Trav’s 2024 NFL Week 1 Picks

September 4, 2024 SportsByTrav

The 2024 NFL season has finally arrived. The Kansas City capped off last season with another championship after their win over San Francisco in the Super Bowl. No team in NFL history has pulled off the three peats in the Super Bowl era. Green Bay won three NFL championships in a row from 1965-1967, which included Super Bowl I. The Chiefs kick off the season at home against the team they beat to reach the Super Bowl and that’s Baltimore. The Ravens are still trying to get to that elusive Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson at the helm. On Friday, the Philadelphia Eagles will battle the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. There have been a lot of talk about players safety regarding their matchup in Brazil. For Week 1, I’ll be predicting every game this weekend. Let’s check out Trav’s 2024 NFL Week 1 Picks.

As mentioned, Week 1 kicks off on Thursday night as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is coming off a season where they were the top seed and Lamar Jackson won the MVP. Unfortunately, they fell to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. The Ravens defense should still be one of the better ones in the league. They signed Derrick Henry and if he’s anywhere near the Henry we know, then the league is in trouble. Kansas City is beginning the season with a pair of offensive guys on the sideline. Hollywood Brown will miss the game after hurting his shoulder earlier in preseason. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss at least the first four games as he battles a severe bout of PTSD. In a surprise, I’m picking Baltimore to win this one. Ravens Win 24-21

We have the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Green Bay Packers from Brazil on Friday on Peacock. Green Bay had a slow start last season, but by the end of the season they were one of the best teams. Jordan Love torched the Cowboys in the playoffs and the team rewarded him with a contract extension. The Packers have a talented and young receiving core, and they signed Josh Jacobs to sure up the backfield. Was last season a fluke or just showing what’s coming from this team? The big signing for the Eagles was Saquon Barkley to an already impressive offense. Philadelphia also brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to help the depleted secondary one they addressed in the draft. The Eagles have two new coordinators, but how will they respond to the starters not playing in the preseason? In a tough one, I’m picking Philly. Eagles Win 31-27

We have the Pittsburgh Steelers heading down south to Atlanta to face the Falcons. Mike Tomlin has named Russell Wilson the starter for the Steelers to begin the season. Wilson brings a lot of experience, but the Pittsburgh offense looked awful during the preseason. The defense for Pittsburgh will be one of the better ones this season. Can they pressure Kirk Cousins enough to force mistakes? Can the Steelers put some points on the board against this tough Falcons defense? Kirk Cousins has stated that he’ll be ready by Week 1 after recovering from his Achilles injury. If not, they have Michael Penix Jr., who’s more than capable of playing right now. The Falcons defense has two of the best safeties in the league after signing Justin Simmons. I’m going with Atlanta to come out victorious in Week 1. Falcons Win 27-17

The Arizona Cardinals will make that cross country trip to Buffalo to take on the Bills. Arizona finished as one of the worse teams in the league last season. Despite their lack of winning, they were one of the toughest teams as far as competing last year. They drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. to be their new number one receiver for the foreseeable future. Kyler Murray enters the season healthy and with a lot to prove this season. Buffalo will begin the season with a receiving core looking to prove themselves. They traded Stephon Diggs to the Texans while drafting Keyon Coleman in the process. Curtis Samuel will have the opportunity to shine in this offense. No matter what, everything revolves around the play of Josh Allen. Allen should have a good game and lead them to the victory. Bills Win 30-20

The Tennessee Titans will head to Chicago to take on the new look Bears. The Will Levis era for Tennessee officially kicks off as he’s the guy for the Titans now. The Titans signed Tony Pollard away from the Cowboys to replace Derrick Henry this season. Tennessee signed Calvin Ridley to a huge contract to play alongside DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins missed most of the preseason with a knee injury that didn’t require surgery. Will Hopkins be available in Week 1? The Bears completely overhauled their roster during the offseason. They traded Justin Fields to make room to draft Caleb Williams with the top pick in the NFL draft. Chicago traded for Keenan Allen, drafted Rome Odunze, and extended D.J. Moore so the receiving core is set. D’Andre Swift is the new running back and I’m going with Chicago to win. Bears Win 27-16

The New England Patriots begin the season on the road in Cincinnati to face the Bengals. New England will start the season with Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback. Despite drafting Drake Maye with their third overall pick they’re going with the veteran. The defense will be without their top star in Matthew Judon after he was traded to Atlanta. New England will have a better chance with their veteran Brissett, but will it be enough to win? The big issue with Cincinnati is the availability of Ja’Marr Chase. Chase sat out the entire preseason because he wants a new contract. Chase has a couple of years remaining on his rookie deal. Joe Burrow returns after missing most of the season after having wrist surgery. This will be a tough contest, but Cincinnati should leave with the win. Bengals Win 31-20

We have an AFC South battle as the Houston Texans travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts. Houston is one of my top 5 AFC teams coming into this season. C.J. Stroud had one of the greatest rookie seasons for a quarterback. The Texans added Stephon Diggs to an already impressive receiving core. Cam Akers and Joe Mixon should be a great 1-2 punch out of the backfield. The defense will be even better this season with the addition of Danielle Hunter. Everything will depend on the play of Anthony Richardson at the quarterback position. Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. are two key components on offense. The Colts defense will surprise a lot of people this season. How will Richardson hold up against the pass rush of the Texans will be vital. I’m picking Houston to get the win on the road. Texans Win 34-20

The Jacksonville Jaguars will head down south to Miami to face the Dolphins. Jacksonville is looking to put the last season behind them. They feel like Trevor Lawrence is still their franchise quarterback and they rewarded him with a contract extension. The Jags lost Calvin Ridley, but they brought in Gabe Davis so this may be an issue. Davis is good, but not the receiver Ridley is. The defense improved by picking up Arik Armstead, but he’s coming off an injury. Miami is going all in this season by adding veterans in key positions. After a lot of talk about his future, the Dolphins inked Tua to a massive extension. They should be solid on both sides of the ball. If Tua can continue to grow, they’ll be a tough team to beat. I’m picking Miami to win the opener. Dolphins Win 31-21

