NFL 2024-2025 Season Week 1 Predictions; Chiefs Fall Early, 49ers Bounce Back

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

The Ravens are undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in the NFL, and with Derrick Henry, they got even more intriguing. With all that intrigue and hype, they have an incredibly tough first matchup of the season when they go up against the Chiefs, the team who knocked them off in the playoffs a season ago when Lamar Jackson tried playing like Peyton Manning instead of himself. It’s very tough to call but I see Lamar Jackson being himself tonight and getting a win back over the Chiefs this time.

The back-to-back defending NFL Super Bowl champions are once again a favorite to go all the way this year and it’s easy to see why, obviously they still have Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid but now they have a ton of speed at receiver for Mahomes to stretch the field. While that is undoubtedly going to happen there could be a bit of a Super Bowl hangover like it was when they lost to Detroit to start last season and they once again start 0-1.

Prediction: Ravens 24, Chiefs 21

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (Brazil)

Green Bay is once again home to the youngest team in the NFL, regardless of their youth, they’re all older and more experienced. At the core of all that is their young quarterback Jordan Love who got off to an inconsistent start last season but shined that second half of the season and against Dallas in the playoff game. There should be no signs of slowing down for the Love and the Packers unfortunately they’re in a tough spot against a good Eagles team in Brazil which could make it tough for them, regardless the season should be a good one for Green Bay.

Last season could not have ended any worse for the Eagles as they slowed down to end the season and went out in the first round in such a disappointing fashion. Confidence in the team is hurt after that performance but they are highly talented and spent money and draft capital to make up for their weaknesses and Jalen Hurts is much better than people will give credit to him, all that will be enough for the Eagles to sneak out a win in Brazil.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Packers 24

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Can Bryce Young turn it around this season and more importantly can the Carolina Panthers support Bryce Young enough to allow him to grow and get better? I’m betting Bryce does improve this year but this team is so far from being ready to compete at not only a high level but even against the average teams like the Saints.

The Saints are not the most intriguing team in the world in all honesty but should be solid overall this season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this team but the middle of the road or even a little better or just overall worse. They should be consistent enough as a team and are the more talented bunch to take their first game of the year in a winning fashion.

Prediction: Saints 20, Panthers 13

Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants

Sam Darnold is the starter and was announced to be the starter regardless of the injury of JJ McCarthy, still, it’s very disappointing that his injury will keep him out of the year as he showed some real positive signs and now we have Darnold for the year. Darnold is talented but he’s struggled in extended play throughout his whole career now he does have a heck of a receiving duo in Jefferson and Addison and Hockenson is a great TE but still those concerns are there. Despite those, they got matched up against one of the weaker teams and one of the teams with potentially even more question marks at quarterback so they could snag the win.

The New York Giants lost Saquon Barkley, drafted Malik Nabers, still have Daniel Jones at quarterback, and acquired Brian Burns in the offseason. Very up and down offseason, the team was lacking playmakers and got one with sky-high potential in Nabers who is physical and a burner. They still do need more at receiver and in the run game and Jones just simply has not done enough to think he’ll elevate his talent around him. Defensively their defensive line is legit good and borderline scary at times with the addition of Burns but overall they still need a lot of work and are not ready to consistently take these close games in wins.

Prediction: Vikings 17, Giants 14

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals

I loved the draft selection of Drake Maye, unfortunately, Drake Maye will not be starting as Jacoby Brissett will take the reins. Jacoby is one of those bridge quarterbacks who can be serviceable if the talent around them is high enough, that is not the case with this Patriots team. They lack so much help for whoever is quarterbacking their team. Makes sense they don’t want to through Maye into the fire and without Belichick, it’ll be hard to assume how good and well-coached the defense is as they usually were.

Joe Burrow is coming off another injury and while he got off to a slow start he started to heat up, it seemed like the Bengals were back in form but he went down for the remainder of the season. Now he’s back and healthy and this Bengals offense should still be incredibly talented and productive and will be far too much for the Patriots to keep up with

Prediction: Bengals 27, Patriots 13

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons

The Steelers were abysmal on offense a year ago and still had a winning record despite that. Now offensively they should be better with an upgrade at quarterback replacing Kenny Pickett with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields thrown in there as well. While they should be better their performances in the preseason were not all that inspiring regardless they should be better but it might start a little slow to a better offense.

