Games of the Week

 


The opening weekend of the NFL season is here. As will be the case each week during the regular season, every Friday I’ll be offering my five favorite games on the Sunday slate. Let’s dive into our Week 1 gold-star matchups.

Sunday Early Games:

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
About: The Bengals went to the Super Bowl in 2021 and the AFC Championship Game in 2022. They’re one of the top contenders in the AFC again in 2023. The Cleveland Browns, meanwhile, are hoping Deshaun Watson is the answer at quarterback and they can make a playoff run of their own. This is one of the bi-annual battles for Ohio and a heck of a way to kick off the season. It’s also the most appealing of the early window games by far.

Sunday Late Games:

Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos
About: Speaking of rivalry games, here is another great one for opening day. The Raiders and the Broncos is a storied rivalry that got bigger last year when former Broncos’ coach Josh McDaniels took over the Raiders. The Raiders swept Denver in 2022, but with Sean Payton in town the Broncos are hoping for different in 2023. There are big stakes for both teams as they each need to start strong in a crowded AFC West.

Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots
About: The Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl appearance and remain one of the best teams in the NFC. The Patriots, meanwhile, are hoping for a little better on offense. Can the presence of Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien and new weapons Mike Gesicki and Juju Smith-Schuster make a difference? This figures to be an entertaining matchup, one that will showcase just how far the Patriots have come this off-season.

Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers
About: The late window is by far the better window on opening weekend, as evidenced by this being the third late window game on this list. Both the Dolphins and Chargers were playoff teams in 2022. And both have quarterbacks—Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert—taken back-to-back in the 2020 NFL draft. The Dolphins are hoping to ride Tua to another playoff berth, while Herbert is hoping new Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore and his plethora of weapons can help get the Chargers further in 2023. One of these teams will start off hot but both need wins to catch the front-runner in their division. Expect a heck of a battle.

Sunday Night Game

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
About: This was already a fun game before you consider that both of these teams were playoff teams a year ago. The Giants brought back Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, adding Darren Waller as a weapon in the passing game. But can the defense hold up against the Cowboys? Mike McCarthy is taking a more hands on approach with the offense, which added Brandin Cooks in the passing game and plans to feature Tony Pollard in the running game. Dak Prescot is 10-2 against the Giants in his career, can he get to 11? This should be a fun way to cap the first Sunday of the NFL season.

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