Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday, September 7, 8:20 PM ET (NBC)
The best matchup of Week 1 is one fans are going to have to wait all day for on Sunday, but it’ll be worth the wait.
The league MVP from last season was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, though you could have easily made the argument that Lamar Jackson deserved it more.
Those two guys are the biggest cheat codes in the NFL, so this will be an interesting combination of “chess match meets fireworks display” with two of the league’s biggest stars. The Bills are going to have their new-look defensive front put to the test with Derrick Henry and that Ravens running game.
As good as Buffalo’s home-field advantage is, I don’t think the home field matters in a matchup between two teams this good, not as much as other games. I don’t see the Ravens losing more than two games this year, but this could very well be one of them.
Prediction: Ravens win 30-28
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
Monday, September 8, 8:15 PM ET (ESPN)
The Ben Johnson era gets started in Chicago with the Bears playing host to their division rival Minnesota Vikings, who are also getting the JJ McCarthy era underway.
At this point, Kevin O’Connell deserves the benefit of the doubt for the way he’s been able to maximize everyone he’s had under center, or at least win games in spite of whoever he has out there. The Vikings won 14 games a season ago, and while I don’t see them being that good this year, I do think they’re going to be able to go into Chicago and impress.
The Bears need marked improvement from Caleb Williams this year, but this defensive front of Minnesota is going to bully him and force him to make plays outside the pocket early on, even with Chicago’s improvements on the offensive line.
Prediction: Vikings win 27-22