NFL Picks 2013: Week 1

Here we are, folks. Kickoff for opening night is a mere two days away. It seems like just yesterday we were watching the lights go out in the Superdome while Baltimore was taking down San Francisco to win a second Vince Lombardi trophy … well, okay. Not like yesterday. Let’s be honest. Life just isn’t the same during the offseason – it feels like an eternity since the last real football was played.

But that ends soon.

This is the third year in a row we’ll be doing a season’s worth of picks. Last year we invited some guest bloggers to join us. This year, we’ve got some new faces joining the Zoneblitz team. You’ve been reading Anthony Maggio’s fantasy football advice here now for a couple months. Rich Larson contributed to our season previews. Both will also be making weekly picks.

To review, I’ve gotten the best of my brother two years running. In 2011, I came on strong in week 17, going 12-4 to hold off Tony, who finished 10-6. So I went 172-84 for the season and he went 169-87. Last year we slid just a bit. Tony dropped to 161-94-1. He did lead the picks competition through week 16, but a 27-5 run in the last two weeks allowed me to overtake him with a 166-89-1 mark.

Overall, I’d say we haven’t embarrassed ourselves too badly at picking these games. I’ve hit at a 66.1 percent clip while Tony has been correct 64.6 percent of the time. We’ll see if the new guys can keep pace with us.

Game of the Week: Baltimore at Denver – There are always great games in week one. This season is no exception. It will be interesting to see the rematch between Green Bay and San Francisco. The 49ers whipped the Packers twice in 2012, including the playoff game in which Colin Kaepernick ran wild. The NFC East rivalries are on display, with all four teams facing each other in potentially crucial divisional matchups. And the Falcons/Saints tilt, featuring the return to the sidelines of Sean Payton for New Orleans, also provides scintillating NFL drama for opening weekend.

But we’re going with the rematch of the divisional round playoff game in which Baltimore’s Joe Flacco completed a long touchdown pass to send the game into overtime. The Ravens went on to win in double overtime and then, ultimately, sent Ray Lewis and Matt Birk into retirement with championship rings. Peyton Manning and Co. are perhaps even stronger offensively than they were last season and, overall, the Broncos probably are the most talented team in the AFC. Does their march toward a Super Bowl appearance start this weekend? Or are people sleeping on the dramatically retooled, but still talented Baltimore squad that went through so much turnover during the offseason? We find out this weekend.

Game of the Weak: Kansas City at Jacksonville – There are a few less than stellar matchups this week. Outside of seeing how Lamar Miller and Jordan Cameron perform for various fantasy football teams I don’t have a ton of interest in the Miami/Cleveland game. New England at Buffalo, Tampa at New York Jets, Houston at San Diego  and Oakland at Indianapolis have a chance to turn into one-sided games with one team appearing, at least on paper, far superior to the other.

But the Chiefs/Jaguars game matches two teams that flashed matching 2-14 records last year. Both teams have signed at least seven players off of the scrap heaps of the rest of the league’s teams since cut down day and Kansas City’s opening weekend roster features 30 new players. There is some talent on the Chiefs roster – they did have six representatives in the Pro Bowl in February. But this is still the least compelling game of the week.