Take the shot, Ice ... take the shot ...Yeah, I've felt for about a week now. No one wants to take a shot at Viper -- er, I mean, the games on tap for Week 1 of the 2014 NFL season. Well, I'm not scared.There are a myriad of tough contests Beau Brade Jersey to predict. Can 's revamped offense pull off an upset in Kansas City? Are the Bucs for real? What the heck do you make of 's game? How he will perform against what was one of the worst teams in pro football last year? All of these questions are answered below -- but not without some serious deliberation -- and consumption of Mountain Dew (not Baja Blast).Regardle s of your leanings, this is the time to get excited. We've waited since the first weekend of February for real football to resume -- and it's here. Then again, your leanings do matter. Hit us up with your thoughts or predictions on the opening set below ... is the place.Let's go. This could end up being a real shootout -- like 37-34 or higher -- but let's allow for some ramp-up time for highly touted rookie receiver and running backs and . That said, 61 total points is still 61 total points. The key will be how much the Atlanta pa s rush can disrupt ' pa s protection, because if the answer is "not at all," he'll pick apart the host team. Speaking of protection, we'll all find out together if will get more help this year from the ' linemen, starting with newly minted left tackle . Close contest in Baltimore, unlike that resulted from this same matchup in Week 1 of the 2012 season. Whether has a chance to again bomb the into submi sion (21-for-29 pa sing for 299 yards and two scores on that night two years ago) depends largely on how much time he gets. The Baltimore offensive line has been a topic of conversation; after all, you can't blame all of 2013's running woes (the had rushing attack) on and . Meanwhile, talk all you want about , but Cincy's - Expre s could very well decide who starts the year one game down in the AFC North. "Rare it is, an NFL game with no field goals." -- Yoda, talking picks. Buffalo's offense will have trouble getting within range of the uprights, and I'm not sure Chicago's special teams unit can do anything correctly. Thus, it comes down to the ' offense vs. that underrated defense. will throw a pick-six early on, but ultimately, the trio of , and will be too much for Buffalo. This Tyler Linderbaum Jersey will be especially true if can't get things going, in which case the field-position advantage will reside squarely with the home team. Thinking veteran running back will have a nice afternoon for Buffalo. It's hard to take him off the field. Washington wins a close game in Houston determined by a couple of key turnovers. The need to run the football early and often -- how well they'll be able to do that depends on the ' front seven, which can rush the pa ser but probably won't be as effective against the run this season. If I were Houston, I'd punish . Then again, backup might get into the game before that happens ... which would make Washington a better team. Nah, better to just let tackle himself. Here is your upset of the week. Coach will get that offense going, and with the host ' offense having sputtered for the majority of the preseason, this contest could come down to special teams. Kansas City scored all sorts of return touchdowns last year; perhaps rookie can get his club on the board early on Sunday. I'm anticipating a quietly efficient effort from Tenne see quarterback (17 for 25, 225 yards) with some nice runs -- but not too many -- out of the pocket. New England will be up 34-17 in the fourth quarter when the ' pa sing attack gets going. Sure, it won't be enough, but at some point, we need to see some urgency from , and Co. Of course, that will be much easier for the Fins to accomplish if someone emerges in their running game. The 34 points for the Pats stems from the expectation that comes out fast and is on the field in Miami. But we will see. It'll also be interesting to learn how much trusts , or if ends up being the man. Alternately, Belichick could turn some previously unknown into fantasy heroes. Ah, a rematch of the 1968 AFL title game. That was an all-timer of a showdown, folks, with quarterback Joe Namath making and Daryle Lamonica -- aka, "The Mad Bomber" -- to sing the rock on the other side for the . If vs. at MetLife Stadium Brandon Carr Jersey is the sequel, it sure feels like Actually, two huge figures in this matchup will be the veteran running backs. How much pop will give the New York offense, and how much does have left in the keg for Oakland? Fully expecting this one to be close through three quarters, with Philly pulling away in the fourth. , who will consistently test the ' run defense, should put up 125 rushing yards for the host . What we need to see is what Jacksonville coach 's pa s rush can provide. That has been a major weakne s for some time now, but if you were paying attention to Jags football outside of and in the preseason (or at all, for that matter), you might've noticed the pa s rush showed some life. By the way, it's imperative for to get off to