NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 1 Picks late games

NFL Pro Football 2008 Week 1 Picks - late games

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week 1 Picks - Late Games

Rick Gagliano | September 7-8

All times Eastern - Click here for early games.

SUN, SEP 7

Dallas (-5 1/2, 49) at Cleveland 4:15 PM - Boy, those Cowboys are sure good, aren't they? They went 13-3 and got booted right out of the playoffs by the Giants last season, so let's put 2007 behind us and focus on winning a season opener on the road. The Cowboys are loaded, but they suffer from overconfidence and it will be interesting to see how well they handle adversity, which will happen right away in this game when Cleveland begins putting points up on an overrated defense.

Dallas may have big aspirations, but remember, so too the Browns, who missed the playoffs despite going 10-6. Don't be fooled by the line. This game is huge for Cleveland and they should win it and maybe embarrass the Cowboys into taking teams a bit more seriously.

Prediction: Browns 31 Cowboys 24

Carolina at San Diego (-9, 41 1/2) 4:15 PM - Hello, San Diegans! Tour Chargers are not the greatest team in the world. In fact, they're not even the best team in the conference. While the Chargers are likely to win this game, the chances of them putting down Carolina by more than a touchdown are somewhat remote. Last I looked, everyone for the Panthers is relatively healthy and their defense is pretty darn good. The Chargers have an elite offense, but the defense still suffers from lapses of mediocrity and that's where the Panthers get to stay in the game.

Prediction: Chargers 23 Panthers 17

Arizona (-2 1/2, 42) at San Francisco 4:15 PM - Something about this game just makes me uneasy. Oh, yeah, the Cardinals are playing on the road. Last season, they went 2-6 away from Phoenix and lost their opener by a 20-17 score at - you guessed it - San Francisco. History, while it may not repeat itself, sure rhymes well. Shock and aw-shucks.

Prediction: 49ers 21 Cardinals 20

Chicago at Indianapolis (-9 1/2, 44) 8:15 PM - At last we get to see Eli Manning's brother in action. Yeah, we missed you, Peyton. Now get out there and shred the Chicago defense like only you can. Of all the games this weekend, this stands out as the true mismatch. Hey, Sunday qualifies as a school night, so we don't want all those kids staying up late to watch the second half, do we. Reading is Fun-da-mental. So is tackling, something the Bears haven't done well lately.

Prediction: Colts 31 Bears 10

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MON, SEP 8

Minnesota at Green Bay (-2 1/2, 38) 7:00 PM - Only the NFL would give us two Monday night games to open the season, and this first one is a good one. The Vikings are looking to replace the Packers as the class of the NFC North and they have the defense to do it. They also have a guy by the name of Adrian Peterson who should end up being one of the league's greatest running backs. The Packers are going to be wondering why they didn't resign Brett Favre after this game because there will be no offense.

Prediction: Vikings 20 Packers 9

Denver (-3, 41) at Oakland 10:15 PM - While neither of these teams are likely to make the playoffs, they are rather evenly matched and know each other well. Last season, they split, both winning at home, but the Broncos only won by 3 points, 23-20.

It's simple to assume that the Broncos would like to improve off their 7-9 performance of 2007, but wouldn't the Raiders like to do better than 4-12? Probably, and what better place to start winning than in your own division. Oakland made a slew of moves in the off-season, and if everything jells, they could become quite competitive. A young, untested backfield with sky-high potential is the key. If JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden pan out, the Raiders will be trouble for everyone. They certainly are good enough right to to compete against the Broncos.

Prediction: Raiders 27 Broncos 21

All times Eastern - Click here for early games

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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