Packers at Steelers — Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy faces off against his former former team. The biggest thing I’m looking for in this game is the QB2 competition behind Aaron Rodgers. Right now, it’s Will Howard or Drew Allar. With the Steelers looking to make one last playoff run, they might not be in a position to acquire a top 2027 NFL Draft QB. Howard or Allar could be the long-term answer Pittsburgh.

Lions at Bengals — I’ll be watching the RB competition in Detroit. Yes, Jahmyr Gibbs just secured a long-term contract but with Isaiah Pacheco spraining his MCL earlier this week the backup RB job could be up for grabs. Pacheco is projected to be back by the regular season, but if not Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors could get the next opportunity to spell Gibbs.

Colts at Patriots — It would be easy for me to say the QB2 battle between Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson, but the truth is I don’t care. But the RB2 battle is much more intriguing. Seth McGowan, a rookie that I liked quite a bit (he was my RB10 in the class) vs DJ Giddens, a player that tugs my Kansas State Wildcat heartstrings. Unfortunately Giddens was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Chargers at Texans — I’m going to go deep in my NFL Draft scouting bag for this one. Two rookie UDFAs at running back fighting for a roster spot. Noah Whittingon from Oregon against Joshua Pitsenberger from Yale. David Montgomery is getting up there in usage and Woody Marks will be a pass catching third-down specialist. I had Pitsenberger (RB25) slightly higher than Whittington (RB27) because of his ability to return kicks. I think that’s the role Pitsenberger will be looking to secure.

Cardinals at Raiders — Carson Beck vs Fernando Mendoza. Could this be the face of the NFL for the next 10 years?? Let’s face it: Beck smashed in the Hall of Fame game. He went 15-for-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown in his first career action. On the other side, the heir apparent to Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas will make his NFL debut. Coming off a Heisman and a National Championship everyone should be excited about watching good guy Mendoza.

Titans at 49ers — The Titans new uniforms are HOT HOT HOT. The nod to the Houston Oilers couldn’t have come at a better time. Brace for my season predictions in a few weeks because I’m going to say some unhinged things about my expectations for the Titans this year. I’m not predicting playoffs; the AFC is too deep and has too much top quarterback talent. But I think the Titans will have a winning record this year. I’m all in on the Cam Ward and Brian Daboll pairing, and I’m all in on Robert Salah’s defense.

Buccaneers at Jets — Geno Smith had a bad day at practice on Tuesday and was nearly strip sacked by Reuben Bain Jr. on Wednesday. Baker Mayfield is an unhappy impending free agent. The Jets have another backup QB storyline developing that could have real playing time effects. Rookie Cade Klubnik is listed as QB2 on the depth chart and will make his NFL debut against Tampa on Friday. If Smith continues to struggle, Klubnik may be in for early action. Unfortunately for the Bucs, there is no succession plan or even backup option for Baker. They better hope everyone stays healthy.

Broncos at Falcons — The Broncos are down a pair of centers, so while it may not matter come week one there was a fumbled snap at practice on Monday. The depth behind starter Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth is slim. One additional thing I’ll be watching is the kick return battle behind Marvin Mims. Last year it was a combination of Tyler Badie (who may not make the roster) and RJ Harvey who was flat out bad. The latest news is Tua vs Jarrett Stidham. Bo Nix will not play.

Dolphins at Commanders — Who is catching passes from QBs Jayden Daniels and Malik Willis? I highly doubt either of them are playing tomorrow night, but outside of Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs there’s a battle for the Commanders WR3. Rookie Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey will battle for snaps behind the top two. In Miami, the situation is much murkier. Malik Washington, Jaelen Tolbert and rookie Caleb Douglas are the first team starters. None have proven NFL production, and Willis isn’t a proven starter. Expect a slow start for Miami.

Browns at Bears — For Cleveland, all the talk has been about the QB battle. But I’m focused on the offensive line. After trading for and extending Tytus Howard, the Browns drafted Spencer Fano with the 8th overall pick. The pair has been flipping back and forth in practice between the left and right side. With another talented rookie in Austin Barber listed as the backup, I’ll be looking at how this line comes together.

Panthers at Bills — I’m looking to the Buffalo defense in this one. The Bills have added a tremendous amount of young talent over the past couple of seasons. It’s time for that talent to develop, produce and help Josh Allen and James Cook to a Super Bowl. Second year players Deone Walker, TJ Sanders and 2025 first round pick Maxwell Hairston are now firmly in starting roles. TJ Parker (35th), Davison Igbinosun (62nd), Kaleb Elarms-Orr (126th), Jalon Kilgore (167th), Zane Durant (181st) and Toriano Pride Jr (220th) were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft and bring much needed depth. Parker, Igbinosun and Elarms-Orr will all be asked to make an immediate impact.

Vikings at Giants — A few words to Giants fans… I’m so sorry Matt Nagy is your offensive coordinator and play caller. You’re in for a brutal season. Nagy is one of the only people on this planet who can stifle Patrick Mahomes. It was truly unbelievable how bad he made the game’s greatest player look at times. I do not see this offense and its limited weapons being good enough to overcome a very bad offensive scheme. A few words to Vikings fans… yikes JJ McCarthy. I thought he was going to be good. Once he publicly stated his “9” persona he rightfully became a meme.

Rams at Chiefs — A potential Super Bowl preview. Hopefully they hop in those hideous color rush uniforms from the electric Thursday Night Football game everyone remembers. For both these teams, a Super Bowl is the expectation. Health remains the biggest priority. It’s a long season ahead. I’ll be interested to see the 3rd string QBs go at it, Garrett Nussmeier vs Ty Simpson.

Jaguars at Saints — I’m excited to watch the rookie wide receivers, starting with big time camp hype for Josh Cameron of the Jaguars and Barion Brown of the Saints. I had both of those guys in the 250-300 range (preferred UDFA). Both were drafted inside the top 200 in the 6th round. Their rookie teammates in Saints’ 4th rounder Bryce Lance and Jags’ 6th rounder CJ Williams are looking to make good first impressions as well. Both teams have fairly established starting WRs so this will be a battle for depth.

Eagles at Ravens — More rookie pass catcher talk sparks my interest in this one. For the Ravens, Ja’Kobi Lane has been the talk of camp. He’s making highlight reel plays every day. But I’ve BEEN on the Lane Train baby!

Cowboys at Seahawks — Could this be a potential NFC Championship preview? I think it’s a long shot given the Rams, Eagles and NFC North exists. Seattle has a legitimate case (duh, they just won the Super Bowl!) but Dallas scares me a bit. I think Caleb Downs is going to be an absolute steal; he was my top-rated player in the class. But they drafted a developmental pass rusher in Malachi Lawrence with the other of their first-round picks. We know the offense is stacked with a top 10 quarterback in Dak Prescott and two top 10 wide receivers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but the defense is going to have to be consistently good in order for the Cowboys to make a deep playoff run.

I’ll usually have the gambling odds next to the games during the regular and postseason, but if you’re betting this… please don’t.