOAT on Thursday. (USATSI)Pittsburgh at New England, 8:30 p.m. ET (Thursday, NBC): The biggest loser in Deflategate wasn't Roger Goodell and the NFL, it was the Steelers. I almost feel sorry for them because I fully expect Tom Brady to take out seven months of Deflategate frustration on Pittsburgh -- And he's going to do with perfectly inflated balls.Thursday night's going to start with the Patriots raising their Super Bowl XLIX banner, then don't be surprised if Brady raises something else: The proverbial middle finger. The opener will likely be Brady's first step on a scorched earth tour that will likely involve the Patriots annihilating every team on their home schedule.On a completely unrelated note that has nothing to do with Deflategate, Brady is 43-1 at home against AFC teams since Nov. 13, 2006. I would pick 43-1 as my final score here, but that just doesn't seem realistic, even though scoring one point in a game is now possible because of the new extra point rule. Patriots 37-24 over Steelers.Kansas City at Houston, 1 p.m. ET (CBS): After playing Houston on Sunday, the Chiefs play Denver, at Green Bay and at Cincinnati, which means if they lose to Houston, an 0-4 start wouldn't be out of the question.Coaches almost always talk about taking the season 'one game at a time,' but I'll bet anyone five cheeseburgers that Andy Reid looked ahead on the schedule and let his team know how important this week's opener is (By the way, Andy Reid really likes cheeseburgers).Using Reid's logic, Alex Smith clearly lives on moldy cheeseburgers because he hasn't thrown a touchdown pass to a wide receiver since 2013.Anyway, the big question here is: Can the Chiefs win in Houston?If you read my picks last season, then you know that for some odd reason, I was really, really good at picking Chiefs games, which is good news for Kansas City fans this week. Chiefs 23-20 over Texans.New Orleans at Arizona, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX): I stubbed my toe last year and it took two weeks to heal and I'm not sure what this has to do with anything, but I think what I'm trying to say is that I have a tough time seeing Carson Palmer coming back from his ACL injury and playing as well as he did last year.Coming back from an ACL injury is tough, doing it at age 35 when your body's already starting to fall apart is even tougher.Also, something you'll probably notice this year is that I like to pick the Saints whenever they play indoors. This game is indoors. Another rule I have is that if your quarterback has successfully beaten a crocodile in a wrestling match to death, then I'm picking your team to win. Advantage, Drew Brees. Saints 27-24 over Cardinals.Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): The last time Jameis Winston was on the same field as Marcus Mariota, I stopped watching after three quarters because Mariota's Oregon Ducks were already up 45-20 on Florida State by that point. I don't think things will be that crazy this time around, but that's only because I don't think the Titans are capable of scoring 45 points in a game -- or two games combined, for that matter. I actually think these two teams are about equal, so I'm going to pick the team with the better quarterback. Titans 23-20 over Buccaneers.Philadelphia at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m. ET (Monday, ESPN): Let's cut straight to the chase here: I'm taking the Falcons.Now, Eagles fans, before you start yelling at me in the comment section or sending me death threats on Twitter, just remember that Philadelphia is my NFC pick to get to the Super Bowl. The problem I have with picking the Eagles over the Falcons here though is that Sam Bradford hasn't played a regular season game since October 2013. I realize that Bradford had an amazing preseason, but so did EJ Manuel and Landry Jones, just in case you're wondering how much I care about preseason games.As long as Matt Ryan's eye doesn't get hit by a flaming pyrotechnic during the Falcons' intros, I think Atlanta pulls off the upset in a game where both teams go for over 400 yards in total offense. Falcons 38-35 over Eagles.Week 1 picks: All the restPackers 24-14 over BearsJets 20-17 over BrownsColts 27-17 over BillsDolphins 27-13 over RedskinsJaguars 18-17 over PanthersSeahawks 16-9 over RamsChargers 24-20 over LionsBengals 30-20 over RaidersBroncos 34-27 over RavensCowboys 37-30 over GiantsVikings 21-13 over 49ers
