New England Patriots @ New York Jets: 1:00pm EST: 9-9-2007
Significance: The Patriots and the Jets. First and foremost, the Patriots come in missing their heart and soul on defense, and they’re still getting 7 points from the oddsmakers on Sunday. This will also be the first time football fans get to see Randy Moss do his thing with Tom Brady. Laurence Maroney will be running against a laid back Jets defensive front, so he’ll immediately get his chance to prove his value as the featured back in New England. The Patriots are a heavy favorite to win it all this season, and with the wealth of talent they collected in the draft and free agency, I can see why. The Jets aren’t going to just lay down and take it, though, expect a close game here.
Line: Patriots (-7) @ Jets (+7) Over/Under (41)
History: The Jets and the Patriots are conference rivals, and probably the only two teams with a chance to take the AFC East. Also, Eric Mangini, now the head coach in New York, was once Bill Belichick’s right hand man. Since the Jets tried to make a deal with Deion Branch last season, things have been a little testy between the two former friends. Also, the Patriots took the division last year, and ousted the Jets from the AFC playoffs. Lots of history, and two good teams – sounds like good television.
Chicago Bears @ San Diego Chargers: 4:15pm EST: 9-9-2007
Significance: This game matches up two of last years’ best regular season teams. Yes, if the regulars season numbers meant a match up in the Super Bowl, the Bears (last years #1 seed in the NFC Playoffs) and the Chargers (the AFC’s #1 seed) would have met up in the Super Bowl. But, with a little bad luck in their game against the Patriots, the Chargers didn’t finish it off, and they went home early. The Bears are trying to make a run back to the Super Bowl, and there’s not a better way to prove themselves than to go toe to toe with one of the AFC’s best teams. This should be a barn-burner advertising two conference favorites.
Line: Bears (+6) @ Chargers (-6) Over/Under (42.5)
History: The Bears have won each of the last 4 match-ups against the Chargers. Also, a little added note, the Chargers, who had their entire coaching staff stripped and replaced, goes into the season with Ron Rivera as their linebackers coach. For those of you who don’t know names of defensive coordinators in the NFL, Ron was Chicago’s DC for the last few years. Do you think he wants a chance to oust the team who let him go last season? Rivera has been the head of one of the most feared defenses in football over the past few seasons, and now he gets to teach Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips how to be even better.
Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals: 7:00pm EST: 9-10-2007
Significance: The Bengals and the Ravens go toe to toe in the AFC North. Both teams have their upside. The Bengals boast one of the most dynamic offenses in the league, while the Bengals defense strikes fear into the hears of every offensive unit in the league. Surely, these two juggernauts will put on quite a show for Monday Night’s opener. The Bengals think they can make a run at the Ravens’ hold on the AFC North, well they’ll have to prove it in Week 1 by holding down the fort when the Ravens visit.
Line: Ravens (+3) @ Bengals (-3) Over/Under (40.5)
History: The last 10 games between these conference foes have meant a split. Last season they split the series, as the these two teams played two 6 point games ending with the home team on top both times. However, Cincinnati has dealt with the Ravens early dominance and turned it around by winning 4 of the last 5 contests. This will be the toughest matchup in Week 1, as both the Ravens and Bengals have something to prove, and neither team feels they can start off the year a game down in the AFC North. Oh, and Chad Johnson has a knack for playing big against the Ravens, and on Monday Night Football you can only expect Chad to impress.
