NFL week one predictions

We are edging closer to another exciting NFL season and Sky Sports expert Richard Graves has made his predictions for week one.

Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

To the frustration of all involved in the Patriots' organisation, the "deflategate" issue rather than their fourth Super Bowl success has dominated the offseason. It's an issue which has led to public squabbling with the NFL and pre-season preparations, which have been hampered by the unknown availability of Super Bowl MVP quarterback Tom Brady for opening night. That in itself is distraction enough but considering this team has lost both starting cornerbacks and big Vince Wilfork, who's anchored their defensive line for the past decade, the challenge facing the New England Patriots is a tall one.

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Their opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers, aren't without their problems though. Running back Le'Veon Bell starts the season suspended. The men who were the foundation of a once much vaunted Pittsburgh defence, Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor, have both retired. 

It could be argued that these are two teams in transition and as a result they'll both be looking to their veteran QBs to carry them into the playoffs. No doubt Ben Roethlisberger will look to combine with wide receiver Antonio Brown to expose the new Patriots secondary, while the Patriots will look to tight end Rob Gronkowski to wreak havoc over the middle. Both will be desperate to establish a running game.

The defending Super Bowl champions have only lost twice in the last nine opening night games but given all the offseason turmoil, there could well be an upset at Gillette Stadium.

Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers

Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills 

The Colts are once again the favourites to emerge from the AFC South and they've invested in experience as they try to improve on last year's AFC Championship appearance. RB Frank Gore, WR Andre Johnson and linebacker Trent Cole are among the new additions, but it's their opponents who've made many of the offseason headlines.

New head coach Rex Ryan has made no secret of his desire to bring back the glory days to Buffalo. A team which already had arguably the best defensive line in football has now moved to strengthen its offense, making a big splash in trading for the Eagles' star RB LeSean McCoy along with the signing of WR Percy Harvin. The one thing holding this team back is the lack of a quality quarterback. Matt Cassel was signed in free agency, but all the positive noises in training camp surrounded young Tyrod Taylor. Ryan has proved he can build a winning team on defense in the past but if he wants to conquer the AFC East, the Bills will need to find something at QB.

Regardless, Buffalo is a tough place to go. Rex will want to kick off his tenure with a bang and if his team are to live up to his boast, then wins in games like this are a must. Expect the Ralph Wilson Stadium to be rocking and expect Buffalo to make a statement against one of the title contenders.

Pick: Buffalo Bills

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears 

It's been a long offseason for those associated with the Green Bay Packers - haunted by that 28-22 overtime defeat to Seattle in January. Once again though, they start a new season as favourites to contend for the Vince Lombardi trophy. Arguably, their biggest piece of business this offseason was to re-sign WR Randall Cobb  - a signing made all the more important after Jordy Nelson suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of pre-season. In the draft, they moved to strengthen their secondary by taking CB Damarious Randall in the fist round.

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It's all change in Chicago with John Fox leaving Denver to take over as Head Coach of the Bears. With controversial WR Brandon Marshall allowed to leave and first round draft pick WR Kevin White likely out for the year after sustaining a leg fracture, hopes aren't high in the windy city; with a season of rebuilding more likely to occur. Not ideal when your opening day opponents arrive with one of the more potent offenses in the NFL!

Indeed, anything can happen in a divisional rivalry but it's hard to look past Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in this one.

Pick: Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans 

The Kansas City Chiefs went through the whole of last season without one of their wide receivers catching a touchdown pass. That was addressed this offseason with the acquisition of Philadelphia's best WR in 2014, Jeremy Maclin, who caught a TD pass from Alex Smith in their second pre-season game – with the Arrowhead faithful hoping that's a sign of things to come this year. The Chiefs also hung onto the league's 2014 sack leader, re-signing Justin Houston to a mega deal, while strengthening their secondary with first round draft pick Marcus Peters.

After finishing 2014 well, the Texans began pre-season with high hopes but they were soon dampened when star RB Arian Foster required surgery on a groin injury - ruling him out for much of the season. DeAndre Hopkins now leads their receiving core after Andre Johnson left for Indianapolis and the Texans will be hoping their defense can be explosive, with defensive end Jadeveon Clowney returning from injury to partner JJ Watt. 

The loss of Foster is a big blow however, and heaps the pressure on Houston's inexperienced quarterbacks. Ultimately, that's the position which will prove this team's Achilles heal.

Pick: Kansas City Chiefs

Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars 

The loss of second year WR Kelvin Benjamin is a huge blow to the Carolina Panthers offense. His season ending ACL tear means QB Cam Newton and veteran RB Jonathan Stewart will be relied upon heavily to make plays if they are to return to the play-offs. While no one denies the ability of the Panthers defense to make plays, it's hard to see another sub-.500 season being enough to win the NFC South.

