Now, let's start with Week 1:
Wednesday, Sept 5th:
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Sunday, Sept 9th:
Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans
New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions
Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns
Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Monday, Sept. 10th:
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
From top to bottom, looking at every single game from Week 1, the one game that really JUMPS out at me is The Niners heading to Lambeau Field to battle Green Bay. I mean, could you ask for a better match in the first week of the season? This is essentially a playoff game here. The Niners came off a great season and had a case of bad luck and the same can be said for Green Bay. Both teams are clearly going to get better, and it's going to be really amazing to see how Aaron Rodgers competes against The Niners defense. To take it a step further, it'll be even more interesting seeing how Alex Smith connects with his new receivers. We're in store for a treat in Week 1.
Continuing on with the schedule, The Giants and Cowboys open the season. Now, this a BIG statement game for both teams. The Giants already have an insanely tough schedule as it is, and a win against Dallas would make quite the statement. A win for Dallas would be an even bigger statement. It's the fact that they came into the Giants' Home stadium on the night where they raise the banner I believe and if they can escape with a win, that can damage the Giants' psyche. Not to mention, they travel to Seattle the week after which is not an easy place to play. Dallas can't afford to start 0-2.
Let's go a little further with this. The Pittsburgh Steelers start their season in the same place they ended it: Denver. But this time, they're not facing Tebow, they're facing Peyton Manning. That is a different level without a doubt. If Peyton Manning shows up and plays like the Peyton Manning we all know, the Steelers don't stand a chance, and that's putting it nicely. That may sound a bit arrogant, but let's be honest here. Peyton Manning is arguably one the best QBs of all time and can turn nobodys into superstars. Imagine what he'll do with guys like Decker and Thomas. But, if Manning plays like a man that's had five neck surgeries, he could be in for a long season. They start with Pittsburgh and then travel to Atlanta where Matt Ryan is seemingly undefeated. I can't imagine the media coverage if Peyton Manning and the Broncos start 0-2.
What about the rookies? Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Peyton Manning's old team, The Colts host The Bears and what a game to welcome Andrew Luck into the league. He's gonna have Urlacher, Briggs, and Peppers all coming after him. I'll be watching this one. And then we have RGIII vs The Saints. If they presumably make Griffin the starter, this another Welcome to the NFL game for the rookie, playing against The Saints in the Super Dome. The rookie sensations are in for some tough tests to start up the season.
Another slate of games that people usually can't wait for is Thanksgiving Day. People will make plans weeks or months in advance to make sure they're ready and have everything set when the weekend arrives. Well, this year, this may be the best slate of Thanksgiving games in quite some time. Here's how it looks:
Houston Texans at Detroit Lions
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
New England Patriots at New York Jets
My goodness. I mean, you wake up, shower, get dressed and the day starts off with The Texans and The Lions. Two young QBs, two great offenses, and two aggressive defenses going at it. And let's not forget we have the two best receivers in the league facing off: Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson. The Texans are looking like a team that can get back to the playoffs and the same goes for Detroit. The Lions finally at a stage where they aren't the team that'll be easy to beat anymore. They're now a legitimate threat in the NFC and this should be a slobber-knocker.
But it doesn't end there, RGIII (maybe) leads The Redskins into Dallas to face the Cowboys. The Redskins improved a great deal last season and if they start RGIII and he really lives up to the hype, then this should be an interesting game. Besides, these guys always give Dallas fits.
And then, there's the night game. When the Turkey and Stuffing has been put away, you got The Jets and The Patriots. What a game to close out the night on Thanksgiving. Ever since Rex Ryan took over The Jets, he's made them more a challenge to The Patriots, that is until last season when they got swept and that includes an embarrassing 21 point blowout in New York. But now, there's an interesting story added to this: Tim Tebow. I think it's a foregone conclusion that a lot of people believe Tebow can steal the starting job from Mark Sanchez sooner than later and...well, that would make things very interesting. Tebow vs Brady on Thanksgiving Day? Enough said. It'll be a Zoo and the media will eat it up. Look at how ESPN reacted when Tebow was getting ready to face Brady last season. They talked about Tebow the whole day pretty much and ESPN2 had like a 3-Hour long "Life of Tim Tebow" thing.
Playoff Teams that might start 0-2
Now, another thing I noticed about this schedule is that some teams have a lot of tough back to back games.
The Broncos have The Steelers Week 1 and go to Atlanta to face Matt Ryan where, at Home, he's nearly invincible. It would behoove Peyton Manning and The Broncos to be on their A-Game, it's not going to be good for them if they start 0-2.
Speaking of Matt Ryan, he needs to be careful as well. His woes on the road have been his Achilles Heel and he opens the season at Kansas City. A lot of people may not think that this game is that big of a deal, but The Chiefs defense was lethal towards the end of the season when Crennel took over as The Head Coach. If The Falcons fall to the Chiefs, they have to rebound against Peyton Manning.
The 49ers have a tough game against Green Bay, and the week after host the Detroit Lions and if you remember what happened the last time these two teams faced off, you'll understand why this game is even more interesting.
While we're on Green Bay, they came off a disappointing playoff loss to the Giants and start off with The Niners who are every bit as physical. And then, they host The Chicago Bears the week after. With Cutler, Forte, and Knox back healthy and the addition of Brandon Marshall, a win that looked easy, might not be as easy as people think.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are also in a bind as well. Not only do they have to start the season in Denver, but they now have Peyton Manning to deal with and this is no small feat to overcome. The week after, they host The New York Jets. The last time these two played was in the AFC Championship game last year. And in the Regular Season, The Jets beat Pittsburgh IN Pittsburgh. Two must win games indeed.
And since we're on The Jets, they're in a state of total disarray. Some team players don't like Sanchez, and now you have the signing of Tim Tebow. These are two important games for Mark Sanchez, he has to prove himself in order to keep his job. The Bills aren't as easy as people think. The Bills have a habit of coming out of the gate Hot, but cooling down later on in the season. The Jets better take them seriously, because if they don't, Pittsburgh will be waiting for them and it's not gonna be easy for Mark. He struggled at the end of last season and these first few games don't do him any favors: Bills, Steelers, Dolphins, 49ers and The Texans. If the Jets end up 2-3, 1-4, or God Forbid, 0-5, the fans will clamor for Tebow without hesitation. Sanchez won't make it to The Jets bye week and the way this schedule is lined up, it looks like the beginning of the end.
So, there you have it, all my thoughts on the schedule. I can't really say a lot more than this until the Draft, and ultimately until preseason. All in all, this is going to be a fun season like always.
Feel free to Comment.
By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete
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