We have two NFC South teams looking to prove everyone wrong. The Carolina Panthers will head to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The Panthers finished last season with the worse record in the league. Bryce Young was running for his life the entire season. The Panthers upgraded their offensive line to protect Bryce Young. They drafted Jonathon Brooks from Texas to upgrade the backfield. They upgraded the receivers by trading for Dionte Johnson and drafting Xavier Legette. New Orleans will have Derek Carr back at the quarterback position for a second season. New Orleans is hoping Chase Young can be the dominant player many thought he’d be after leaving college. Young signed a one year deal to improve the pass rush. This game can go either way, but I’m going with New Orleans to win at home. Saints Win 23-17

The Minnesota Vikings will head to New York to face the Giants. Minnesota will have Sam Darnold starting at the quarterback position. They also signed Aaron Jones from the Packers after releasing Alexander Mattison. The Vikings made Justin Jefferson the highest paid wide receiver in history. The Vikings could be without T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison due to injuries. Despite losing Danielle Hunter, the Vikings defense will still be a great one. The Giants will enter the season without Saquon Barkley after he signed with the Eagles. New York brought in Devin Singletary to fill that void, but they continued to upgrade their defense. New York traded for Brian Burns and gave him a monster 5-year deal. It will come down to how Daniel Jones plays, but the defense will lead them to the win. Giants Win 21-17

We have the Las Vegas Raiders heading to Los Angeles to face the Chargers in an AFC West matchup. The Raiders opted not to sign a big name quarterback or draft one this offseason. Gardner Minshew signed a 2-year deal and he’ll be the Week 1 quarterback. Las Vegas signed Alexander Mattison to pair with Zamir White to form an impressive backfield. The defense should be great after they signed Christian Wilkins to a huge deal. Los Angeles brought in Jim Harbaugh as their new Head Coach this offseason. They drafted Joe Alt to protect Justin Herbert. The Chargers lost a lot of big time players in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler. The Chargers are looking to be more physical, and it started by bringing Gus Edwards as their new starting back. Los Angeles should edge the Raiders in this one. Chargers Win 20-17

We have the Denver Broncos traveling to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. The Broncos will have a completely new and revamped offense. They drafted Bo Nix in the first round, and he has been named their starter for the season. Tim Patrick and Jerry Jeudy are no longer with Denver, but they are bringing in Josh Reynolds to help the receiving group. Denver is banking on their defense to be just as good as they were a year ago. Geno Smith is hoping to lead Seattle to the playoffs. The Seahawks got off to a hot start last season before faltering and not even making the playoffs. Seattle has one of the toughest defensive lines in the league, but there’s a question at the safety position. Seattle and the 12^th Man will be tough for a rookie quarterback. Seahawks Win 24-14

The Dallas Cowboys will head to Cleveland to face the Browns. The Cowboys made a lot of headlines in the offseason for the lack of free agent moves. CeeDee Lamb finally got the contract he wanted about a week ago. The talk is now about Dak Prescott and his contract. The Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott and signed Dalvin Cook. How will this Cowboys team respond to all the contracts talk from the offseason? Cleveland is surprisingly one of my top 5 teams in the AFC this season. The health of Deshaun Watson will dictate how far this team can go this season. Nick Chubb will begin the season missing at least four games as he recovers from his horrific knee injury. Jerry Jeudy and Amari Cooper are two great receivers and Jerome Ford played well after Chubb’s injury. Cleveland will upset the Cowboys. Browns Win 31-28

The Washington Commanders will head south to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers. The Commanders begin a new chapter with a new coach and quarterback. Dan Quinn takes over the team as the new head coach and they drafted Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick. Washington already has one of the best defensive lines in the league. They added future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner at the linebacker position. The Commanders added pieces like Austin Ekeler to help Daniels. Tampa Bay is looking to capitalize on their playoff run from a year ago. They locked up Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans by giving them extensions. They did deal Carlton Davis III to the Lions and Devin White to the Eagles. Can the Bucs begin the season with a win? I’m going with them to barely edge the Commanders. Bucs Win 24-21

We have the first Sunday Night game of the season between two of the best in the NFC. The Los Angeles Rams will make that cross country trip to Detroit to face the Lions. Los Angeles focused on revamping their secondary during the offseason. They signed Tre’Davious White, Darious Williams, and Kamren Curl. On offense, they brought over Jonah Jackson to help protect Matthew Stafford. They are hoping Cooper Kupp can stay healthy to have one of the best offenses in the NFC. Detroit is my top team in the NFC as we enter the 2024 season. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are arguably the best 1-2 punch at the running back position. The receiving core are elite, and the defense received upgrades everywhere. This could be the beginning of a special year in Detroit as they win this one. Lions Win 30-20

The New York Jets head to San Francisco to face the 49ers in the first Monday Night game of the season. The Jets are hoping to have a healthy Aaron Rodgers for the entire season. Rodgers tore his Achilles during the opening night a season ago. The Jets are banking on some veterans to put this team over the top. They brought in Mike Williams and Tyron Smith with hopes of them being healthy enough to contribute. They brought in Haason Reddick, but he continues to holdout. San Francisco finally signed Brandon Aiyuk to a contract extension after it looked like he was gone. They lost a couple of pieces on defense, but they reupped in the process. Leonard Floyd and De’Vondre Campbell are two additions to an already elite defense. I’m going with San Francisco to win their home opener. 49ers Win 27-20