Trav’s 2023 Week 1 NFL Predictions

We kick things off with the Thursday night as the Super Bowl champion Chiefs host the Detroit Lions. Kansas City lost a pair of guys on offense, but they are usually re-up. Juju Smith-Schuster can be replaced, but I’m not sure about Orlando Brown. Travis Kelce could miss this game after hyperextending his knee. Chris Jones is still holding out for a new contract. This feels like a game the Chiefs can lose easily. Detroit was arguably the hottest team in the league during the second half. The Lions revamped their secondary for games just like this one. I’m picking the Lions to finish second in the NFC North this season. If they show out in this one, they could sway my decision. Despite the uncertainties with the Chiefs, I’m still picking them to win their home opener. Kansas City Wins 31-27    

We have a battle between NFC South teams that’s trying make a playoff run. The Carolina Panthers will head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. The Panthers finally got their franchise quarterback after selecting Bryce Young with the #1 pick of the NFL Draft. They brought in veterans like DJ Chark, Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen and Hayden Hurst on offense to help Young. The defense could be without Brian Burns as he’s dealing with a contract issue. Atlanta had a lot of money to spend during the offseason and they did. They revamped their defense by adding Jessie Bates III, Bud Dupree, and Calais Campbell. After drafting Bijan Robinson, the Falcons should be one of the best running teams in the league. Desmond Ridder will be asked not to make mistakes and he should lead them to the win. Atlanta Wins 26-17    

We head to the AFC North in a matchup of two of the better QBs in the league. The Cincinnati Bengals head to Cleveland to battle the Browns. The Bengals are trying to get back to the Super Bowl. Joe Burrow is rumored to become the highest paid player in the NFL soon. The Bengals added protection for Burrow by bringing in Orlando Brown. Cincinnati also lost a good players via free agency like Jessie Bates III and Hayden Hurst. Cleveland enters their first full season with Deshaun Watson at the helm. If Watson could turn back the clock to a few years ago, this team could be good. Nick Chubb will be asked to carry the load and it’s something he’s fully capable of too. This should be a good game and I’m picking the Browns to upset the Bengals. Cleveland Win 24-23    

We head to the AFC South for a battle between two teams with explosive quarterbacks. The Jacksonville Jaguars head up to Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Jacksonville is hoping to build on their playoff appearance from a year ago. The Jaguars are one of my sleeper teams that could make a s Super Bowl run. Trevor Lawrence should be in the MVP conversation especially with the addition of Calvin Ridley. Will the Jaguars be in the running as a Super Bowl contender this year? The Colts finally drafted in their hope turns out to be their franchise quarterback in Anthony Richardson. Richardson will have his moments where he wows us, but he’s still a rookie. Jonathan Taylor and the Colts are having differences seeing he wasn’t traded. The Jags should walk away with the win. Jacksonville Wins 27-17    

We head back to the NFC as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Minnesota to battle the Vikings. As we all know, Tom Brady retired from the NFL and Baker Mayfield takes over the QB position. The Bucs still possess one of the better defenses in the NFL. On offense, they lost quite a few guys, but they still have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. This will be all about the performance of Baker Mayfield. Minnesota figures to be in the running in the NFC for a possible Super Bowl run. Kirk Cousins is entering a contract season and that usually means we’ll get the best of him. The defense has its moments where they’re good and other times not so much. The Vikings defense steps up and force a pair of turnovers in a win. Minnesota Wins 30-20    

We have the Tennessee Titans traveling a little south to Louisiana to battle the New Orleans Saints. The Titans started off last season looking like a Super Bowl contender. When the injury bug hit Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry their season went south quickly. The Titans are hoping to stay healthy, and they added future Hall-of-Famer DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins gives them that weapon they have needed after they traded A.J. Brown to the Eagles. Can the Titans defense stay healthy? New Orleans has a new quarterback and it’s Derek Carr. Alvin Kamara will miss the first three games for the Saints. New Orleans added Jamaal Williams in free agency so he can take Kamara’s spot. This is going to be tough to pick, but I’m going with the home team. New Orleans Wins 24-21    

The San Francisco 49ers begin their season on the road in Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers. This game will feature two of the best defensive linemen in the league. Nick Bosa, who just signed the biggest contract for a defensive player, and T.J. Watt. The 49ers will have the best defensive line in the league after they signed Javon Hargrave in free agency. Brock Purdy has a clean bill of health, but can he duplicate his amazing season from a year ago. Kenny Pickett is one of my sleepers in the league. Pittsburgh added help on the line to protect Pickett. They brought in Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig from the Eagles for protection. They also added Allen Robinson II to line up on the other side of George Pickens. This should be a tough one and I’m picking the Steelers for the upset. Pittsburgh Wins 20-17    

The Arizona Cardinals will head to Washington to take on the Commanders. Arizona will start Joshua Dobbs at the quarterback for this game. Dobbs was just picked up by the Cardinals, which doesn’t make any sense. There hasn’t been a timetable as to when Kyler Murray will return. Many believe he will sit the entire season and the Cardinals will target Caleb Williams from USC.  How will the Cardinals defense fare this season? The Commanders are turning things over to Sam Howell. Washington has been looked at as one of the teams that could surprise some people. The defense and offense should be good this season. It will be on Sam Howell and how far he will come along in the pocket. The Commanders should easily win this game. Washington Wins 31-14    

