Welcome to Hagan’s Haus, where football is the only thing that matters. Sundays you won’t find me in a church but instead you’ll find me in a Vikings jersey. Football is my religion and is 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 of 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 my week one NFL predictions.
Sunday Morning
Minnesota 24 @ Tennesse 17: Shaun Hill will be starting in this game. Hill does not have to do anything spectacular for this team to win. All that needs to be done is handing the ball off to Adrian Peterson and let the defense carry you. He just can’t turn the ball over. Tennesse is not good enough on offense to beat this Vikings team. Vikings win this game due to their talented defense.
Tampa Bay 31 @ Atlanta 27: I really like Tampa Bay in this one. Jameis Winston should have a big day against a very average defense. Matt Ryan throws at least one interception in this game and the Buccaneers start the season off with a big divisional win.
Buffalo 20 @ Baltimore 17: It feels scary to pick three road teams so far but I really believe Buffalo is the better team. Nothing I see from Baltimore excites me. Joe Flacco had one great playoff run but otherwise he had never produced anything special. They should have a good running game but Rex Ryan is a defensive wizard who will have the Bills ready. Tyrod Taylor will have a great year and it will start this week against the Ravens.
Chicago 16 @ Houston 17: This game is a toss up to me and I am picking the Texans because they are at home. Both teams are fairly even on paper. Chicago will have an improved defense from last year but that isn’t saying much. Houston already has a great defense that will force Jay Cutler into a couple of turnovers. That will be the difference in this game.
Green Bay 28 @ Jacksonville 31: My biggest upset of the week goes to the Jaguars. Aaron Rodgers thinks highly of himself and his team but he is going to be shocked down in Florida. It is going to be a hot game. The Jags will have a decent home field advantage from practicing in the conditions. The Jaguars also have an offense that will be explosive this season and it will be enough to upset the Packers.
San Diego 10 @ Kansas City 24: I really believe the Chargers are going to flat out stink it up this year. They play in a tough division with three really good teams that are capable of making the playoffs. The Chiefs have been consistently good under Andy Reid. Alex Smith doesn’t light up the scoreboard but makes the right decisions and gets the wins. The Chiefs have a great defense and will wreck havoc on Philip Rivers.
Oakland 38 @ New Orleans 31: I expect a shootout in the Superdome. It will be fun to see Derek Carr and Drew Brees go back and forth in this game. The reason I think Oakland pulls out this shootout is because they are much better defensively than the Saints. Khalil Mack is going to have a minimum of two sacks and he may even force a Brees fumble. A few extra defensive stops is why the Raiders come out of New Orleans with a win.
Cincinnati 24 @ New York (J) 14: This game is pretty simple to me. The Bengals are clearly the better team. They are better defensively. They have a better quarterback, running back and receiving corp. The only thing the Jets have going for them is being at home. It won’t be enough and the Bengals will start the season off 1-0.
Cleveland 24 @ Philadelphia 20: Philadelphia is starting a rookie quarterback that played in the FCS. Wentz also missed most of the preseason due to injury. He will not be ready for the speed of the NFL even if it is the Browns. Robert Griffin III also looked really good in the preseason, especially when connecting with Terrell Pryor Sr. I think the Browns have enough to beat an Eagles team that is going to be in for a long year.
Sunday Afternoon
Miami 17 @ Seattle 28: How can Miami beat Seattle? There is no answer to that question. They can’t and won’t. The Seahawks are just one of those teams we know is going to be good. They have had the top scoring defense for four years in a row. This is a legendary defense. Offensively, Russell Wilson got on a hot streak when Marshawn Lynch went down last year. He will build off of that and the Dolphins have no chance in one of the toughest stadiums in the world to play in.
New York (G) 24 @ Dallas 27: This is going to be a typical Giants vs. Cowboys game. Back and forth. Big plays. Huge momentum swings. It will also come down to the wire. In these divisional games it is hard to choose winners. Ezekiel Elliot will have a huge opening game behind the best offensive line in football and Dak Prescott will make a few key plays that will win it for Dallas at home.
Detroit 17 @ Indianapolis 31: Andrew Luck has something to prove this season. He needs to show the world that he can cut down on the turnovers and lead the Colts to a Super Bowl. Coming out of college, experts claimed he was the best prospect ever. It is time to show that. This week he will easily do so against a Lions team that doesn’t have much to look forward too. Luck will throw three touchdowns in this one and the Lions will realize how much they miss Megatron.
Sunday Night Football
New England 27 @ Arizona 24: Next man up- that is what the Patriots are all about. Jimmy Garoppolo is going to get his first career start against an extremely tough, physical Cardinals defense. The good thing for Jimmy is that he has weapons all around him. Tight end Martellus Bennett will provide a big option in the passing game, even with no Rob Gronkowski. Julian Edelman will find the soft spots in the defense. The Patriots will be playing this game to prove that the next man up motto includes the quarterback position.
Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh 37 @ Washington 21: Big Ben is going to have a field day in this game throwing to Antonio Brown. I firmly believe Antonio Brown may have a 200 yard game. The Steelers have a dangerous offense even without Le’Veon Bell. Washington will not be able to run the ball which means the game will be in Kirk Cousisn’s hands. That will spell disaster for the Redskins on Monday Night Football.
Los Angeles 20 @ San Fransisco 23:Â In Chip I trust. Chip Kelly is going to coach the 49ers to a win in this game somehow, someway. I am not sure what we are going to see in this game because I am not totally sure where these teams finish this season. Although, one thing I do know is Todd Gurley will have some big runs but I just don’t think it will be enough to pull out the road win.