2019 Week 1 NFL Picks

By the Football Garbage Time Staff

If you followed last year, you won over 60% of your picks, and we aim to do even better this year.

And if you’ve been following us, you know that we here at Football Garbage Time have gone head to head against Wally, Will and Ray at Urban Sports Scene on our NFL Picks for the last 4 seasons.  Why?  Because they’re awesome competitors, they KNOW their sports, and, heck, they’re just good guys!  This year we’ll have their picks up right HERE, so keep it tuned in, to both us and them, because we’ll be picking all season all long.

Without further to do, here we go:

Week 1 Games

Ha Kung Wong’s Picks

Ha Kung’s Thoughts:

Last year I ended up with a 66% record for the season, so that’s four years in a row with over a 60% pick rate.  Plus, I had a 94% record on Locks of the Week.  Don’t worry, I don’t plan on stopping now!

So let’s see get to that Lock and Upset for Week 1…

Lock of the Week => Seattle Seahawks (-9.5) over Cincinnati Bengals

OK, I know this is based on last year’s stats, but the Seahawks had the 6th best passing and rushing offense and the Bengals were 18th against the pass and 14th against the run in 2018.  Not much has changed for both sides, and now the Bengals don’t have their top playmaker in AJ Green, who is still recovering from ankle surgery.  Plus the Seahawks now have Jadeveon Clowney.  So, in short, Seahawks are going to win this one.

Upset of the Week => Atlanta Falcons (+4.0) over Minnesota Vikings

It’s tough picking upsets when you haven’t seen the teams play a regular season game yet, and particularly calling an upset on the road, but call this one a hunch.  The Falcons offense never quite came together the way it was meant to be last year, but Matt Ryan still has the most passing yards in the league since 2015 and should have a healthy Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Mohammad Sanu, which makes up Pro Football Focus’ 2nd best WR core in the league, as well as TE Austin Hooper and RB Devonta Freeman to lean on.  This is another one of those top end offenses (Falcons ranked 6th and had the 6th most yards per game in 2018) versus top end defenses (Vikings ranked 4th and had allowed the 4th least yards per game in 2018), but I like the Falcons to come out firing.  Plus, although the Vikings have the better defense, both defenses had a similar number of takeaways in 2018 (Vikings with 20 and the Falcons with 19).  I think the Falcons start off their season with a W on the road.

Joanne Kong’s Picks

Joanne’s Thoughts:

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

2018 Season Record: Buffalo Bills (6-10) @ New York Jets (4-12)

Are you tired of hearing how bad the Bills and Jets are?

Maybe this is the year these two teams won’t be blown off so easily.

The Buffalo Bills haven’t won a Championship since 1964 and 1965, which is before the first Super Bowl in 1967.  Although through 1990-1993, the Bills did manage to lose four consecutive Super Bowls, which is quite a feat.

In 1968, the New York Jets won Super Bowl ll, but since then, the Jets have been only rarely been in the post season and even more rarely close to another Super Bowl.

It’s doubtful these two teams will be in Super Bowl LlV with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots dominating the AFC, but this might be the year fans have something to celebrate.  The Bills have quietly built a team that could be seen as a sleeper for the 2019 season.  With Josh Allen in his second season, a new wide receiver core with John Brown and Cole Beasley and the return of Zay Jones (652 receiving yards and 7 TDs) and Robert Foster (541 receiving yards and 3 TDs), the Bills are looking solid.  Their tight end situation could use some improvement, but moving on from an aging LeSean McCoy to exciting rookie Devin Singletary and veteran Frank Gore gives the offense additional potential.

The Jets are in a similar situation.  They have a second year quarterback with Sam Darnold, and acquired Le’Veon Bell, who’s raring to start the season, complementing him with Ty Montgomery to create a strong back field.  Unfortunately, their wide receiving core is questionable with Robby Anderson possibly being their only play maker after Chris Herndon’s suspension.  The Jets will need to be efficient with their passing attack as they pound the ground hard if they expect to improve in 2019.

In 2018, the Bills defense allowed the 2nd fewest yards in the league, but allowed an average of 23.4 points per game, ranking them at 18th in points allowed.  This underrated defense might just surprise the league.

Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles

If the preseason told us anything, it was that the Washington Redskins were still putting their team together.  Unfortunately for them, Washington will be facing the Eagles’ offensive linesmen, and even naked, they look hard to beat.

Yup, the ESPN 2019 BODY Issue is out and the Philadelphia O-Line is showing what it takes to “fly like an eagle”.

Ryan Whitfield’s Picks

Coming Soon!

Ryan’s Thoughts:

Coming Soon!

Follow me on Twitter – @RyanWhitfieldNE

Scott King’s Picks

Scott’s Thoughts:

And we’re off.   Back for the 100th NFL season.  This offseason seemed short, but maybe because there was so much activity this summer with player movement and contracts.

Anyway, after going 161-91-2 last year I’m planning to do better this year.  The preseason has become a complete waste of time and I didn’t learn anything about any team at this point.  It’ll take a few weeks to figure out who’s who, but here’s a stab.  I hope learn a lot about my Lions, the Jets, Browns and 49ers this week.

Good luck!

Wally’s Picks

Wally’s Thoughts:

Check out Wally’s thoughts at the 31 minute mark of the most recent Urban Sports Scene Podcast!

Ray’s Picks

Ray’s Thoughts:

Check out Ray’s thoughts also at the 31 minute mark of the most recent Urban Sports Scene Podcast!

George’s Picks

Matt’s Picks

Matt’s Thoughts:

Overview 

  • Aaron Rodgers frustration will continue into the early stages of 2019 as the Chicago Bears are just an all-around better team, they’ll get the W to kick off the 2019 season.
  • It seems like every year the New York Jets look like the next Super Bowl contender by thumping their opponent Week 1, only to fade into obscurity/mediocrity/animosity/all of the above. With the Bills coming to the Meadowlands, this Week 1 will be no different. With Sam Darnold quickly maturing perhaps this year’s version of the Jets can peak later than Week 1?
  • The Kyler Murray era begins down in Phoenix. A seemingly rudderless Lions team is the perfect way to start his career. David Johnson’s bounceback season will commence and the Arizona Cardinals will pick up 33.3% of their 2018 win total in Week 1.
  • Jimmy G’s preseason woes will spill over into September and the 49ers will lose to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has the potential to be one of, if not the highest scoring offense this season.

In one of my bigger upsets (the biggest according to Vegas) the Pittsburgh Steelers will jump on the Patriots Week 1, causing everyone to begin the annual freak out over the end of the Patriots dynasty. By Week 8, the Patriots will be 6-2 and well on their way to another January.

In Oakland, Antonio Brown will do something silly both on the field athletically, and then something just actually silly that makes you question his sanity.The Raiders still fall to the Denver Broncos in Joe Flacco’s first game in Orange, Jon Gruden is officially put on the hotseat, and the countdown to Las Vegas will begin.

Upset of the Week

Carolina Panthers vs. Los Angeles Rams

Long-term, the Rams will be fine, as they still have one of the best offenses in the league. However, I like the home Panthers for a Week 1 upset over the Rams. The most recent game the Rams have on footage has a perfect blueprint on how to stop their potent offense. Meanwhile on the other side, Cam Newton and Christian McCafferey’s elusiveness and ability to bounce to the outside will make it difficult for Aaron Donald to do much other then clogging up the middle. Panthers get the upset to start the season 31-20.

Check back next week for our Week 1 results and Week 2 picks!

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