Preseason Week 1 Early Games

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Friday, August 12

Cleveland at Green Bay (NL, NL), 8:00 pm - On the surface, and, if it were regular season, this would be a massive mismatch. Cleveland was tied with Tennessee at 3-13 for the league's worst record last season, while the Packers made the playoffs as a wild card. Not hard to take Green Bay here. They had an unusual cancellation last week for the Hall of Fame game, so they're prepped and ready.

Coin Flip: Coin came up tails, which means the coin is a Browns fan. Why?

Prediction: Packers 23 Browns 7

Oakland at Arizona (-2 1/2, 37 1/2), 10:00 pm - The Cardinals were a win away from the Super Bowl, but were routed by Carolina, 49-15. They're a quality unit, having gone 13-3 during the 2015 regular season. They should be ready to roll against a horribly understaffed opponent. The Raiders haven't done anything good since losing to Tampa Bay, 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII and that was a long time ago.

Coin Flip: Good coin. Took the Cardinals.

Prediction: Cardinals 30 Raiders 18

Saturday, August 13

Seattle at Kansas City (-2 1/2, 35 1/2), 4:30 pm - Are Seattle's best days behind them? Russell Wilson thinks not, but a return to the Super Bowl is a mirage at this point, beckoning on the horizon. It could happen, but Kansas City is as good as they get and they're likely to pull off the upset here.

Coin Flip: Coin goes for Seattle. Probably likes seafood for breakfast.

Prediction: Chiefs 21 Seahawks 17

Indianapolis at Buffalo (NL, NL), 7:00 pm - Buffalo is supposed to make the playoffs this season, but they said that last year and the year before that. They do have the makings of an exciting team, but already have some injuries, most notably at running back, where they added Reggie Bush to fill the void for now. Probably not enough time to get this team ready for actual hitting, so Fearless Rick will take the points and the Colts.

Coin Flip: Colts.

Prediction: Colts 20 Bills 13

Dallas at Los Angeles Rams (-4, 35), 8:00 pm - There's finally a team in LA and they get the honor of hosting the underperforming Cowboys in their preseason opener. A win would be good for morale and for the fans. Oddsmakers are putting it to the Rams with the biggest spread of the week, but it shouldn't matter. Could be Tony Romo's final season. Case Keenum should be behind center for the start of this contest.

Coin Flip: Likes the Rams.

Prediction: Rams 27 Cowboys 9

San Diego at Tennessee (-2 1/2, 35 1/2), 8:00 pm - Phillip Rivers is back for the Chargers as usual, but wheat's changed is the makeup of the AFC West with the departure of Peyton Manning from the Broncos. The division is literally up for grabs, which should give San Diego fans some serious hope for the playoffs. The Titans are not so Titanic, as they sank to 3-13, tied with Cleveland for the league's worst record. Tennessee allowed 423 points in 16 games last year. Look for the Chargers to light them up.

Coin Flip: Likes the Chargers!!!

Prediction: Chargers 38 Titans 10

Sunday, August 14

Houston at San Francisco (-3, 36), 7:00 pm - Rebuilding year for the 49ers means fans will need to buy a program to keep up with the many new faces on the field here. Houston snuck into the playoffs with a 9-7 mark, capturing the AFC South when Indy imploded, but the 'Niners were just 5-11 and really down and out after letting go of coach Jim Harbaugh, which was surely a big mistake. Tough start for the 49ers.

Coin Flip: This coin must be a zloty, because it's liking San Fran.

Prediction: Texans 24 49ers 14