Week 1 NFL picks: Chiefs unanimously predicted to top Lions; Jets will beat Bills in Aaron Rodgers' debut
NFL.com editors Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr will predict every game of the 2023 NFL season, using the unbeatable combo of football analysis and excessive punctuation. Check out their Week 1 picks below.
The lines provided by Caesars Sportsbook are current as of 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 7 unless otherwise noted below.
Why Gennaro is taking the Chiefs: There's an argument to be made that, beyond the Super Bowl champion Chiefs, no team ended the 2022 season on a higher note than the upstart Lions -- which makes this an appropriate way to kick off the 2023 NFL campaign. Dan Campbell's budding bunch has realistic hopes of exorcising a posse of demons over the next five months -- first playoff appearance since 2016, first division title since 1993, first postseason win since 1991 -- but I still can't bring myself to projecting a season-opening win over the Patrick Mahomes-led reigning champs in Arrowhead Stadium.
Why Brooke is taking the Falcons: What questions don't I have about this divisional clash? How will Bryce Young look in his NFL debut? Which offensive players step up for the Panthers? Will Brian Burns play amid his contract dispute? How much improvement will we see from Desmond Ridder after a full offseason as the Falcons' starter? Who will get the bulk of the carries in Atlanta's backfield? Will Kyle Pitts be more involved in the offense? Did the Falcons do enough this offseason to improve the pass rush? Ultimately, I'm taking the team that's further along in its rebuild.
Why Brooke is taking the Ravens: After Lamar Jackson signed his long-awaited megadeal this offseason, the time has finally come to see what the electric playmaker looks like in new coordinator
Read on nfl.com