The Falcons have had plenty of talent on offense but they haven’t had the right scheme and quarterback to get the job done consistently. Now they at least have a quarterback who is proven to be able to move the ball and even the play-calling could be superb as well. Cousins hitting his targets should open up the run for Bjian Robinson who could have an outstanding year and it should begin in week 1 with a win.

Prediction: Falcons 23, Steelers 16

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

Hype is the name of the game for the Houston Texans in 2024 after what was a fantastic debut for CJ Stroud and coach Ryans, all eyes are forward to this season where they should be a top team in the AFC and it starts with a win over a team that is not nearly proven to be as consistent as this Texans team was last season.

The Indianapolis Colts are ready to run it back with Anthony Richardson after his rookie season was cut very short a season ago. There is plenty to be excited about but plenty of concerns are still there since high school as Anthony Richardson has a total of 17 starts, which is not a lot of experience. Mix that with however many good plays AR makes, he misses a throw that he’s just got to have so much improvement still needed and the Texans are not the team to build the momentum on.

Prediction: Texans 30, Colts 17

Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills

Not too many expectations for the Arizona Cardinals as they still lack a lot of the talent depth to compete with these better teams in the league like the Bills who they’ll be facing. One saving grace is still their quarterback despite all of the disrespect in Kyler Murray. Is he on the level of Mahomes or Lamar? No obviously but he’s still quite talented and the playmaking is off the charts and he finally has a true #1 receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr who should explode onto the scene, just a tough draw for their first game of the season.

Josh Allen has lost Stefon Diggs and even Gabe Davis which is a lot to lose but this situation is somewhat reminiscent of when other top quarterbacks lost top receiving targets. When Mahomes lost Tyreek Hill and when Stafford lost Calvin Johnson, a lot of people expected regression but they grew as quarterbacks and understood that they had to be more disciplined. That could easily be the case for Josh Allen and they did also draft Keon Coleman who is a heck of a RedZone threat.

Prediction: Bills 27, Cardinals 16

Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears

The Titans are resetting their offensive identity with the loss of Derrick Henry which could not be understated they’re going to still want to run the ball but at the very least will not be the same scheme. If the run game isn’t going, then they have to rely on Will Levis who did not inspire enough confidence a season ago to be overly confident and they have to bet on the fact they’re playing a rookie quarterback and hope it’s enough for them to take advantage.

Chicago is excited for their Bears’ and it’s clear to see why, a defense that was good a year ago could be even better this year and offensively it’s a whole different ballgame with the Bears as rookie Caleb Williams has a plethora of talent on the outside to let his unique and tremendous talent shine. #1 overall pick quarterbacks do not have a good history of winning their first start but this situation is so different than the average team that has that pick and should be enough for the Bears to start 1-0 this season.

Prediction: Bears 23, Titans 17

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins

The Jaguars are back and healthy and when they were healthy a season ago they were one of the top teams in the AFC so it’s easy to get excited about the team again as they do have plenty of talent and Trevor Lawrence has quickly worked his way to becoming underrated at this point. Brian Thomas Jr was a fantastic pick and if he can provide a consistent deep threat which Lawrence was great at a year ago this team’s offense could hum.

Unfortunately for the Jaguars offense, they will most likely be outpaced by the lightning speed of the Dolphins offense which is superb and should be back to putting up points in bunches and in a hurry. Can the defense be more consistent this year? More importantly, can the talent on defense remain healthy? So many of their top guys on that side of the ball got hurt at the end of the year and they need health on their side this season. For this game it could be an exciting shootout but in the end that favors the Dolphins.

Prediction: Dolphins 31, Jaguars 27

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks

Another team that was horrific on offense a year ago for the most part got a quarterback with more experience in college than any other one in history. That is constant reps and experience and from what he has shown in the preseason, he truly might be ready to come into the league and take command of the offense, he looked prepared and ready, now the regular season will be harder but the Broncos might have a legit quarterback on their hand if they can develop him which they have failed to do in the past countless times.

