And Here We Go: Previewing Week One's Juciest Matchups

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

The top matchup during Sunday's 1 pm slot is this battle of NFC South rivals and juggernaut offenses. The Falcons, fresh off of a heartbreaking defeat in the NFC Championship game, feature a fantasy football machine of an offense: Matt Ryan airing the ball out downfield to stud receivers Roddy White, Julio Jones and the ageless Tony Gonzalez at tight end. The run game is bolstered by the free agent acquisition Steven Jackson, who should be an upgrade over Michael Turner, and explosive change of pace option Jacquizz Rodgers.

On the other side are the Saints, who have head coach Sean Payton back and a massive chip on their shoulder following the "Bountygate" debacle that noticeably hurt them last season. They also have Drew Brees at quarterback (he's pretty good) and about a million offensive weapons to choose from (Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles, Marques Colston and Lance Moore being the best from last season).

Things get uglier on defense. Atlanta's "D" is decidedly middle of the pack and will likely remain there this year, but that represents a huge advantage over the Saints. New Orleans fielded one of the league's worst defenses last year, are playing many of the same players out of position to fit new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's 3-4 scheme, and have already been hit hard with the injury bug. Both teams should be able to move the ball at ease in this game, but it's hard to imagine this New Orleans team even managing one stop against Atlanta's offense.

However, this is the NFL, where the illogical happens on a weekly basis. The matchup favors Atlanta on paper, but I can't shake the feeling that the always dangerous Saints will come out fired up, angry about last year's "lost" season and determined to prove their worth once again. This, combined with what should be a rousing crowd at the Superdome, carry New Orleans to a big upset win to start their season.
Saints 38, Falcons 31

Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers

These two battled each other in Week One last year too, with San Francisco's ferocious defense edging out Green Bay's prolific offense in an exciting, back-and-forth game. They then matched again in the playoffs, in the game that cemented Colin Kaepernick's status as one of the game's most exciting talents. That game was not nearly as close.

Needless to say, I'd imagine Green Bay is a little pissed off about that last game. I'd also hope for common sense's sake that they've practiced defending the read-option since that last matchup. They are also facing a San Fran offense missing two of it's top three receivers (Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham) for the time being.

San Francisco will get their stops and make life difficult at times for Aaron Rodgers, but the Packers will get their points. Their passing game is just too good to be held down all game, even by a unit as strong as the Niners. This puts the onus on San Francisco's offense, who will probably need to score 28-30something points to keep up. While San Francisco's offense still has a few playmakers (Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore and that guy at quarterback), I once again am going with my gut over my logic and saying that the angry Packers "D" will get just enough stops to escape with this one and end their losing streak to the Niners.
Packers 34, Niners 27

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

These two hated rivals once again open up their season's against each other with something to prove. Like clockwork, the Giants missed the playoffs last year following their 2011 Super Bowl win, and are trying to return to the postseason. Dallas, on the other hand, would kill to have such problems as a Super Bowl hangover, as they are still holding on to the desperate hope that maybe this core, including Tony Romo at quarterback, can buck all of its recent history and get over the hump.

These are also two of the most interesting teams in football. Both possess the top-end talent to beat anyone in the NFL on any Sunday, but both teams have also been prone to playing down to their competition and lengthy, season-destroying slumps. They have two of the most polarizing quarterback's in the game, whose supposed "eliteness" have been a constant discussion topic amongst NFL analyst for the past six years.

The Cowboys won on opening night last year in New York, spoiling the Giants championship celebration. This year, they face off in the House that Jerry Built, which hasn't exactly been a huge advantage for them so far. However, facing a mediocre Giants secondary that has already been hit with injuries (Starting safety Stevie Brown is already done for the year) will be an advantage for a Dallas passing game that for once has all of its top targets (the Beastly Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Miles Austin) healthy. I like that matchup more than any other in this game and thus am picking Dallas to take this one at home.
Cowboys 31, Giants 23

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins

I want to pick the Eagles in this one. I really do. I love Chip Kelly and what his offensive creativity could bring to the NFL, and the Eagles still have a pretty dynamic group of skill guys (Michael Vick, Shady McCoy and Desean Jackson is nothing to sneeze at). There's also the fact that RG3 is playing his first game since ACL surgery and likely wont be quite the running threat he was last year.

However, have you seen the Eagles defense lately? A terrible unit from a year ago could actually get worse this year as they transition to the 3-4 defense. After years of favoring speed and athleticism over size and strength, the Eagles are suddenly playing a scheme built around gap control and power football, and they are forcing undersized square pegs into round holes to do so. Considering the state of Philly's defense, RG3 could be a statue and just hand the ball off to Alfred Morris 25 times and have that be enough to win. I think the Redskins will think along those lines, utilizing their power rushing game to control the clock, limit Kelly's fast break offense and simply impose their will on the game.
Redskins 24, Eagles 17

Houston Texans @ San Diego Chargers

Okay, this isn't a particularly juicy matchup at all, but I felt obligated to give it a mention because it's on Monday Night. The Chargers are a team in transition with a mediocre defense and turnover prone offense. Enter the Texans, who feature Matt Shaub, Adrian Foster, Andre Johnson and a JJ Watt led defense that thrives off of creating turnovers. I don't know what the line is, but take the over.
Texans A Lot, Chargers A Little