NFL Week 1 Preview: Best Matchups

BY: Justin Paura, Football Analyst 

After a long seven-month hiatus, the NFL comes back this week. It’s tough to fit all 16 games into your schedule, but have no fear, Tailgate is here with the matchups you do not want to miss in the inaugural week of the 2018 season.

Thursday 8:20 p.m. September 6—Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles

Not only is it the first game of the season, but it’s the first chance to see the defending Super Bowl champs since they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in February. Atlanta and Philadelphia saw each other in the divisional round last season with the Eagles winning by just five points, their smallest margin of victory during their playoff run. The Falcons look to recover from a down year after making the Super Bowl two seasons ago and will do it with the same dynamic offense featuring pro bowlers Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles gets the start with Carson Wentz injured as he looks to prove doubters wrong for his team that expects to make another championship run.

Sunday 1 p.m. September 9—Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Giants

Undeniably the best one-on-one matchup for Week 1 is Jacksonville’s Jalen Ramsey and New York’s Odell Beckham jr. Ramsey established himself as one of the best defensive backs in the league and has let the entire league know it by talking all types of trash. On the other side, Beckham missed most of last season with an ankle injury, but he finally got his payday and is ready to prove that he is the best receiver in the game. We also get our first look at rookie running back Saquon Barkley and the Jags defense that topped the league last season. Both teams have a lot of question marks as to whether either of them will make the playoffs and if the quarterbacks can help each team reach their full potentials. Either way, it’s going to be the most fun game to watch.

Sunday 1 p.m. September 9—Houston Texans @ New England Patriots

Did someone say potential AFC Championship preview? It’s become somewhat of a guarantee that the Patriots are Super Bowl contenders, but the same can’t be said for Houston. Deshaun Watson burst upon the scene in his rookie season and is fully healthy for his first full year as a starter. Last season against New England, he exploded for over 300 passing yards and two touchdowns in a brutal 36-33 loss. The offense is set to succeed with him and DeAndre Hopkins, while the defense is shaping up with Jadeveon Clowney, Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu and, possibly, J.J. Watt. The Texans have a boatload of potential and if they can live up to it, they can legitimately give Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and run for their money and possibly get their first ever win at Gillette Stadium.

Sunday 4:25 p.m. September 9—Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys

The second game of the week where a NFC East team takes on a NFC South team. Definitely the two best divisions in the conference and arguably the two best in the league, both Carolina and Dallas have Super Bowl aspirations and number of game changers. Cam Newton looks to get back into MVP form while the Cowboys get their MVP in Ezekiel Elliott for the entire season after he missed six games, ultimately costing them a playoff spot last year. Each team has electric linebackers in Luke Kuechly and Sean Lee to anchor the defenses, but the offenses will steal the show in the day’s best midafternoon game.

Sunday 8:20 p.m. September 9—Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers

The league’s highest paid offensive player versus the league’s highest paid defensive player, all wrapped up in the league’s most storied rivalry? Oh yeah, we’re here for it in primetime. Aaron Rodgers has some work to be done after his injury derailed the Packers’ playoff hopes last season. The Bears have an opportunity to prove they are a force to be reckoned with thanks to the offseason additions of Khalil Mack and rookie Roquan Smith along with the emergence of young stud running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. Big hopes surround this matchup as Chicago’s lack of relevancy have soiled this rivalry as of late, but we think this is the year it finally gets revived.

Monday 10:20 p.m. September 10—Los Angeles Rams @ Oakland Raiders

The Rams are STACKED this season. Todd Gurley may be the best running back in the league, the defense got a lot of help with the additions of Aquib Talib, Marcus Peters and Ndamukong Suh and Jared Goff has another year of experience under his belt. After an 11-5 season, Los Angeles is poised to take that next step this year. As for Oakland, nobody really knows what they’re capable of. Jon Gruden has taken the reigns and completely reshaped the entire franchise; trading Khalil Mack, signing and cutting Martavis Bryant and trading for AJ McCarron. The defense is expected to be very bad, which helps the enigma of this game as the Rams should score in a frenzy. But as for the Raiders offense, it’ll be interesting to see what impact Gruden has after being out of the coaching game for nearly 10 years.