The NFL Season Starts with the Classical Rivalries and Rookie QB Face-Off

The long wait is over – the new NFL season starts this weekend. It opened with the New England Patriots victory Thursday night, but the main action as usual awaits on Sunday. There will be blood sweat and tears – we can promise you that.

The Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots gave start to the NFL 2015 regular season. Reigning champions defended their home field and won the game 28:21. Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady threw all 4 touchdown passes to his tight ends Rob Gronkowski (3) and Scott Chandler (1). Steelers’ offence was moving ball pretty efficiently, but the struggles in the red zone and two missed field goals in the 1st quarter kept them from challenging Patriots.

The first NFL week continues on Sunday afternoon with 13 matches. Here are the previews to some of the most attractive duels:

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

One of the most intriguing matchups will take place in Chicago where Bears will host their eternal NFC North division rivals Green Bay Packers. Packers are considered the favorites to not only win the division but also the entire NFC while Bears are highly unlikely to make the playoffs. Still iconic rivalry between these two teams is always a guarantee of an intriguing and high scoring match.

Both teams lost their receivers during the preseason. Packers star wideout Jordy Nelson is out for the season with the hamstring injury, but the team resigned veteran James Jones. Bears will also have to play without the talented rookie Kevin White. How the teams will adapt after those loses may have a big impact in this match.
The TonyBet NFL experts expect Packers to win by 6-7 points and given all the available information we agree that the Wisconsin team should crush Illinois’ opposition.

Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams

A few years ago the NFC West was widely considered as the toughest division in the entire NFL. However, mostly because of the San Francisco 49ers downswing, the times had changed. Still Seattle Seahawks made it to the last two SuperBowls and won one of them.

While Rams finished last in their division for the last two seasons they were able to challenge Seahawks at home. Last October Seahawks left St. Louis beaten and it was one of only four of their regular season loses. Now Seahawks are starting the season with a number of dilemmas at the offensive line while many NFL experts affirm that Rams improved their offence. Therefore the duel in St. Louis should be intriguing.
TonyBet expects Seahawks to win by 3-4 points, but we think the point difference can be even bigger – especially if this offseason’s new addition, star tight end Jimmy Graham finds a common tongue with the Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

Another divisional matchup with a taste of an old rivalry. Last season Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East and went to the NFC Championship game. New York Giants can’t share the same success as of late, but in the second part of last season rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. exploded and now he is considered as one of the best if not the most talented wideouts in the NFL.

The Giants also improved at the backfield by adding the SuperBowl champion running back Shane Vereen. On the other hand Cowboys lost their star running back DeMarco Murray. Is the Cowboys offensive line strong enough to keep the run game at the same level with the yet unproven running back Joseph Randle and newcomers Darren McFadden and Christine Michael?
TonyBet is predicting the Cowboys victory by 5-6 points. We are believers too. Cowboys victory even with a -5,5 disadvantage is an attractive bet.
Tennessee Titans @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Get ready for the battle of the two first picks in the 2015 NFL draft. NFL experts are almost equally divided into camps of Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose quarterback Jameis Winston with their 1st overall pick who is considered mature enough for the NFL starting QB job. While those on the Mariota bandwagon state he is more talented and will become one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

The Titans used their 2nd draft pick on the Oregon product. Who will shine and who will become a disappointment? Symbolic week 1 matchup between the two talented rookie QBs should help answer this question.
TonyBet predicts the Buccaneers win by 3-4 points, but it’s really hard to predict the final result because of the many changes on both teams. If you decide to bet we would suggest choosing Titans with a +3.5 advantage as the performance of the Buccaneers’ offensive line was quite disappointing this preseason.

Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills

The Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck will start his 4^th year in the NFL with high expectations. The Colts offense has explosive power which can be envied by almost any NFL team. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is coming back after an impressive sophomore season while the team had also added a veteran wideout Andre Johnson whose experience should help this young team improve. One more offseason addition is veteran running back Frank Gore. He is 32 already, but many believe that Gore still has fuel for at least a year or two left in his tank.

On the other hand, Buffalo Bills changed their face significantly in comparison with the last season. New coach Rex Ryan, new quarterback Tyrod Taylor, new running back LeSean McCoy, the list continues. Week 1 duel against the powerful Colts will be a perfect test for the renewed Bills team.
TonyBet expects a Colts’ win by 3 points and we believe that it’s worth supporting them as there are many questions on the Bills squad and Colts must find the answers.
Other Sunday games:
Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans

Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets

Miami Dolphins @ Washington Redskins

Carolina Panthers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints @ Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions @ San Diego Chargers

Cincinnati Bengals @ Oakland Raiders

Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos

The first NFL week concludes with two Monday Night games. In the battle of the birds Atlanta Falcons will host Philadelphia Eagles. Meanwhile young and talented Minnesota Vikings will visit Bay Area to challenge San Francisco 49ers who are considered to be the team who lost the most during this offseason. Eagles and Vikings would be our favorites there.