Welcome to Hagan’s Haus, where football is the only thing that matters. Sundays you won’t find me in a church because Football is my religion and the number one priority in my life. I am so excited that the NFL season is finally back in action! I pride myself in studying the game of football. We can’t get all our picks or predictions right but I am going to leave it here in the open every week for everyone to see. In Hagan’s Haus, it’s all about bragging rights.
Who is the best? Because winning is the only thing that matters. We don’t get points for second place. I challenge you to post comments on your weekly picks and compare them to mine. This isn’t about point spreads. I will give a score predictions but winning is winning. Doesn’t matter if it’s by an inch or a mile. So try and beat me in picking NFL games. I promise you it won’t be easy, but it will be fun. Here are Hagan’s Haus 2017 week 1 NFL picks.
Last season: 155-107-2
Season Opener
Kansas City (0-0) 21 @ New England (0-0) 27: The season opener is finally here and the Patriots are yet again opening as the defending Super Bowl champions. Tom Brady has already established himself as the greatest quarterback of all-time and has been given Brandin Cooks. Gronk is also healthy and will have a big impact in this game. The Chiefs won’t have enough offense to beat the Patriots in this one.
Sunday Morning
New York Jets (0-0) 6 @ Buffalo Bills (0-0) 24: The Jets will be lucky to win a game this season. Buffalo is opening a new season, under a new regime, at home. Nobody circles wagons like the Buffalo Bills. Tyrod Taylor is going to throw for 300 yards and LeSean McCoy will run for over 125. The Bills defense will also look much better than they did under Rex Ryan. Bills win this one easily.
Atlanta Falcons (0-0) 21 @ Chicago Bears (0-0) 22: After watching the preseason it was evident that the Bears will have a much better defense, especially if they remain healthy. The offense will have a running identity and Mike Glennon must protect the football. This is a trap game for the Falcons. Everyone expects them to beat the Bears easily but they still have a Super Bowl hangover. Previously this would never have been my pick, but the Bears find magic and upset the defending NFC champions.
Baltimore Ravens (0-0) 21 @ Cincinnati Bengals (0-0) 24: Baltimore is heading into the season with no viable running back and a quarterback this is the definition of average. Flacco doesn’t have what it takes to be a gunslinger of an aerial offense. The defense will be forced to pick up the slack. The Bengals will capitalize in this one with a huge ground game.
Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) 34 @ Cleveland Browns (0-0) 17: DeShone Kizer is going to get lit up by the Steelers. Their defense is going to create havoc and Joe Haden will get an interception against his former team. Le’Veon Bell will have over 200 yards from scrimmage to lead the Steelers to an easy week one victory.
Arizona Cardinals (0-0) 37 @ Detroit Lions (0-0) 28: Detroit has a bad defense and that is putting it mildly. Matthew Stafford has gotten his payday so look for a decrease in his play. The Lions are going to have a typical Lions season in which they win anywhere from three to six games. It starts this week with a huge game from David Johnson.
Oakland Raiders (0-0) 33 @ Tennessee Titans (0-0) 31: This is one of the games of the week. Marcus Mariota versus Derek Carr is going to be fireworks. The Raiders have a little bit more experience and that will be the difference. Marshawn Lynch will be a bit rusty. The difference in this game will be a late sack by Khalil Mack to seal a victory for the silver and black.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0) @ Miami Dolphins (0-0): This game is being rescheduled for week 11 due to Hurricane Irma. Best wishes to all those dealing with this historically bad storm.
Philadelphia Eagles (0-0) 30 @ Washington Redskins (0-0) 22: Washington is not ready for the soaring Eagles. Their defense is going to be legit this season thanks to Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Jordan Hicks and Malcolm Jenkins. They will be too much for Kirk Cousins who will throw at least two interceptions in this game. Carson Wentz will have a big game to lead the Eagles to a huge week one divisional win.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-0) 13 @ Houston Texans (0-0) 17: Until Blake Bortles begins to look like an NFL quarterback there is no reason to pick the Jaguars. Houston’s defense is going to put on a show this week. They will not only be playing with the hype of the season opener, but the fans will be looking to escape the tragedy of Hurricane Harvey. Watt and Clowney have two sacks each and the defense leads the way for a Texans’ victory.
Sunday Afternoon
Indianapolis Colts (0-0) 13 @ Los Angeles Rams (0-0) 24: The Rams are going to be a better team this season. They will be able to run the ball well and Todd Gurley is going to look more like the rookie version than the second year version. Goff has been blessed with Sammy Watkins thanks to a trade and it will really help his development. The Rams defense will be nasty under Wade Phillips and without Andrew Luck, the Colts have to turn to Scott Tolzein. This could get really ugly rather quickly.
Seattle Seahawks (0-0) 27 @ Green Bay Packers (0-0) 24: In another game that could be considered the game of the week the Packers and Seahawks meet again in what seems to be a brewing rivalry. These two teams seem to meet every year and it is always a slobber knocker. Aaron Rodgers will have a big game like he usually does but the Seahawks are the better team. Green Bay drops the season opener at home because their defense won’t be able to hang.
Carolina Panthers (0-0) 41 @ San Francisco 49ers (0-0) 21: Cam Newton is on a mission to prove that last year’s let down was a fluke. His new weapon, Christian McCaffery will take enormous pressure off of the rest of the offense. Greg Olson and Kelvin Benjamin will each find the end zone once and the 49er rebuild will continue.
Sunday Night
New York Giants (0-0) 30 @ Dallas Cowboys (0-0) 27: Odell Beckham will be healthy for this game. He will have a huge game under the spotlight as Brandon Marshall garners respect on the opposite side. Eli Manning usually has good games against the Cowboys and with these two big targets he can just get the ball in the area and they will make a play. Dallas is going to miss Ezekiel Elliot. Dak Prescott gets a chance to show what he is made of without his stud back. Cowboys fall in this one.
Monday Night
New Orleans Saints (0-0) 17 @ Minnesota Vikings (0-0) 20: Adrian Peterson is dead set on showing the Vikings he has more left in the tank. The issue is the Saints never stick with a workhorse. Peterson won’t get more than 12 carries. Minnesota also has a world class defense. Their defense will carry them to a win. Drew Brees will also show signs of regression thanks to father time. Vikings defend U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Los Angeles Chargers (0-0) 21 @ Denver Broncos (0-0) 24: The final game of the season opening week will see the Chargers take on the Broncos. This could be a low scoring game as both defenses are pretty good. Philip Rivers will make some big plays but won’t do so on the final drive of the game. Rivers throws an interception while trying to win the game to give the Broncos a 1-0 start to the season.
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