NFL Week 1: Picks and predictions

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CINCINNATI, OH – JANUARY 01: Joe Flacco No. 5 of the Baltimore Ravens runs the football upfield against Wallace Gilberry No. 95 of the Cincinnati Bengals during their game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio.The Bengals defeated the Ravens 27-10. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images) /

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)

Interesting game right here. Joe Flacco hasn’t seen any action this summer because of a bad back. Cincinnati is missing first-round pick John Ross and middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict, with the latter due to a three-game suspension. The difference could be a good Bengals pass rush against an overwhelmed Baltimore offense.

Pick: Cincinnati 20, Baltimore 16

Pittsburgh Steelers (-10) at Cleveland Browns

Before you laugh, the Browns are better than you think. They might only win four or five games, but that’s an improvement of leaps and bounds over last year. DeShone Kizer gets his first start, and while he likely has moments of good and bad, the talent is there. Still, the Steelers are a much better team, and should score plenty against a bad secondary.

Pick: Pittsburgh 31, Cleveland 23

Arizona Cardinals (-1) at Detroit Lions

This could be a very good contest between two playoff hopefuls. Each can throw the ball, but only the Cardinals can run with the unmatched talents of David Johnson in the backfield. Detroit is good enough to win, but it doesn’t have Arizona’s skill up and down the roster.

Pick: Arizona 28, Detroit 24

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-5.5)

It’s Blake Bortles. It’s Tom Savage. It’s the NFL on CBS … kind of. In all seriousness, Bortles will have a brutal time against Houston’s swarming front. The Texans’ offense is bad, but it’ll benefit from turnovers putting it in good field position.

Pick: Houston 19, Jacksonville 13

Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans (-1)

The Raiders and Titans are two of the trendiest teams in the league going into the season. Oakland has a terrific offense led by Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, while Tennessee plays a smashmouth style behind DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. The edge might be defensively, where the Titans are average and the Raiders are Khalil Mack and 10 road cones.

Pick: Tennessee 27, Oakland 24

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (PICK)

The NFC East could be a four-team fight this year, and one of these teams will have an early leg up. Washington has looked bad throughout the preseason without former offensive coordinator Sean McVay. Philadelphia has shown a great front seven, but a litany of question marks elsewhere. I’ll roll with the home team.

Pick: Washington 23, Philadelphia 21