To be fair, I’m doing this partway through the first quarter, but you can’t really tell how a game is going to go so early on. And other than the Vikings game I haven’t been looking at any scores.
Lots of upsets here. I’ll comment on those. Picks are in bold.
New Orleans @ Atlanta
Minnesota @ St. Louis
This will be Zimmer’s chance to show he’s different than what the Vikings have seen the last few years. A typical Vikings team loses this, a winnable game, because of a 4th quarter collapse or blunder. This is Zimmer’s chance to begin making a name for himself.
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh
Jacksonville @ Philadelphia
Philadelphia is overrated but can they really lose to Jacksonville at home? They’re down 14-0 right now but I still don’t think so. Maybe I was onto something about Phili if they do lose.
Oakland @ NY Jets
So maybe my love of NWA is blinding me here. I just don’t think the Jets are that good.
Cincinati @ Baltimore
Baltimore begins their dominance of the AFC North here.
Buffalo @ Chicago
No brainer.
Washington @ Houston
Tennessee @ Kansas City
KC begins their quest to see if last year was a mirage. I think it was.
New England @ Miami
Now here’s an upset. I predicted that Miami could be a sleeper pick to do pretty well. They’ll make a statement here, as their defense will step up at home against a not-really-great Patriots offense.
Carolina @ Tampa Bay
San Fransisco @ Dallas
Indianapolis @ Denver
Hopefully I’ll do this every week and we’ll see how great of a football mind I actually am. I may or may not be just winging it so…yeah.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He is also a contributor for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik’s music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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