NFL Week 1 Picks: Predicting the Winner and Final Scores for All Season Openers

It’s been 212 days since NFL fans have seen a competitive NFL game.

Preseason is all well and good for desperate football fans, but it’s not nearly as good as the real thing. When the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos host the Carolina Panthers in a rematch of their 24-10 victory in Super Bowl 50 on Thursday night, the 2016-2017 season will (finally) begin.

Although Panthers quarterback and reigning league MVP Cam Newton doesn’t see this game as a grudge match, according to the Associated Press, it’s hard to ignore the pressure that Newton must be feeling. His Panthers have the fourth-best odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, according to Odds Shark. 

That Super Bowl loss hurt Newton, as well as the rest of his team. Has Carolina learned from the loss? That remains to be seen. But the team has certainly taken it as motivation heading into Thursday night’s game.

“No one likes losing, so I took it extremely personal,” Newton said to AP concerning the defeat to the Broncos.

Despite losing cornerback Josh Norman in free agency to the Washington Redskins, the Panthers are a much-improved team heading into the new season. With the likes of wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin returning from an ACL injury last year in training camp, while retaining a core nucleus of receiving targets (Devin Funchess, Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn Jr.), Newton should have no problem repeating last season’s 45-touchdown performance (35 pass, 10 rush). 

The Broncos, on the other hand, are in a tough situation. 

Not only did they lose defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan during the offseason, future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning also retired. Throw in an offensive line that is under construction, and the Broncos are a vulnerable team going up against the NFL’s sixth-ranked defense from last year. 

The Broncos should come out with a lot of energy following their Super Bowl pregame ceremony, but that adrenaline rush will soon vanish toward the end of the first half as Carolina’s defense begins to settle in against Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, a former seventh-round pick.

Former 7th-round pick Trevor …

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