It’s finally here. The 2016-2017 NFL season officially gets underway Thursday, September 8. Those of us baseball haters and Olympics band-wagoners who pouted our way through the summer with no football to watch can finally smile with an excuse to sit on the couch with the shades drawn all day. But enough about me, let’s talk about games worth watching in week 1.
Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos: Thurs 9/8, 8:30 pm est
A lot has happened since these two teams met in Super Bowl 50. Peyton Manning gave a thumbs up as he rode
off into the sunset.  Former backup QB, Brock Osweiler gave a middle finger up as he rode out of Denver into the Texans locker room. Von Miller got the deal of a lifetime and Cam Newton attempted to reshape his sore loser image after storming out of the Super Bowl post-game press conference. As of this writing, the Broncos’ starting QB is a guy named Trevor Seimian, the 250th pick in the 2015 draft.  So while Denver’s offense seems a bit up in thin air (pun intended) the defense is still solid. Denver’s offense will continue to be carried by its dominant defense led by Von Miller, Aquib Talib and Demarcus Ware. Look for Cam Newton and Company to pout their way back to Carolina after this rematch.
Green Bay Packers @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Sun 9/11, 1:00 pm est
The best thing that Jacksonville has going is that their 1st round draft pick, Jalen Ramsey, is bouncing back from a knee injury and will start at cornerback for the Jaguars in week 1. Jaguars QB Blake Bortles is completely mediocre along with the rest of the Jags supporting cast. In the meantime, Aaron Rogers is looking to forget last season where he posted his career-worst statistics (60.7 completion percentage, 6.7 yards per completion) since becoming a starter in 2008. As long as Eddie Lacy lays off the burgers and fries, the Packers will dominate this match up and start the season undefeated.
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys:Â Sun 9/11, 4:25 pm est
These NFC rivals should be a matchup worth watching right? Not quite. Both these teams are coming off terrible 2015-2016 seasons. The Cowboys finished the regular season 4-12 and the Giants 6-10. With Cowboys QB, Tony Romo sidelined with another back injury, Dallas signed veteran Mark Sanchez to a one-year deal. Look for Cowboy’s star WR Dez Bryant fantasy value to diminish along with the hopes of a better season than last. Not even home field advantage will help Dallas win this opening matchup. Giants will win this snooze fest.
Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks: Sun 9/11, 4:25 pm est
There’s no comparing quarterbacks here. Seattle QB Russell Wilson is just plain old better than Miami QB Ryan Tannehill. That being said, the Dolphins are a relatively young team and WRs DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills could be a duo that could cause problems even for the most talented defenses. The Seahawks at home will come out on top but keep an eye on those Miami receivers as potential waiver wire gems.
Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers:Â Mon 9/12, 10:20pm est
The single gimme for this match up is that people on the east coast will only stay up long enough to see QB Colin
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Kaepernick sit during the national anthem. The 49ers have named Blaine Gabbert as their starting quarterback for week 1 which means Kaepernick will likely be sitting for the entire game. The national anthem thing has become a distraction for the 49ers locker room and it doesn’t seem to be going away. Rams star running back, Todd Gurley, ran for 10 touchdowns and averaged almost 5 yards per carry in 2015. At only 22 years of age Gurley is just getting started. Look for the 49ers to start the season winless.
Jules Rules: The wait is finally over! Enjoy the wild ride of NFL season 2016-2017.
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