AC’s bottom line: NFL predictions, Week 1

By Anthony Carroll  |   Thursday, September 06, 2007  |  Comments( 15 )

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In the first segment of a year-long attempt to forecast the 2007 NFL season, I will try to predict the outcomes of 15 of Week 1's 16 matchups. The following list excludes Thursday night's New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts contest that ended in a 41-10 win for the latter.

Each game's outcome is trimmed down to one main factor -- one bottom line -- explaining how the matchup is ultimately predicted.

Following the bottom line is the final prediction, along with a projected final score.

Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers

Green Bay lost one running back to free agency, two to injury, and failed to please quarterback Brett Favre in the offseason. The result, a 30-20 Eagles win.

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

Joey Harrington is the player nobody wants to give up on, but nobody wants him quarterbacking their team, either. Viking 'D' smothers the dismayed Falcons, 17-13.

Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins

Trent Green may be a bit rusty, but Miami's main problem is its inconsistent role players, namely Ronnie Brown and Chris Chambers. Jason Campbell starts off hot in a 21-10 win over Miami.

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans

These could be the NFL's two ugliest offenses on paper, but at least the Chiefs still have Larry Johnson. Slight advantage to the Larry Johnsons, er Chiefs, 17-14.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

Charlie Frye will push hard to keep his starting job, but Pittsburgh won't botch this opportunity to start off on the right foot. Big Ben throws for a career-high 178 yards; Steelers win 24-13.

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Vince Young is on the cover of Madden 08. Jags 'D' solves the Young puzzle, barely, 23-20.

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills

Buffalo's 'D' is relying on players like Jason Webster, Ashton Youboty, Kyle Williams and Coy Wire to step up and fill the shoes of Nate Clements, Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher. Defenseless Bills drop their first of the season, 31-17.

Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams

Despite an array of strong receiving weapons in this game, this one will be won on the ground, where the Rams' Steven Jackson and Brian Leonard have the edge over Carolina's DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams. Rams outrun Panthers, 17-14.

New England Patriots at New York Jets

The Patriots are still Tom Brady's team; except, this year, he has an assortment of offensive weapons following him. Patriots win in a shootout, 31-28.

Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders

Pat Kirwan of NFL.com believes Jon Kitna can reach 5,000 yards passing this year, or 313 yards per game; he'll find it hard to get 213 against the Raider 'D'. Oakland finally wins one, 23-17.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks

The Bucs made a big change at QB this season with Jeff Garcia, but running back Shaun Alexander should prove too much for Tampa's weak D-line. Alexander and Seattle start off strong, 23-10.

Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers

Two defensive powerhouses will meet here, but the game will ultimately come down to the offenses' ability to move the ball. I'll take the team with LaDainian Tomlinson, 26-21.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

Eli Manning is inconsistent, Plaxico Burress is banged up and Tiki Barber is gone. New York's season-long unraveling begins with a 27-10 loss against Dallas.

Monday Night:

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals wideout Chad Johnson can't wait to reach the end zone and celebrate, and he'll find a way to against the stingy Ravens 'D.' Bengals excitingly slip by Baltimore, 17-16.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

Running back Frank Gore will finally hit the field after sitting out all preseason, and he should have no problem hitting the holes against Arizona's defense. The Gore-led 49ers win on the ground, 20-13.

Anthony Carroll, a senior writer for RealFootball365.com, can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal ...
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