There's a sense in Jacksonville that this is a big year for HC Gus Bradley. As he begins his third season in charge of the Jaguars, a number of high profile free agents have arrived. TE Julius Thomas from Denver, offensive tackle Jeremy Parnell from Dallas, CB Davon House from Green Bay and DE Jared Odrick are all significant additions. The only real disappointment this offseason is the loss of 3rd overall pick LB Devante Fowler to a season-ending injury in his first practice session. The question still remains though, can the Jaguars' O-Line block for the running game and keep their QB upright? If the answer is yes, this team may turn a few heads in 2015 but they kick off against one of the better defensive units in the NFL.

Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars

Cleveland Browns at New York Jets 

Rex Ryan may have moved onto pastures new but the controversy in New York didn't leave with him. Starting QB Geno Smith misses the start of the season after a fight with a teammate in the locker room left him with a fractured jaw - somewhat disheartening for new HC Todd Bowles, who appeared to have the Jets going in the right direction. Defensively, the return of star CB Darrelle Revis along with Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine from Cleveland gave cause for optimism. The addition of arguably the best player in this year's draft, DE Leonard Williams, means the Jets' defense is a unit to be feared. The question has always been around the play of their QB to move the offense – and that was before Smith's injury!

The Browns moved to strengthen both their offensive and defensive lines in the first round of the draft, taking DT Danny Shelton and OL Cameron Irving. In truth, it's tough to see them doing better than last season with no obvious receiving threat following Josh Gordon's latest indiscretion, while relying on veteran QB Josh McCown ahead of Jonny Manziel.

Pick: New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams 

Are seven months long enough to forget that call? Without question, the answer is no but you can bet your last dollar if the Seattle Seahawks are faced with a short & goal situation with the game on the line this year... they're handing it to Marshawn Lynch!

It'll be interesting to see how the much-vaunted Seahawks secondary returns, with CB Byron Maxwell now in Philadelphia and the other three members all coming back from injury. Safety Kam Chancellor's hold out is without doubt a distraction, but the Seahawks are used to those.

The Rams now have Nick Foles at QB after making a trade with the Eagles and – although not fit to start yet – the signing of RB Todd Gurley in the first round of the draft is an exciting one.

The free agent signing of DT Nick Fairley strengthens the line and suggests St. Louis are ready to meet strength with strength in a division which is noted for the physicality of its teams.

Last season, an outstanding play on special teams helped the Rams to a shock win over Seattle in this fixture. The Seahawks will no likely have forgotten that call anymore than the last meaningful play of Super Bowl XLVIX!

Pick: Seattle Seahawks

Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins

The Dolphins made the biggest splash of free agency – signing DT Ndamukong Suh to a massive contract. They also did some shrewd business, off loading expensive WR Mike Wallace and acquiring speedster Kenny Stills while taking WR Devante Parker in the first round of the draft.

All of this bodes well for a team who believe their time may have finally come to depose the Patriots at the top of the AFC East. If that is the case, then a trip to Fed Ex Field should offer no fears as they prepare to face a Redskins outfit who've looked to be in disarray throughout pre-season. Their offensive line has been awful at times, offering Robert Griffin III little in the way of protection and for a QB who's shown little improvement in his awareness in the pocket, it's made for uncomfortable viewing. RG III will himself have to watch from the sidelines after losing his starting role to Kirk Cousins, while Colt McCoy has also looked better suited to the system. It will be interesting to see how the QB situation plays out in the coming months. This may be the one certain result of the weekend!

Pick: Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals 

After a disappointing season in 2014, changes had to be made in New Orleans but I doubt anyone saw the blockbuster trade being made within minutes of free agency beginning. Star TE Jimmy Graham shipped out to Seattle in return for their Pro Bowl centre Max Unger! Without doubt it's a move which improved their offensive line and should give Drew Brees more protection. The additions of RB CJ Spiller and CB Brandon Browner are also upgrades to the roster and in the draft, the emphasis was again on the O-Line when they took Andrus Peat. Whatever happens this season, the Saints will be a stronger side than the one which wilted in a division which didn't even require a .500 record to win it.

They will need to be stronger in this season-opener in the desert! The Cardinals were one of the surprise packages last year, but were ultimately thwarted by injuries to too many key players. To that end they've sought to add depth to both sides of the ball, having brought in Corey Peters and Corey Redding on the defensive line while adding guard Mike Iupati from the 49ers and AQ Shipley from the Colts. Once again, the Cardinals should be the biggest challengers to the Seahawks in the NFC West.

