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With opening night just hours away and a slur of regular season action this weekend, football is officially back. Per usual, our staff here at Baltimore Beatdown will be picking the winners of every game across the league throughout the year, starting with Week 1.
The best part, though, is that you - the reader - can join in on the fun! Scroll down below for some analysis of our staff’s picks and be sure to vote on each game yourself. Votes will be accumulated as the season goes on, so you don’t wanna miss out.
Analysis of Baltimore Beatdown’s staff picks
Consensus agreement
Out of the 16 total games taking place in Week 1, our nine writers were in-line with each other on just five matchups:
- Baltimore Ravens > Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles > Washington Redskins
- Cleveland Browns > Tennessee Titans
- Los Angeles Chargers > Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks > Cincinnati Bengals
The Ravens are 7.5 favorites on the road, taking on a Miami squad who’ve undergone a makeover this offseason. Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the team’s starting quarterback and while he’s capable of producing big outings, the Dolphins have one of the least talented rosters in the league from top-to-bottom. Bias aside, the Baltimore Beatdown team sees the Ravens handling their business this week, as do most people.
With a healthy Carson Wentz back in the fold, Philadelphia’s offense could be explosive - and the BB staff thinks they’ll put up enough points to defeat a stingy Redskins defense in their home opener. Without Andrew Luck, the Colts may have a difficult time defeating a talented Chargers team at home - even without Derwin James and Melvin Gordon. The Browns may have their hands full against a tough Titans’ defensive unit but our staff thinks they’ll live up the hype, at last in Week 1.
“Lone Wolf”
Some of our writers stand alone in their predictions for Week 1:
- Spencer is going against the grain by picking the Texans to knock off the Saints on Monday night and the Jaguars to take down a talented Chiefs team in Jacksonville
- Taylor is taking the Giants over the Cowboys in an NFC showdown, and is also alone is predicting the Bills to take down the Jets on the road
- Adrian is our only writer bold enough to pick the Steelers over the Patriots in a Sunday night showdown
“Flip a coin”
These were the matchups with the most even split in terms of picks:
- Packers (5) vs. Bears (4)
- Falcons (5) vs. Vikings (4)
- Lions (5) vs. Cardinals (4)
- Broncos (4) vs. Raiders (5)
Aaron Rodgers alone is cause for picking Green Bay but he faces a tough task against Khalil Mack and the Bears, maybe the best defensive team in the league, in Chicago. The Falcons and Vikings are two teams looking to get back into the postseason fold and despite subpar performances last year, still boast two of the more talented rosters in the league.
Seeking to get out to a fast start in the Kyler Murray/Kliff Kingsbury era, the Cardinals play host to a Lions team that’s at a bit of a crossroads. 4/9 members of the BB team picked Joe Flacco and the Broncos to get a victory tomorrow night, while the slight majority sees a much-improved Oakland squad picking up a win.
Baltimore Beatdown Staff’s Week 1 Picks
| Games | Kyle B. | Vasilis | Frank | Dustin | Jake | Spencer | Adrian | Taylor | Eric | BB Readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Kyle B. | Vasilis | Frank | Dustin | Jake | Spencer | Adrian | Taylor | Eric | BB Readers |
| Packers @ Bears | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Packers | Bears | VOTE |
| Rams @ Panthers | Panthers | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Panthers | Rams | Rams | Rams | VOTE |
| Redskins @ Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | VOTE |
| Bills @ Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | Bills | Jets | VOTE |
| Falcons @ Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Falcons | Vikings | Vikings | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | VOTE |
| Ravens @ Dolphins | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | VOTE |
| Chiefs @ Jaguars | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Jaguars | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | VOTE |
| Titans @ Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | VOTE |
| Colts @ Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | VOTE |
| Bengals @ Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | VOTE |
| 49ers @ Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Bucs | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | 49ers | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | 49ers | Buccaneers | VOTE |
| Giants @ Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Giants | Cowboys | VOTE |
| Lions @ Cardinals | Lions | Cardinals | Cardinals | Lions | Lions | Lions | Cardinals | Lions | Cardinals | VOTE |
| Steelers @ Patriots | Patriots | Pats | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Steelers | Patriots | Patriots | VOTE |
| Texans @ Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Texans | Saints | Saints | Saints | VOTE |
| Broncos @ Raiders | Raiders | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Raiders | Broncos | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders |