NFL teams on upset alert in Week 1

Aug 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) warms up before a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Rejoice, football fans!

The first week of the 2014 NFL season is here, and it’s time for us to analyze each and every game that’s on the slate for this week.

We all watched last night as the season began with the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks pummeling the Green Bay Packers 36-16, with Marshawn Lynch going for 110 yards and two scores on the ground.

Thursday night wasn’t an upset by any means–in fact, it was widely predicted–but believe me. there will be some big upsets come Sunday.

Let’s find out who’s on upset alert this week.

*All spreads via Yahoo.

Aug 17, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) sits on the ground after taking a hit against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter at Levi /

San Francisco 49ers (-5.0)

Let me first preface this pick by saying that the San Francisco 49ers’ defense looks a lot different than it did last year.

Defensive end Ray McDonald will likely be serving a six-game suspension after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, and Pro Bowler Aldon Smith will miss the first nine games due to his own slew of legal trouble.

On top of that, LB NaVorro Bowman is out for a minimum of six weeks as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered in the NFC title game, and the Niners lost safety Donte Whitner to the Cleveland Browns. I mean did you see this defense against the Denver Broncos a few weeks back?

Starting to get the hint?

San Francisco draws a Dallas Cowboys team that has its own woes on defense, but the ‘Boys are a team that can light it up offensively. Dallas put up 27.4 points per game last year, which ranked 5th in the NFL, and Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams are only getting better while DeMarco Murray is coming off of his best season as a pro (1,121 rushing yards and nine scores).

San Francisco’s offense isn’t anything to take lightly either, but I don’t think it can keep up with Tony Romo and Dallas this Sunday, especially at Jerry Jones Stadium.

Romo is 3-0 in his career against the 49ers and I see that mark improving to a perfect 4-0 when this matchup kicks off at 4:25 p.m. EST on Sunday.

Aug 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers linebacker Sam Barrington (58) sacks St. Louis Rams quarterback Shaun Hill (14) during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

St. Louis Rams (-3.5)

I’m still trying to figure out why the St. Louis Rams are favorites against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1.

Is it because they’re home? Who cares.

Oh, maybe it’s because they’re starting a 34-year-old quarterback who hasn’t started since 2010 or that they’re squaring off against the best running back in the NFL? Can’t be that.

The Rams weren’t even a good team with a healthy Sam Bradford, and even with Zac Stacy and Tavon Austin being another year wiser, I just don’t see how St. Louis’ offense is going to put points on the board.

Stacy is a bull of a back, but now that defenses have had a full offseason to see the tape on him, I have a feeling the Vikings will be ready for him, especially since they’re not a bad defense against the run.

The Rams obviously have one of the better defenses in the NFL, but my thoughts are that the Vikings won’t have to find the end zone too much on Sunday. Give me an Adrian Peterson score and Cordarrelle Patterson reception TD and I think Minnesota cruises to victory over the Rams.

It’s going to be a long season for the Rams, and that downhill slide starts on Sunday afternoon.

Aug 22, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops back to pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Lions (-5.5)

“But Pete, you said the New York Giants were in deep trouble come Week 1!”

Yes, I did, but I also thought the G-Men were in deep trouble in Super Bowl XLII and look how that turned out.

Trust me; I saw how terrible Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants’ passing game looked during the preseason, but they still have Rashad Jennings carrying the rock and have a backup RB in Andre Williams who also opened some eyes during the preseason. And let’s never count out Victor Cruz. Ever.

This is still a Giants defense that includes a feared pass rusher in Jason Pierre-Paul and a very good (and healthy) linebacker in Jon Beason, and Manning is 3-0 in his career against the Lions.

I mean Eli can’t possibly be that bad this season, can he? No.

If he can avoid pressure and get rid of the ball, then I think the Giants win this game. All in all, the G-Men’s offense stacks up quite well with Detroit’s, and if New York’s defense can regain its traditional form, I think the Lions are on upset alert. Remember; we’re not looking for the Giants to stop Calvin Johnson–just contain him.

There are a lot of big ifs here, but life is all about taking chances–at least that’s what they tell me.

Home/Detroit Lions