Lions stun defending champs. Plus, NFL Week 1 predictions and fantasy advice
The 2023 NFL season is here!
And who predicted the outcome of the NFL Kickoff Game? Perhaps already spoiling the survivor pools of some football fans were the upstart Detroit Lions, who got Week 1 off to a roaring start!
About last night: Detroit Lions 21, Kansas City Chiefs 20 — Perhaps the Lions will be a force to be reckoned with this season. After barely missing the playoffs last season, the Lions were pegged as an NFC North favorite this season. There's no doubt it, this was a statement win, going into Arrowhead Stadium and spoiling the Chiefs' Super Bowl 57 victory celebration.
- Winners and losers of Lions' season-opening win over Chiefs
- PHOTOS: Best images from Lions-Chiefs in NFL Kickoff Game
Game of the week: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets — Not sure if you've heard, but Aaron Rodgers is now the Jets' quarterback. His first game with Gang Green is a doozy, going up against the team that's won the AFC East division title three straight seasons. This is the second time that the Jets have tapped into the aging Green Bay Packers quarterback market in hopes of turning franchise fortunes around. Remember 2008? Brett Favre came on board and played one season for the Jets, who got off to an 8-3 start before losing four of five to close out the season and miss the playoffs. Rodgers (and the Jets) hope for better.
Sneaky-good game of the week: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns — The AFC North figures to be one of the NFL's most competitive divisions. The Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to compete for the division title, with the Browns a mystery team with quarterback Deshaun Watson entering his first full season with the team. Joe Burrow missed most of training camp with a strained calf muscle. The Browns also have won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Bengals, with last season's Week 14 Cincy win being Burrow's first against Cleveland.
Survivor Pool Game of the Week: Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens — A rookie head coach (DeMeco Ryans) and rookie quarterback (C.J. Stroud) hitting the road to face one of the AFC's predicted Super Bowl contenders makes this game a no-brainer survivor pool pick. It's Week 1, which can be unpredictable. It's no time to take any risks with these picks, so play it safe and advance.
Also, if you haven't already signed up for Paste BN Sports' survivor pool, do it now! It'll make the season even more fun.
NFL Week 1: Pigskin prognostications
- Week 1 picks: Paste BN Sports' panel of experts has provided fans with the great public service of making prognostications for every game this weekend.
- Lorenzo's Locks: Paste BN Sports' Lorenzo Reyes considers the Steelers against the 49ers one of the week's best bets.
- NFL Week 1 betting odds: Which teams are favored this week.
- 2023 season predictions: Paste BN Sports experts weigh in with their Super Bowl 58 picks, playoff teams and individual award winners.
- Power rankings: See how all 32 teams stack up heading into the new season.
NFL news, notes and analysis
- Joe Burrow gets lucrative contract extension: The Bengals quarterback passed Justin Herbert to become the league's highest-paid player.
- Head coach hot seat rankings: Nate Davis identifies seven coaches who already are on notice.
- QBs at a crossroads: Jordan Love and Zach Wilson are among seven quarterbacks drafted highly in the past four years who enter a crucial season in their respective careers.
- Ranking possible new playoff teams for 2023: Dating to 1990, when the postseason field expanded to 12 teams (it increased to 14 in 2020), at least four clubs have qualified in every season after missing the playoffs the year before.
- Which 2022 playoff teams might miss postseason in 2023? If at least four teams that did not make the playoffs last season do so this season, then there are 2022 playoff teams that will get relegated to also-ran status this season.
- Charting the NFL's airtime domination: The 2023 NFL schedule continues a four-decade evolution where the league has found new days, new times and even new countries to expand its footprint.
Fantasy football: Get your lineup right
Of course you want to start the new season off with a win. We're here to help. Our fantasy football experts have valuable advice to get the most out of your lineup.
- Fantasy rankings for Week 1: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's games.
- Studs, duds and sleepers: Here are some names to know going into Week 1. Trey Lance is a full-time starter, but can fantasy owners expect big things from him when the 49ers play the Bears?
- 5 fantasy players to target with Cooper Kupp missing time: Among the possibilities are three Rams players and a rookie receiver in the Rams' own division.
Week 1 NFL schedule
(All times Eastern)
Thursday
Sunday
- Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Arizona Cardinals at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
- Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
- Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday
- Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)
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