The NFL is back, and its desire to expand to a seven-day-a-week production is about to come true. There are games on four different dates in Week 1, including a Super Bowl rematch, the debut of a new super team and the return of a fallen dynasty.
Drama abounds, and our experts weigh in on their picks for each game. Let’s take a closer look at five that ran across the board in an interesting mismatch (or surprising alignment).
NFL Draft: Week 1
Patriots at Seahawks (Wednesday)
Selection of employees; 6-1 Seahawks
If the Patriots want to prove last season wasn’t the result of a one-time program, here’s their chance. Immediately rematch with the team He knocked them out of the Super Bowl. It gives a wide opportunity, offered The offensive line dance It shows division. Drake Maye finally has some real receivers to throw to now, including the league’s best pass rusher in AJ Brown, a third-year quarterback he’s very fond of for those downfield heaves.
So why is Josh Kendall the only pick the Pats trust?
If the Seahawks already can’t hold in pass protection, the downfield is just a rumor, and if Will Campbell’s failure is not completely related to the MCL, then be ready to rinse and repeat in February. The Pats’ defense is capable but incredibly thin, even with top cornerback Christian Gonzalez in contract negotiations. calm down. The Seahawks don’t have an NFL-proven running back, but boast +1200 odds Repeat like a champion Thanks to an all-around defense, the passing attack feasted on an underpowered Patriots secondary.
Power Rankings: Why the Seahawks Aren’t No. 1
Chad Graf
Sam Darnold’s doubters may be right, but since 2000, only six defending champions have made it back to the Super Bowl — five of those teams had Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes under center, and the other was the Seahawks.
plays defense and is given (Cough) The distractions the Pats have faced this season, it’s hard to yell at the pack and the Seahawks won’t cover, especially at home.
49ers vs. Rams at Australia (Thursday)
Selection of employees; 6-1 Ram
Very few teams enter a season as legitimate contenders for the best defense. And Great offense, but the Rams definitely made the list.
They took one of the NFL’s best defensive units and added the best pass rusher on the planet in Myles Garrett — and then they Aaron brought Donald Just because they can. Is Donald good at 35? Who cares. 20 percent of Aaron Donald is still 150 percent of a normal person. Byron Young and Koby Turner remain. Their safety is abysmal. Their offense has the reigning MVP in Matthew Stafford, and they throw it to Puca Nacua and Davante Adams. Their head coach is probably the best play caller in the league.
So why did John Greenberg oppose them?
Because the only thing that is less common This That’s a lot of hope. Really deliver on it. Super Teams™️ break down all the time, and no matter the sport, a runaway preseason favorite rarely starts or ends as expected.
The 49ers have added a true nine-way monster in Mike Evans, and they can’t (can’t!) possibly be worse on the offensive line than last season. Given that Kyle Shanahan drafted Lemons last season when he couldn’t stretch the field, the vertical threat — and the opportunities it entails — should at least get the Niners interested in the offseason, if not the coverage. Add give back Nick Bosa and the rest of the defense and San Francisco should be given a lot of consideration for LA’s threat at neutral site.
Buccaneers at Bengals (Sunday)
Selection of employees; 7-0 Bengal
There was a time last season when the backs looked like a top-10 offense, and Baker Mayfield was a legitimate MVP candidate. But 6-2 turned into 8-9 on a never-ending injury carousel, and the same problems continued into 2026. Chris Godwin is healthy (“he’s on the edge”), but even a glance at his injury history should throw cold water on that idea.
It’s no shocker that the Bengals are the runaway favorites.
But. But.
Tampa Bay can be really devastating at full power, and even half power is enough to give Cincinnati’s defense problems. Dexter Lawrence or not, this defense has a lot of the same guys that put up the historically worst DVOA last season, and until confirmation comes, there aren’t enough doubts that this unit is even better. The question for Tampa is whether the offense has had enough time to transition into a threat before they run into Joe Cool and The Gang.
And about that team…
Joe Burrow probably has Bengal’s best offensive lineBut that bar is ridiculously low. Just to confirm: Did you know the Burrows have never been in the top-five in EPA? Not even when he leads the league in yards and touchdowns in 2024. Bags have historically played havoc with the drum’s long-term health. This line could be better — and Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Ty Higgins are on the field together in one game, averaging a 1.8 EPA — but this is a case of “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
On top of that, the Bengals routinely get off to slow starts, and the fact that the Bucs scored 3.5 points seems particularly impressive.
It’s the closest thing to an edge for the Bucs Improved defense. Lavonte David is gone, but their front seven is full of absolute units and emerging monsters. Vita Vea is paid off, Shaun Robinson is in town and the support of YaYa Diaby and Rueben Bain is enough to keep any Bengals fan who has watched his team’s recent playoff defense in awe. If the relatively green Bucs secondary skips, the pass rush should be enough to keep the coverage in range.
This is a much closer game than Pats-Hawks, and surprisingly there are no opponents in the standings.
Jets at Titans (Sunday)
Selection of employees; 5-2 Titans
This is for diseases – and that’s where Cam Ward’s hive (there are dozens of us!) shines. It was a ward. Abysmal electricity on paper and tapeAnd it is Finally, throw it to someone Drafted beyond the fourth round. The only game with a total under 40, this would be ceremonially unforgivable. You won’t be able to tell your friends that you bet on this game, much less watch it. But sometimes we all have to live without a net, and if you want to stress-test your decision-making about where to go, the Titans have a team-high (20.5) and Ward’s passing props (208.5 yards, 1.5 TDs).
Broncos at Chiefs (Monday)
Division of personnel; 5-2 bosses
If you’ve heard this before, stop it, bosses Finally have a run. This time we roll our eyes, but this time – This Time – may be true.
Over the past two seasons, the Chiefs have gotten 44 explosive runs from all of their backs Combined. Kenneth Walker III had 42 tackles last season. Last year, the Chiefs had one (one!) 20-plus-yard run from a running back (20 bucks from Rem Hunt, you guessed it). Walker has 10. Over the past four seasons, he is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards of 20 or more yards, behind Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.
For a team that relies on Homes to do everything, including run the ball, the backfield slider combined with Andy Reid’s play-calling is exciting. For this reason, Chief Merahti’s reasons are as follows: If I am full, if I am full, if I am full, if I am full, if I am full, if I am full, if I am full.
But the following things are true:
- Mahomes is coming off an ACL tear.
- Their WR hull is made of papier-mâché
- Their best WR missed the injury recovery portion. While in prison
- Despite the personnel’s improvement, there is no guarantee that their defense will be able to run a successful zone blitz.
Our bold prediction for the Chiefs 2026 season
Jesse Newell
The Broncos, on the other hand, relied heavily on their trading strategy. yard-after-catch (YAC) senior Jaylen Waddle. Bo Nick has many flaws, but throwing a short ball to a quick receiver and letting them do the work is his forte. Waddle is fourth in APA in targets and 13th in YAC over the past four years. He’s a supernova with his feet once he catches the ball, and the Broncos are very good at getting the ball to receivers quickly in space.
Broncos have them too Really oppressive defenseAnd he hit hard to turn the Chiefs’ weak receiver to dust. If this game is in Denver, the spread could be Broncos -5.5 – and it could be a clean sweep for them. But with it being in Kansas City and the Chiefs desperately needing to re-establish their aura, it makes sense for the pros to lean their way. Even then, and with the Knicks at odds with Mahomes’ knee, the Broncos showed more confidence than the Chiefs last year.