Pick: Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions at San Diego Chargers 

The Detroit Lions enter 2015 looking to build on a promising season last time around, effectively ended by a controversial call overturned in the playoffs against Dallas. Their defense will look vastly different though. Run stuffers Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairly are both gone, while Haloti Ngata has been brought in from Baltimore. In the draft they gave more help to QB Matt Stafford, taking offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson in the first round, but it's second round pick, running back Ameer Abdullah, who's caught the eye in pre-season. With star WR Calvin Johnson now fully fit, partnered by Golden Tate, the Lions are again going to challenge the Packers in the NFC North.

After a frustratingly inconsistent season last time, the San Diego Chargers will hope for better. For much of the offseason, speculation surrounded the future of QB Phillip Rivers but he put pen to paper on a lucrative extension and will once again lead their offense. RB Melvin Gordon was taken in the first round. The worry is that Brandon Oliver has looked the better back through pre-season and with Ryan Matthews now in Philadelphia, a lot is expected from Gordon.

The Chargers claimed a couple of players from AFC West rivals Denver through free agency – Mitch Unrein and Orlando Franklin alongside adding veteran wide receivers Steve Johnson and Jacoby Jones - but the question remains over the depth of talent in the Chargers roster. This opening day contest will be a good gauge of just how much they have improved.

Pick: Detroit Lions

Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos 

This is a big season for the Broncos in what may prove to be QB Peyton Manning's last. He'll be keen to prove wrong those detractors who suggested his arm had gone at the end of 2014. Gone from his armoury are WR Wes Welker and TE Julius Thomas, but the Broncos added veteran experience in the form of TE Owen Daniels, while signing star WR Demaryius Thomas to a long-term contract alongside the addition of LB Shane Ray with their first pick in the draft. Make no mistake, the Broncos remain in "win now" mode and with Gary Kubiak replacing John Fox as head coach, expect Denver to rely more heavily on the run game than in previous seasons.

The Ravens of course were Super Bowl winners themselves in 2013 and they gave the New England Patriots an almighty scare in the playoffs last season. They re-signed RB Justin Forsett but traded away DT Haloti Ngata to the Lions. They lost speedster Torrey Smith in free agency but replaced him in the first round of the draft with WR Breshad Perriman, and gave QB Joe Flacco another receiving threat when they took TE Maxx Williams in the second round. The question will be whether Forsett will give them the same production as last season. If not, then this offense may struggle; heaping the pressure on their defense.

An opening game at altitude in Mile High is a tough place to start the season.

Pick: Denver Broncos

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Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders 

Optimism surrounds the Oakland Raiders heading into the new season. QB Derek Carr enters this season after a promising rookie campaign in difficult circumstances. The Raiders took the best WR in the 2015 draft, Amari Cooper, and they look forward to seeing what a fully fit Latavious Murray can produce at running back. The porous Oakland defense was addressed in free agency by adding DT Dan Williams from Arizona, the safety position was strengthened when they signed Nate Allen, while former Saints MLB Curtis Lofton was also brought in. Don't underestimate the impact new HC Jack Del Rio can have on this team nor the addition of Rod Woodson to his coaching staff after cutting his teeth in Seattle.

The Bengals have been a measure of consistency, making the playoffs in each of the past four years, but they've lost every playoff game they've played in that period. The emphasis in the draft was placed on improving their offensive line, taking Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in the opening two rounds. Defensively they've acquired talent and proven experience, with DE Michael Johnson returning after one year in Tampa, while former Packers' LB AJ Hawk should provide depth.

The Bengals should once again be in contention for a post-season berth while the Raiders, with so much young talent, will likely be erratic but much-improved on Oakland teams of recent years and could turn a few heads.

Pick: Oakland Raiders

Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

A year ago everyone was tipping Lovie Smith to turn around the ailing Buccaneers but it didn't happen. They were so bad, they ended up with the first overall pick of the draft and took Florida State QB Jameis Winston. With the second pick, the Tennessee Titans selected Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota – the QB who led Oregon to victory over Florida State in January's College Championship semi-final. What initially looked like one of the least interesting match-ups in week one is now set to be nationally televised across America.

Lovie Smith is hoping for much more from the Bucs defense and strengthened it with free agent signings Henry Melton and safety Chris Conte – both are players he is familiar with from his time in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Ken Whisenhunt reportedly turned down a king's ransom from Philadelphia in order to select Mariota, who then gave him another receiving weapon - selecting the mercurial but talented WR Dorial Green-Beckham in round 2.

