NFL Week 1 preview

Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

The 2018 season kicks off with a rematch of last year's Divisional Round slugfest, and it also features Nick Foles reprising his role as starting quarterback for the Eagles. Lost in Foles' playoff run and Super Bowl star turn was the fact that he was merely average in relief of Wentz during the regular season. Foles' passer rating in the playoffs was 115.7, compared to just 79.5 in the regular season. Philly is looking to become the first champion to repeat since the 2004 Patriots. On the other side, the Falcons are looking for a small piece of redemption for last year's loss, and bring back the same talented offensive cast, led by Matt Ryan, along with a defense that is fast, aggressive, and has a star in Deion Jones. The 2018 season gets started with a terrific match-up, at least on paper.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The situation between Bell and the Steelers reached a boiling point on Wednesday, when Bell failed to sign his franchise tender and report to the team on "installation day" for Week 1. That makes it extremely unlikely that he'll play against the Browns, and possibly for several weeks after. James Conner, Bell's backup, has been lauded time and again by his coaches and teammates this pre-season, who have, to a man, expressed full confidence in Conner's abilities. Considering that the Steelers struggled to beat the Browns in last year's opener, and the fact that Cleveland's defense is young and talented, and their offense less likely to shoot itself in the foot with Tyrod Taylor under center, this one could be very close--or even a major upset.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

After missing a full season, during which he wondered whether or not his right shoulder would ever heal, Andrew Luck will finally make his long-awaited return under center for Indianapolis. So long as he's up to his usual standard, Luck transforms the Colts into a much more dangerous outfit, and instantly makes the AFC South that much more interesting. Cincinnati, meantime, still has plenty of talent, especially up front on defense, with Geno Atkins, and Carlos Dunlap headlining a dangerous unit. The question, as usual, is whether Andy Dalton can take any kind of significant leap forward. He's been good, but aside from his 2015 campaign, never truly great in terms of passer rating. The weapons are at his disposal, in the form of A.J. Green and Joe Mixon, but the onus is on Dalton to utilize them to the fullest.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

If Andy Dalton is someone perpetually being looked to for more, Marcus Mariota is a cipher of a different type. The potential for greatness is pretty obvious, but two promising seasons to start his career gave way to a poor year in 2017, despite the fact that the Titans made the playoffs. Mariota engineered four fourth-quarter comebacks in 2017, including a playoff rally against Kansas City, and had a knack for playing his best when the chips were down. One imagines that new head coach Mike Vrabel would trade those late rallies for better play that would have the Titans in more comfortable position late in games. Miami? The Dolphins aren't going to be good, at least on paper, and Ryan Tannehill is pretty uninspiring at quarterback, despite solid career numbers, and he's coming off of a knee injury that robbed him of his 2017 season. There are some interesting piece on paper, but Miami will need some breaks to go their way to be much of a threat.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Call this one Great Expectations, the football game. San Francisco fans are over the moon about Jimmy Garoppolo, and many think they could be a real threat to the Rams in the NFC West. Can Garoppolo stay healthy? Was his performance in a cameo last year a sign of things to come, or just a brief flash? Sunday's game, in a hostile environment against a very good defense, will start to provide some answers, though Jerick McKinnon's injury will make the sledding much tougher on offense. Kirk Cousins got paid by the Vikings, and with that money comes the expectation that Cousins will make Minnesota more explosive offensively, and push them to the top of the NFC. If Cousins does what the Vikings think he can do, they belong in the conversation with the Rams, Eagles and Packers at the top of the NFC heap.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Deshaun Watson and T.J. Watt being back after injury-shortened 2017 seasons gives Texans fans reason for plenty of excitement heading into the season. Watson makes them dynamic and tough to defend, and Watt's presence makes their defense much more fearsome, as you'd expect the injection of a former defensive player of the year would. The major issue for the Texans is their offensive line, which may well be the league's worst. They'll be tested against a Patriots defense that gets Dont'a Hightower back, and added Adrian Clayborn as a pass rushing threat. Offensively, the Patriots will be a handful, as usual, because they still have Tom Brady. New England lost in their opener against Kansas City last year, but they aren't in the spotlight for this game, which may be trouble for Houston.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Jameis Winston will be unavailable to Tampa Bay, on account of his three-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy, and the Bucs figure to be in big trouble against a high-powered New Orleans attack in Week 1. The Saints are being mentioned as a possible NFC favorite, and Alvin Kamara should only get better in his second season. If the Saints stay healthy, they should be right there at the end of the year, but Tampa's only hope to contend rests with Winston returning and finding a new gear as a professional, and the rest of what could be a loaded division cannibalizing itself and leaving the Bucs to pick up the scraps. Yeah, I don't like their chances, either.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

This stands as one of the underrated match-ups of Week 1, pitting the second overall pick in the draft, and the player many think will make the biggest, quickest impact of anyone in the class, against a team came within a few penalties of shocking New England and reaching the Super Bowl. The Jags will rely on a familiar formula; they'll ground and pound and try to get just enough from Blake Bortles to win. The Giants hope that Nate Solder will help their woeful pass protection, and a happy Odell Beckham Jr. makes New York an interesting test for a very confident, very capable Jacksonville defense. Jacksonville is a polarizing team--some think that they were just scratching the surface last year, while some think Bortles will inhibit their ability to make another leap forward. A Giants win here would open some eyes.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Bills might be the worst team in the NFL. Nathan Peterman is not an inspiring choice at quarterback, and LeSean McCoy has been bothered by injuries, to say nothing of the ongoing investigation into some of his off-field issues. The Bills will jockey with Houston in the "worst offensive line in football" category, and while they're solid on defense, and the rest of the division outside of New England is weak, the Bills might well be hard-pressed to match last year's playoff appearance . Baltimore saw Joe Flacco look renewed this pre-season, doubtless motivated by Lamar Jackson's presence. The Ravens, depending on who you ask, could sneakily challenge the Steelers for AFC North supremacy, or will be an also-ran. Jimmy Smith's four-game suspension puts a significant hurt on Baltimore's defense, so this one might be a low-scoring slugfest. Hide the children and avert your eyes, for it could be ugly on Sunday in Baltimore.

