Week 1 Picks

Opening night of the 2011 season did not disappoint.  The Saints had a chance to tie the game on the final play, yet somehow couldn't think of something more creative than an inside run.  After the Packers had dominated the interior line all game, you just knew that call was doomed from the start.

So I'm 1-0 in my picks on the season.  I'd like to go out on a high note, George Costanza style, but there are 266 more games to be played.  Here's my take on Week 1:

Season Record - 1-0

Record Against The Spread (ATS) - 1-0

Steelers at Ravens - As the home team and my pick to win the AFC North, I think the Ravens get some revenge for last year's playoff loss.

Pick - Ravens

ATS - Ravens (-2 points)

Lions at Buccaneers - The Lions are one of my wild card teams, but the late-summer Tampa heat will cause them to stumble out of the gate.

Pick - Buccaneers

ATS - Buccaneers (-1.5)

Falcons at Bears - Ray Edwards makes an immediate impact for his new team and shows that the Bear o-line will be a season-long headache for Chicago fans.

Pick - Falcons

ATS - Falcons (-2.5)

Bills at Chiefs - These two teams played an entertaining overtime matchup last year, and this time the Bills will come out on top.

Pick - Bills

ATS - Bills (+6)

Colts at Texans - Kerry Collins has never beaten a Wade Phillips-coordinated defense, but the Indy veterans have too much pride to bow down easily.

Pick - Texans

ATS - Colts (+9)

Eagles at Rams - The "Dream Team" hits the ground running, and the Rams don't have the receiving firepower to keep up.

Pick - Eagles

ATS - Eagles (-4)

Bengals at Browns - The Browns defense will need some time to learn its new system, but it'll be more than ready to handle Andy Dalton.

Pick - Browns

ATS - Browns (-7)

Titans at Jaguars - If Luke McCown wins this game, it would double the amount of victories he has in his career.

Pick - Titans

ATS - Titans (+2)

Giants at Redskins - Justin Tuck or not, if the Giants defense can't hold against Rex Grossman, then it will be a long year for New York.

Pick - Giants

ATS - Giants (-3)

Panthers at Cardinals - I don't think Kevin Kolb is the cure-all in Arizona, but he should be able to lead them past the worst team of last season.

Pick - Cardinals

ATS - Panthers (+7)

Seahawks at 49ers - It won't be pretty, but I like Tavaris Jackson to edge out Alex Smith in a low-scoring affair.

Pick - Seahawks

ATS - Seahawks (+5)

Vikings at Chargers - The Vikings front seven will remain stout, but San Diego won't need to run the ball to win this one.

Pick - Chargers

ATS - Chargers (-8.5)

Cowboys at Jets - In a game swirling with emotions, the Jets receivers will capitalize on the banged-up Dallas secondary.

Pick - Jets

ATS - Cowboys (+5)

Patriots at Dolphins - Bill Belichick has won seven straight opening week games.

Pick - Patriots

ATS - Patriots (-7)

Raiders at Broncos - You'll recognize John Fox's impact immediately when Denver's defense does something it couldn't do last season: slow down Darren McFadden.

Pick - Broncos

ATS - Broncos (-3)

Odds taken from USA Today.