Regardless of the result, all the attention will be on the two rookie quarterbacks with both teams hoping they made the right selection. The Buccaneers appear to have a stronger roster this year but it wouldn't be a surprise if both teams struggled again.

Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys 

"America's team" find themselves among the pre-season Super Bowl favourites for the first time in a long time. They have largely retained all the key players who took them to within a catch of the NFC Championship game last season, with WR Dez Bryant signing a lucrative long term contract, but they've lost the league's leading rusher from last year, DeMarco Murray, who signed with rivals Philadelphia. Defensively they should be much improved, drafting two players with first round grades – CB Byron Jones and LB Randy Gregory. They also added DE Greg Hardy in free agency and have LB Sean Lee fully fit again. Arguably the best business the Cowboys did in the offseason, though, was re-signing defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. 

The Giants are excited about their offensive weapons with WR Victor Cruz now healthy again to partner the explosive Odell Beckham Jnr. Despite taking offensive tackle Eric Flowers in the first round of the draft, questions remain over the ability of their offensive line to protect QB Eli Manning. Defensively there are concerns as well, although they did address the safety position when they selected Landon Collins in the second round. If the Giants are to compete with the Cowboys and the Eagles in the NFC East this year, much will depend on their offensive stars producing on a consistent basis and that starts with a prime time match-up in Texas.

Pick: Dallas Cowboys

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Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons

Remember the last time a team finished the 10-6 and promptly traded away it's starting QB, leading rusher and allowed it's leading receiver to walk away in free agency?  Neither do I! That's exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles did this offseason though. Now, it should be noted they signed DeMarco Murray, the NFL's leading rusher from Dallas, while acquiring Kiko Alonso, a highly rated LB in the trade that saw LeSean McCoy go to Buffalo. It's thought they tried to move heaven and earth to move up in the draft and pick Marcus Mariota, but ultimately their starting QB will be Sam Bradford – a good player but one who's had no luck with avoiding injuries.

It's a big season for HC Chip Kelly who's now in charge of decisions regarding player personnel. He's been extremely active but for all the talk about systems and the style of play in Philadelphia, he's still to lead them to a playoff win and last season's utter collapse when the NFC East title seemed to be theirs for the taking will weigh heavily in his thoughts. Make no mistake, the Eagles will fight it out with the Cowboys once again, but the question is, will Chip Kelly's high-octane offense finally deliver success?

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Meanwhile the Atlanta Falcons would love to have the problems Philadelphia wrestle with. It's two years since the Falcons made it all the way to the NFC Championship game. Since then, they haven't even finished a campaign with a winning record! Change is afoot in Atlanta though. Rookie Tevin Coleman looks set to start at RB, WR Julio Jones will be hoping to benefit from a stronger offensive line although the loss of veteran WR Roddy White for the second half of pre-season following elbow surgery was a blow.

On defense, the Falcons made a concerted effort to improve and rookie first round pick, LB Vic Beasley, has impressed through pre-season. They also added CB Jalen Collins in the second round and initial reports suggest that the strong defensive philosophy of new HC Dan Quinn is stamped on this team.

A much stronger showing is expected from an Atlanta team that just couldn't get over the finish line in tight games last season. Even so, an opening day game against the high flying Eagles is a tough test.

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles

Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers

Has any team had a worse offseason than the San Francisco 49ers?  I don't think so. Jim Tomsula is now the head coach after the acrimonious departure of Jim Harbaugh. A whole raft of veteran players have either retired, left or in Aldon Smith's case, been sacked. This was a team, 12 months ago, expected to contend for a place in the Super Bowl. Now it's a franchise very much in rebuilding mode - not good when you consider the NFC West is arguably the toughest in football. 

The loss of veteran starters, Patrick Willis, Justin Smith and impressive 2014 rookie Chris Borland have ripped the heart out of this defense. While on the offensive side of the ball, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati will all play in different jerseys this year. Free agent signing WR Torrey Smith gives them a deep threat but in truth, the 49ers are a team with a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball.

The one man you wouldn't want to see in the opposition backfield is Adrian Peterson. After missing all but one game in 2014, Peterson returns with the Vikings and is keen to make a point. QB Teddy Bridgewater will hope to improve on a promising rookie campaign and the experienced Mike Wallace gives Minnesota an option to stretch the field. HC Mike Zimmer continued to improve the Vikings defense in the draft, taking CB Trae Waynes in the first round and LB Eric Kendrics in the second. Do not be surprised if the Vikings are in the mix with the Lions and the Packers come the end of the season at the top of the NFC North

Pick: Minnesota Vikings

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