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

Patrick Mahomes gets the keys to the Chiefs' talented offense, and if some of his pre-season exploits are any indication of what's to come, Kansas City will be a fixture on highlight reels. Mahomes has Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt and a solid offensive line, and a defense that still features Justin Houston and Eric Berry. The Chiefs said goodbye to Marcus Peters, which puts plenty of onus on Kendall Fuller to be the top cornerback, but so long as the defense holds up and the big plays keep coming, Kansas City should be a contender. The Chargers, for their part, figure to put up very impressive numbers, only to somehow disappoint in the wins and losses department. If that sounds jaded and dismissive, it's simply a reflection of what seems to happen year after year--Los Angeles rates highly in several important categories, yet somehow stumbles to a mediocre record. If the Chargers can avoid the injury bug, they have a chance to win the AFC West. Getting this game would be a nice start.

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Had this game happened, say, in Week 1 of the 2014 season, fans and analysts alike would have salivated at the idea of a Super Bowl re-match. Now, the sheen is off both of these franchises, with the Seahawks' once-vaunted defense reduced by injuries and free agency, and the Broncos quarterback situation an ongoing mess of John Elway's creation. Denver hopes that Case Keenum can cure what ails them at the most important position on the field, and they still have Von Miller to anchor the defense. Bradley Chubb should be a spectacular complement to Miller, and might give Denver the most fearsome pass rush in the game, though Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram might quibble about that. Seattle's most intriguing player is Shaquem Griffin, who will start at linebacker, having made it to the highest level of the sport despite having only one hand.

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Alex Smith is yet another recognizable face in a new place, supplanting Kirk Cousins in the nation's capital. Smith's reputation as a conservative, east-west passer might not excite Washington fans, but he posted the best passer rating in the league last year, and takes care of the ball as well as just about any quarterback in the league. Arizona gets David Johnson back, which constitutes a dramatic, instant upgrade to their offense. The Cardinals have Sam Bradford, and if he stays healthy, he should be very good. That's a monumental "if," by the way. The Cardinals might not be bad, but a pretty tough NFC West might make it tough for them to contend for a playoff spot. 

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Ezekiel Elliott is on a mission to prove that he's the league's best running back, and no one is likely happier about it than Dak Prescott, whose life becomes significantly easier when Elliott is around. Dallas will go as far as their two young stars will take them, and if they stay healthy, there's no reason to think that they won't make things interesting for Philadelphia atop the NFC East. Carolina figures to be right in the thick of things in the meat-grinder that is the AFC South, but they need to survive a rash of offensive line injuries that could derail their season before it starts. Plenty of eyes will be on Christian McCaffrey, too, given that many are expecting a breakout sophomore season from the former Stanford star.

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Perhaps no team in the league outside of Pittsburgh has generated more recent headlines than the Bears, who gave up a bevy of picks to pry Khalil Mack from the Raiders. That many observers still felt that the Bears won the trade despite the high price is a testament to Mack's abilities. Mack makes Chicago's defense markedly better immediately, and the Bears have plenty of young talent on both sides of the ball. Their record depends largely on what new coach Matt Nagy can get out of Mitchell Trubisky. If Trubisky takes a big step forward, the Bears could surprise. Green Bay gets back Aaron Rodgers, and instantly becomes one of the best teams in the NFC. So long as Rodgers is healthy, the Packers will have a great shot at winning the division, even with the Vikings looking very strong, and if certain things break in their favor, they could be a very viable Super Bowl contender.

Monday, 7:10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Sam Darnold will be the man for the Jets, and of course, absolutely nothing could go wrong with a rookie quarterback starting in New York City. Darnold is still thought by many to be the best of this year's quarterback crop, and he'll get the chance to prove things in prime time right away. The Jets' defense could be very solid, and if the rest of the division outside of New England plays down to their worst projections, the Jets could have a quietly solid season. Still, most of it hinges on whether or not Darnold can handle the burdens of the NFL from moment one. Detroit went 9-7 last season, and they have a proven commodity at quarterback in Matthew Stafford. Despite three straight good seasons from their signal caller, the Lions have gone a combined 25-23 during that stretch. Rookie Kerryon Johnson will be expected to shore up the running game, and the Lions' defense will continue to try and force turnovers in lieu of being actually stingy. 

Monday, 10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

By far the highest-profile of this season's head coaching hires, Jon Gruden makes his return to the NFL after several years in the broadcast booth already having made waves with the Khalil Mack trade. His Raiders feature Derek Carr, still one of the league's most underrated talents, as well as a solid offensive line and a legitimate star-level talent in Amari Cooper. Still, Gruden will be the story, and if he takes Carr to another level, the praise will be nonstop. Oh, and if that happens, the Raiders could end up being pretty good. The Rams, led by Gruden protege Sean McVay, have a combustible mix of talent and attitude. Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib are great defensive backs with volatile personalities. Aaron Donald got paid, Brandin Cooks is a major upgrade to the receiving corps, and Todd Gurley is, well, Todd Gurley. If everyone gets along, this might be the NFC favorite. If not? Let's just say that the Rams fans that actually exist will not like what they see.