Seattle is somewhat in a tough spot, there are things to like with Kenneth Walker and their receiving core is solid and Geno Smith has been good the last two years but did regress a bit a year ago and still might do so again. Despite some of those positives, there are no real signs or strengths that make it seem like this team will be anything special but they should be the more experienced and ready team in this game and that will be to their benefit.

Prediction: Seahawks 20, Broncos 16

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers

This Raiders team is well coached, they have a superstar at WR still in Davante Adams, and an elite prospect at TE with Brock Bowers, the team has got some talent but they’re lacking a true quarterback. Gardner Minshew who is the ultimate bridge quarterback is their starter because they don’t have their franchise guy on the roster and this team will only go so far for now they can win this game in particular but they could also ultimately fall short.

The Chargers have a mini reset, which results in a lack of receiving talent or at least unproven talent as their top guy seemingly is a rookie in Ladd McConkey. Thankfully coach Harbaugh in this mini reset has one of the best quarterbacks in the league whose talent is truly top tier in Justin Herbert. An elite quarterback and a known winner as a head coach should help them win these close games like this one should.

Prediction: Chargers 23. Raiders 20

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns

The Cowboys had a lot of momentum going into the playoffs a season ago and quickly it faded so abruptly. A full season's worth of work and battling for the division title and it was gone in a hurry as they were embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers, a team with little to no playoff experience. Now it’s week one so it’s not a must-win but man do they need something to get their energy on track or else it’s going to feel like a long week now they should get the job done but it will not be easy against that Browns defense.

Defense is the name of the game and it’s what had them as a legit team a season ago and while it will certainly lead them to some wins, it still feels like this team is a quarterback away from competing as a true contender. Deshaun Watson has not been nearly good enough for them and without Nick Chubb for the first chunk of the season, offense is a big concern and will ultimately be their downfall against the more polished Cowboys offense.

Prediction: Cowboys 24, Browns 16

Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Plenty to be excited about with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels as his athleticism is a true standout but we saw very limited action in the preseason and a rookie quarterback is always a concern. The bigger concern is whether his frame and stature will hold up against the punishing NFL if they can’t protect him well enough. Defensively is where the Commanders falter as well, they should’ve been good their last season but were bad and should be even worse this season.

The Buccaneers who were inconsistent at times at times ended in a solid not where they won a playoff game and played the Lions tough, what could be an issue is relying so heavily on so many veterans that if they start to regress it could be tough to put wins together. Due to their experience, however, this first game should go in their favor.

Prediction: Buccaneers 21, Commanders 17

Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions

One of the top rematches of the weekend is a rematch from last year’s playoffs where the game was an absolute classic. Now looking forward to this year’s matchup it should be another offensive clinic. For the Rams, Stafford is once again leading the charge with his top-tier receiving duo of Puka and Cooper and they should be able to keep up with the Lions and scoring for the most part but the run game will likely be the difference for Detroit.

Speaking of that run game, it’s elite as is their passing game and their offensive line is perhaps still the best in the NFL. The Lions’ offense is borderline perfect in a lot of ways as long as the play calling doesn’t get out of hand which it did at times a year ago this team should be in good shape to make a deep run in the playoffs and it starts with a shootout win in primetime against the Rams.

Prediction: Lions 31, Rams 30

New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers

Primetime for the Jets once again and hopefully this time all health is good and well and no freak accidents happen so a great game of football between two talented teams can be competitive. The Jets are quite talented on both sides of the ball, the defense has been the thing that runs the show for years and still, it’s top tier. Offensively they have Aaron Rodgers who if healthy can still run the show at a high level, there has been no evidence offering otherwise. The hard part is that their first matchup against one of the top teams in the NFL that has played that high level for the last couple of years is the 49ers.

The 49ers are coming off a Super Bowl appearance where they come up just short against the Chiefs in a game where they had the advantage a lot of the time but they couldn’t finish the job despite plenty of trade rumors and this team is running it back in a lot of ways. Will Brock Purdy continue to succeed at the level he has, regardless if it’s from the system or not he has been succeeding? It won’t be an easy path back to the Super Bowl but they should make that first step on Monday night.

Prediction: 49ers 24, Jets 23