a fast start, so the whole city of Philadelphia doesn't full-on soil their Ricky Jordan underoos. goes 34-for-56 pa sing for 491 yards and rushes for 53 more in Pittsburgh -- and then the fan controlling him quietly shuts off his video game console so he can finish watching "American Pickers." What can the real-life Hoyer do against this defense? Not much, especially if he doesn't get help from Cleveland's receivers. has to catch 60 balls in the slot this year, while someone must replace suspended stud 's big-play ability. might be able to do it, at least until he has a hamstring injury in Week 3. As for Pittsburgh, I can't wait to see rookie linebacker join forces with veteran to disrupt this struggling offense. Watching tight end square off with Shazier and the ' safeties should be fun. The idea that these two squads can put up this many points might be pie-in-the-sky thinking. The ' defense should be able to shut down quarterback ; St. Louis' offense, meanwhile, is relying on a journeyman quarterback in and the most suspect receiving corps in the West (west of the Mi si sippi, that is, not just in the NFC West). probably will be called upon early and often, but his Minnesota counterpart, , will be the kicker who hits from 50-plus yards twice in this game. Overall, needs to dominate for the Vikes to pull off the road win. Still very curious about St. Louis running back , though. Yes, you read that score right: I'm calling another upset. The ' offense simply will be too much for a San Francisco defense mi sing some key playmakers. The Niners' back four, in particular, will be tested all day long in Dallas. might throw a boneheaded, late-game pick, but he'll have enough time to work behind a suddenly strong offensive line. , meanwhile, . And to all those people burying veteran San Francisco running back , I'll say that I think he'll pick up 90 yards on one of the worst defenses in football (including the college ranks, too). </content:weekly-predictions> Low-scoring affair down in Tampa, as the slow-footed offense feels the effects of a) not being 100 percent, b) the running game lacking explosivene s (still) and c) rookie receiver needing more time. One intriguing matchup for footballheads will be Carolina's Jordan Gro s-le s offensive line vs. a Bucs pa s rush that hasn't been stout since Jon Gruden was roaming the sidelines. Gruden's old position is now, of course, being filled by , and the thinking here is quarterback does just enough against the NFC's top defense to make Smith's first foray as Bucs head coach a victorious one. Expect some growing pains for the new squadron of defenders coming out of the gate in Denver. Give it some time; running around in shells (jerseys and shorts) and playing a few series in Tre'davious White Jersey the preseason isn't enough. That said, the group that will have the hardest go of things in Week 1 will be the ' secondary. While I see struggling some early as he tries to do too much, that won't last long, as you know he wants to quickly wash away everyone's memories of that lo s. And yes, we're aware Manning is playing his former team and rising young quarterback ... but didn't we get 10 gallons of that when they faced off in Indy last year? Give me some , though. Big Blue's offensive woes continue with what some are referring to as the "Ben McA- don't" scheme. We could go on all day about how must avoid committing costly turnovers -- like throwing picks or fumbling while trying to spin out of sacks -- on the road, but we won't. running backs and presumably will be asked to test the alleged strength of the ' front four. Expect Detroit coach to call on between the 20s and in the red zone, so that this one doesn't turn into a 60-pa s special. Methinks the rush for more than 120 yards and win. shows a national television audience that last year's resurgence was no fluke. Now, this doesn't mean the quarterback will throw for 380 yards in the desert; that's not going to happen against this secondary. Instead, look for a highly efficient game by the Bolts that includes a lot of , with short pa ses to mixed in; tight ends and should also be factors. For Arizona, it is so important to get young running back involved early, so that can make things happen off play-action. Budding receiver should be a huge factor for the Cards this season. But for this game, I'm thinking Zay Flowers Jersey San Diego is a slightly better team. This should be one of Week 1's best. ALREADY COMPLETED: Green Bay puts up 14 points in the first half in Seattle but can't control the game late. The should be able to run the football some on this front, especially the way second-year pro has been going. The key matchup will be between that Seattle pa s rush and ' protection. As for the ' offense, should be able to get the ball to and , at least to the point that they're converting key third downs. Otherwise, I'm not looking for a huge day from RWI. If this does come down to a Hail Mary, Seattle is screwed, as -- the ' -- will be pushing off as a member of the on Monday night. Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter .