With the new season finally here, we offer up some bold NFL Week 1 predictions, including a big upset win for the New York Giants.
What football fans have been waiting months for has finally arrived. The 2023 NFL regular season is set to kick off this week with a slew of tasty matchups across multiple nights. While the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions started the season off with a wild matchup on Thursday, much of the NFL fan base is looking toward their team’s opening games on Sunday and Monday.
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Several of the marquee pairings this weekend will see the New York Giants welcome the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Green Bay Packers renewing their decades-long rivalry with the Chicago Bears.
With that in mind, let’s look at five matchups going down on Sept. 10 and make some bold NFL Week 1 predictions.
5 bold NFL Week 1 predictions for the 2023 regular season
New York Giants upset Dak Prescott and Dallas Cowboys on SNF
The first few weeks of the NFL season can often lead to some unexpected results. Especially with teams engaging in fewer preseason games and Summer practices than in years past. Teams are more susceptible to mistakes and the chemistry on both sides of the ball is far from midseason form. And that unpredictability only seems to increase when games are divisional clashes.
That’s why it’s hard to gauge how the Cowboys and Giants game on Sunday Night Football will go. Dallas is a -3 favorite (via Draft Kings) heading into the game due to their impressive 2022 season and the roster being mostly the same. However, with rumblings that New York QB Daniel Jones has had a fantastic camp and more weapons around him, this seems like a recipe for a surprise win for the G-Men
Especially after getting swept by the ‘Boys in a very competitive season series last year, results often flip when two good teams battle it out the following year.
Lamar Jackson posts 400 yards of total offense in a win over the Houston Texans
With a massive contract extension in the bag and having one of the better receiving corps. he’s had during his time in Baltimore, it’s no wonder many NFL observers see Lamar Jackson as a serious MVP candidate in 2023. Furthermore, running back JK Dobbins is back healthy so the Houston Texans will have to show far more respect to the other weapons on the Ravens offense than in previous seasons.
Considering the Texans have one of the 10 worst units in our NFL defense rankings it would be stunning if Jackson doesn’t begin his MVP campaign with a dominant showing against the Texans. Look for the two-time Pro Bowler to tally over 400 total yards on Sunday in a dominant display of his abilities.
Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams by 30 points in NFL Week 1
Speaking of defenses, the Los Angeles Rams are far removed from the force they were in their championship season two years ago. Yes, NFL legend Aaron Donald is still around, but there are fewer good pieces around him on that side of the ball after Pro Bowl running mate Jalen Ramsey was traded to Miami in the offseason. That is why the Seattle Seahawks will have a field day on Sunday.
QB Geno Smith has had his name thrown into the early MVP conversation recently. He has all his impressive array of weapons back from last season, and, hopefully, first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be available to add even further depth at wide receiver.
Add in the fact that Cooper Kupp will miss Week 1 for the Rams and all the elements are there for Seattle to put a hurting on LA and run away with a dominant victory that will see a 30-point differential between the NFC West rivals.
Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers put a Week 1 scare into San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are expected to be a serious Super Bowl contender this season, however, in NFL Week 1 they will face a notable dark horse team in the AFC. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a legitimate sleeper if young QB Kenny Pickett can push his development further after a strong showing late last season.
As mentioned earlier, strange things happen in the early weeks of the season and elite teams are often not the versions of themselves that they will be later in the year. While the 49ers will still win on Sunday, don’t be surprised if Pickett and Pittsburgh’s top-10-level defense makes this game far closer than some might expect.
Las Vegas Raiders suffer embarrassing loss to Russell Wilson and Denver Broncos
The Las Vegas Raiders were a mess last season, and things haven’t been much better since. There are questions about whether Jimmy Garoppolo is truly ready for the season, Davante Adams doesn’t seem happy, Josh Jacobs is playing on a contract he isn’t thrilled with, and earlier this week Chandler Jones made it seem like he wanted out of Las Vegas. It is not a good way to enter a season that has some big expectations.
On the flipside, the Denver Broncos were also a mess in 2022, however, with new head coach Sean Payton they have kept their head down, their nose out of the press, and are focused on a huge turnaround in 2023. It remains to be seen how good they will be this season, but despite some recent injuries, they have the defense and hunger to score a win on Sunday and likely will embarrass the drama magnet that the Raiders have turned into.
