Now that college football officially kicked off last weekend, we can shift our focus to the NFL's opening Sunday slate this afternoon. Which games should you keep an eye on?
↵5. Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars - 12:00 PM
The Titans are playing the Jags in the other AFC South battle today, and it should be a close one. Jacksonville surprisingly released QB David Garrard earlier this week, and they are going to be starting Luke McCown under center to open the season. Meanwhile, the Titans finally reached an agreement with RB Chris Johnson, and newcomer Matt Hasselbeck will be leading Tennessee at quarterback. I think CJ runs all over the hapless Jags, and Hasselbeck manages the game effectively enough to win.
Prediction: Titans 27, Jaguars 17
4. Minnesota Vikings at San Diego Chargers - 3:15 PM
Donovan McNabb will be making his Vikings debut this afternoon in San Diego, and this looks to be a high-scoring affair. Philip Rivers and the Chargers always have high expectations, and I think they'll probably have another winning year in the weak AFC West. It will be interesting to see someone besides Brett Favre lead the Vikes, and McNabb shouldn't need to play great with Adrian Peterson in the backfield. I believe that Minnesota will play good early but drop this one in the fourth quarter.
Prediction: Chargers 31, Vikings 24
3. Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets - 7:20 PM
New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will be looking to slow down the Jets' strong running game in his first game leading the Cowboys. On the other sideline, New York head coach Rex Ryan will be up to his normal crazy antics, and this game should be emotionally charged because it's the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks today. As much as it hurts me to say this, I think the Cowboys' explosive offense steals one on the road while Felix Jones has a very big game.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Jets 24
2. Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens - 12:00 PM
If you're a fan of hard-nosed football, be sure to watch this AFC playoff rematch today at noon. Both teams play strong defense, but I'm especially anxious to see how Ray Rice performs with new FB Vonta Leach paving the way. Watching the 5'8 Rice bounce off would-be tacklers is always exciting, and I think the home crowd in Baltimore will help the Ravens pull this one out late.
Prediction: Ravens 20, Steelers 17
1. Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans - 12:00 PM
In a rematch of last year's season opener, our hometown team will try to get off to a good start against the Manning-less Colts. Veteran QB Kerry Collins will be leading Indy, and new Texans' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips couldn't have asked for a better matchup to begin the season. We still don't know if Arian Foster will be able to play, but I don't think his absence would hurt the offense too much. Matt Schaub will put up numbers like he always does, and the new defense should hold the Colts to a couple scores at most.
Prediction: Texans 28, Colts 14