Now that the first regular season NFL games are behind us, I have two opinions. First, I think the Green Bay Packers are the real deal once again and will be the team to beat in the NFC. Second, I think their path to back-to-back Super Bowls will be much harder than I first thought; especially with the Chicago Bears showing they are still hanging around and the Detroit Lions showing some serious improvement. In fact, I think the NFC North champ might not be determined until the final week of the season.
The Carolina Panthers were one of the teams that surprised me last week; especially with that performance by their rookie quarterback Cam Newton. However, I’m not quite ready to classify Newton as elite after just one game either; mostly because the Cardinals did rank near the bottom of the league both in overall defense and pass defense last season (something that likely didn’t get improved by trading cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the season-ending injury to Greg Toler).
I don’t see Newton putting up the same kind of numbers against the Packers’ veteran secondary; especially if Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers can find ways to bring pressure.
The thing that does concern me about this game is the Packers’ trip to Soldier Field the following week to face the Bears. The Packers are significantly better than the Panthers but could be upset if they are thinking about their divisional matchup and aren’t concentrating on the team they are facing.
That being said, I have confidence in Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s ability to keep his team focused and see this as an easy win.
Packers 28 – Panthers 7
Other predictions:
The Detroit Lions will beat the Kansas City Chiefs
The Oakland Raiders will beat the Buffalo Bills
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will beat the Minnesota Vikings
The New Orleans Saints will beat the Chicago Bears
The Baltimore Ravens will beat the Tennessee Titans
The Indianapolis Colts will beat the Cleveland Browns
The New York Jets will beat the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Pittsburgh Steelers will beat the Seattle Seahawks
The Washington Redskins will beat the Arizona Cardinals
The Dallas Cowboys will beat the San Francisco 49ers
The New England Patriots will beat the San Diego Chargers
The Houston Texans will beat the Miami Dolphins
The Denver Broncos will beat the Cincinnati Bengals
The Atlanta Falcons will beat the Philadelphia Eagles
The New York Giants will beat the St. Louis Rams.
My Overall Record – 7-9 (.438)