The Houston Texans will travel to Baltimore to face the new look Ravens. Houston is hitting the reset button on this franchise this season. They brought in a new head coach in DeMaco Ryans to change the culture of the franchise. The Texans drafted C.J. Stroud to be their new quarterback of the future. The Texans also spent a ton of money on bringing in veterans on both sides of the ball. Can the Texans start turning it around in their first game? Baltimore looked great last season before Lamar Jackson got injured. The Ravens rewarded Lamar Jackson with a nice extension and added pieces around him. The Ravens brought in Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted Zay Flowers too. The Ravens should be an exciting team this season and they should win this one. Baltimore Wins 31-17    

We have a rivalry game in the NFC North to start the season off. The Green Bay Packers head to Soldier Field and Chicago to face the Bears. The Packers will have a new quarterback in Jordan Love this season. Aaron Rodgers was traded to the Jets and now it’s time for Love to run the show. Green Bay still possesses a great tandem in the backfield in Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. The Packers didn’t do a lot in free agency so I’m picking them to finish last in the NFC North. Chicago made a lot of moves this offseason and many thinks Justin Fields could make a Jalen Hurts type leap. On offense, the Bears added D.J. Moore and Robert Tonyan to help Fields. The defense should improve also and that’s why I’m picking the Bears to win. Chicago Wins 27-21    

We head to the AFC West as the Denver Broncos host the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have a new QB, and his name is Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo replaces Derek Carr as the new signal caller for the Raiders. After a dispute, Las Vegas was able to sign and keep Josh Jacobs. They also added Jakobi Meyers and Austin Hooper to the revamped offense. Can Garoppolo stay healthy for this Raiders team? The Denver Broncos had a disastrous season a year ago. After trading for Russell Wilson, the Broncos were looked at as a Super Bowl team. After a disappointing season, they brought in Sean Payton as the new coach. Denver brought in a lot of veterans to this team, but they could be without Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy is injured, but I’m still picking the Broncos to win. Denver Wins 23-17    

We have the Philadelphia Eagles traveling to New England to face the Patriots. The Eagles are hoping to get back to the Super Bowl. On defense, they lost some key players, but they drafted well. Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith could be instant impact players on the defense. Jalen Hurts will be a favorite to win the MVP this season and the backfield is great. This defense will get after every quarterback and Mac Jones is first in line. New England will need to start the season off on the right foot seeing they play in the tough AFC East. They added Juju Smith-Schuster to the receiving core this offseason. The Patriots already have a good defense, but they will have their hands full with Philly. This should be a tough one, but I’m picking the Eagles. Philadelphia Wins 34-24    

We have two of the better young quarterbacks facing off against each other. Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins head out west to meet Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers. Miami continues to surround Tua with great talent. Braxton Barrios is a great possession receiver and should develop a trust with Tua. On defense, the Dolphins added some help also by first adding Jalen Ramsey. Unfortunately, he’s injured but the secondary is still one of the better ones in the league. The Chargers signed Herbert to a monster contract extension this offseason. With all the injuries they have at the WR position they drafted Quentin Johnston from TCU. Los Angeles was my sleeper pick last season but was met with injuries. They are still one of my sleeper teams in the AFC this season. I’m picking the Chargers to win a close one. Los Angeles Wins 31-28    

We head to the NFC West as the Los Angeles Rams travel to Seattle to meet the Seahawks. The Rams are still dealing with cap issues. Los Angeles didn’t make any moves to bring many veterans to the team. The health of Matthew Stafford will be something to monitor this season. If that wasn’t enough, the hamstring of Cooper Kupp continues to be a problem. Kupp will see a specialist with hopes of returning to the field soon. Seattle rewarded Geno Smith with a brand-new contract extension after his amazing season. The Seahawks drafted speedy receiver Jaxon Smith-Mjigba from Ohio State. They rebuilt the defense by bringing back Bobby Wagner and signing Devin Bush also. Seattle could be a sleeper team this season and it begins with a win. Seattle Wins 27-17    

We have our first Sunday Night game of the season, and it should be a good one. The Dallas Cowboys head to New York to face the Giants in a NFC East matchup. Dallas is once again looking to end their drought with at least a Super Bowl appearance. On offense, it will be all about Tony Pollard in the backfield with Ezekiel Elliott playing in New England. They brought in Brandin Cooks to line up with CeeDee Lamb. On defense, they added Stephen Gilmore to go on the opposite side of Trevon Diggs. The Giants made some moves this offseason also. They paid Daniel Jones and added Darren Waller to the offense. New York also added Jalin Hyatt in the draft to stretch the offense. The Giants are my surprise team to win their division and it begins when they upset Dallas. New York Wins 27-24    

We have the first Monday Night Football game and it’s between two AFC East powerhouses. The Buffalo Bills make the short trip in New York to battle the Jets. The Bills are looking to repeat as the division champions. The offense revolves around Josh Allen, and they added help on the line to help. They kept Jordan Poyer at the safety position, and this is great for the team.  Will the Bills beat the Jets in the opening game on the road? The Jets are one of the more talked about teams in the league. They traded for Aaron Rodgers and brought in Dalvin Cook to help the backfield. The Jets defense is already one of the better ones in the league. I’m picking the Jets to upset the Bills in a close one on Monday. New York Wins 29-28  

There we are my predictions for the 2023 Week 1 NFL season. What games intrigue you the most for the 2023 Week 1 NFL weekend? What do you think about my picks? Leave some feedback below about anything NFL related or my 2023 Week 1 NFL predictions.