The NFL season is about to fully kick off on Sunday and some of the best games of the weekend include the Green Bay Packers taking on the Chicago Bears, NY Giants facing the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos hosting the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles playing the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night football.
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers opened the season on Thursday night and that game saw the Pats win at home with four touchdowns from Tom Brady. The teams now have some extra time off as the rest of the NFL gets into action. The Giants and Cowboys have the Sunday night game and there is a double header on Monday night with the Eagles taking on the Falcons and the Vikings playing the 49ers.
Best games of the week:
1. Green Bay Packers against Chicago Bears:
One of the oldest rivalries in the NFL continues as Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler face off. The Packers are dealing with Jordy Nelson being out for the season and that is one major obstacle for Rodgers and the offense to overcome. The Bears are not 100 percent healthy coming in with Alshon Jeffery dealing with an issue, while the Packers had Randall Cobb strain his shoulder in the preseason. Cobb is expected to play on Sunday even if he is not 100 percent and the matchup will be from Soldier Field in Chicago.
2. Baltimore Ravens against Denver Broncos:
The Ravens and the Broncos are both expected to be contenders in the AFC this season and they will matchup in Week 1 at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos have Peyton Manning looking to get things done at 39 and his health could be the key to Denver making it back to the Super Bowl after their tough loss to the Seahawks. The Broncos have Gary Kubiak taking over and they will have pressure to make another run this season. The Ravens let Torrey Smith go in free agency and Joe Flacco will have to rely on Steve Smith, Breshad Perriman and Justin Forsett on offense.
3. NY Giants against Dallas Cowboys:
The NY Giants and Dallas Cowboys will open the Sunday Night Football schedule in Week 1 and the game from AT&T Stadium is one of the highlights of the weekend. The Giants will be without Victor Cruz, but the team has Odell Beckham healthy and ready for a repeat after what he did against the team last year on SNF. The Giants just signed Eli Manning to a contract extension and they are looking to get back to the playoffs this year. The Cowboys have Super Bowl aspirations and they should have a strong team once again with Dez Bryant and Tony Romo leading the offense.
4. Detroit Lions against San Diego Chargers:
The Lions and the Chargers matchup is one of the underrated games of the weekend and this could be a high scoring battle. Both teams have strong offensive playmakers and quarterbacks that can put up points and this game will be out west in California. The Chargers have Melvin Gordon coming in as a rookie, while the Lions have Ameer Abdullah in year one and looking to make an impact. Both of these teams could be in playoff contention in their respective conferences.
5. Philadelphia Eagles against Atlanta Falcons:
The Eagles and Falcons are opening Monday night football and both teams are looking to make it to the playoffs this season. The Eagles made a number of changes this offseason with Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray coming in and Chip Kelly has high expectations for this team. The Falcons had a tough season and they are looking to bounce back after finishing with a losing record. Julio Jones comes in after inking an extension and he is expecting a big season with Matt Ryan.
Check here for the NFL schedule.