Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
The rather underrated match-up of week one, the Falcons Saints game has always been a must-see in the NFC South. New Orleans enters this year with one of the most complete teams in the Sean Payton/Drew Brees era. Weapons are aplenty on offense featuring all-pro tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Marques Colston. Cameron Jordan, Curtis Lofton, and Jarius Byrd anchor a greatly improved defense under Rob Ryan. Meanwhile in Atlanta, the Falcons are introducing a revamped offensive line with rookie Jake Matthews and are welcoming the return of former pro-bowl wide receiver Julio Jones from a foot injury that sidelined him for nearly all of 2013. Recently this rivalry has fallen in favor of the Saints as they have won six of the past eight meetings between the two, however most games have been very close.
My Prediction: Saints-34 Falcons-21
San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys
The 49ers have reached the NFC Championship game every year since Jim Harbaugh has been head coach. San Francisco faces an ominous schedule in 2014 are a member of, debatably, the best division in the NFL. The Niners have faced a lot of adversity throughout the offseason seeing Aldon Smith being suspended for nine games and Chris Culliver being involved with a hit-and-run incident. Internal issues have also surfaced in San Francisco, although none have significantly affected team activity. On the other side of the ball, the Dallas Cowboys see the return of Tony Romo after his back surgery and are hoping to see the emergence of an improved offensive line. The defense is not a bright spot for this team; pro-bowlers Demarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher are now elsewhere leaving little experience behind them.
My Prediction: 49ers-38 Cowboys-24
Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos
In week one the whole country will be witness to “Luck vs. Manning II”. Last year Andrew Luck beat his predecessor in Indianapolis on Sunday Night Football. This year Luck and the Colts will travel to Mile High and face the defending AFC Champions who appear to be better than they were last year. Peyton Manning is looking to pick right off his record breaking season and lead the Broncos to another Super Bowl, while Andrew Luck is ready to take the next step to become an elite NFL quarterback. This should be a match-up to watch as the Colts are a sleeper pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. It is a very likely possibility that we could see a rematch of these two teams in January.
My Prediction: Broncos-35 Colts-17
The Pigskin Catch 