Who will the Patriots face To kick off 2015?

Let's start with the easiest thing: weeding out the weak. The Patriots aren't going to open up against the bottom feeders like the Jets, Titans, Jaguars, or Redskins to kick off 2015, because the NFL doesn't want the first game of 2015 to be a 45-7 blowout where America is in bed by halftime. The Dolphins are probably out of the equation as well, as they haven't made waves since 2008, and the NFL likes to put relevant teams in the openers.

Which leaves us with three teams to kick off with: Philadelphia, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh.

Why Philadelphia might get it:

These are both large market teams that would make for a huge start to the 2015 football season, there's the appeal of Bill Belichick and Chip Kelly matching wits, and with the nature of these teams, it would promise to be a high-scoring game.

Why Philadelphia might not:

Nick Foles doesn't yet have the star power to go up against a guy like Tom Brady, and given the wretched state of the Eagles secondary, this could turn into a blowout quick.

Why Buffalo might get it:

Rex Ryan, the biggest enemy of the Patriots, now resides in Buffalo. Surely he would provide the NFL with tons of trash talk over the months following the game on how the Patriots are cheaters and how he's not going to kiss Bill's rings. And usually Ryan knows how to keep it close versus the Patriots.

Why Buffalo might not:

E.J. Manuel

Why Pittsburgh might get it:

Their two of the NFLs best franchises, coming from big football towns, and it's not like the NFL is shy about giving these two prime-time games. This is a potential AFC Championship match-up and would definitely be a good game with lots of scoring. There's already rumors going out that Pittsburgh is going to New England to kickoff 2015 anyway.

Why Pittsburgh might not:

It's not like the NFL has ever made sense in terms of the decisions it makes.