NFL picks, Week 1: Packers win first; 49ers, Raiders go opposite ways
Long story short, the NFL’s 100th season kicks off tonight, and there is a 100 percent chance I don’t hit on all my Week 1 picks:
Packers 28, Bears 26: Packers coach Matt LaFleurmbardi wins his debut. Credit Aaron Rodgers’ good karma for donating 354 helmets to high schools in Chico, Paradise and his alma mater Paradise Valley. Line: Packers + 3 (via ActionNetwork.com)
49ers 31, Buccaneers 23: Jimmy Garoppolo triumphantly opens his 2019 Comeback Tour. Anyone else think Jimmy might be a descendent of Bucco Bruce, the Bucs’ suave mascot from the mid-1970s? Line: 49ers + 1 1/2
Broncos 21, Raiders 20: “Hard Knocks” actors fall to 4-9-1 in series, er, season debuts. It’s Vic Fangio’s first win as a NFL head coach, and it should have come in 2015 had the 49ers hired him over Jim Tomsula. Line: Pick ’em
Browns 17, Titans 14: Hello OBJ, and so begins the Optimistic Browns Joyride (even if Old Blue Jeans are more reliable.) Line: Titans +5 1/2
Rams 31, Panthers 16: Curious if the Rams will have a Super Bowl-loss hangover? The Rams have Aaron Donald. Enoug said. Line: Rams -2 1/2
Jaguars 25, Chiefs 23: The Chiefs scored over 25 points every game last season. Not this season. The Jaguars defense pulls the shocker. Line: Jaguars +4 1/2
Ravens 28, Dolphins 20: The 1972 Dolphins, undefeated. The 2019 Dolphins, unquestionably tanking. Line: Ravens -6 1/2
Bills 20, Jets 16: Le’Veon Bell resurfaces after Le’Vanishing Act in 2018, and he’s outclassed by his Bills counterpart, Frank Gore. Line: Bills +3
Eagles 42, Washington 10: At what point this season does Jay Gruden get terminated and go join his brother as a Raiders off-the-books consultant? Line: Eagles -10
Vikings 20, Falcons 17: The Falcons lose their inaugural visit to arguably the NFL’s best stadium. Line: Falcons +4
Chargers 33, Colts 17: Philip Rivers was a Chargers rookie when Andrew Luck was a high school freshman, in 2004. Now Luck is retired and Rivers is still seeking his first Super Bowl. Line: Chargers -6 1/2
Seahawks 28, Bengals 10: Pete Carroll, a week shy of his 68th birthday, kindly tells new Bengals coach Zac Taylor, 36, to get off Seattle’s lawn. Line: Seahawks -9 1/2
Lions 26, Cardinals 24: Kyler Murray loses his NFL reveal party, just as Jameis Winston did in 2015, the last time a No. 1 overall draft pick started in Week 1 as a rookie. Line: Cardinals + 2 1/2
Cowboys 37, Giants 14: Zeke Elliott hides out in Cabo, gets paid, wins a football game. Memo to my wife: Time to book us a vacation south of the border. Line: Cowboys -7
Patriots 23, Steelers 20: The NFL’s only six-time Super Bowl winners meet, and, speaking of a “sixth” sense, Tom Brady improves to 6-0 at home against the Steelers. Line: Steelers +5 1/2
Saints 28, Texans 20: If you like wide receivers, you’ll like watching the Texans’ Deandre Hopkins and the Saints’ Michael Thomas, arguably the NFL’s best. Line: Saints -7
Last season: 164-90-2, straight up; 136-115-5 vs. spread.