Trending on Google Trends US (nfl games today) with 500K+ searches search interest. NFL Week 1 picks: Upset and score predictions, matchup breakdowns for every game NFL.com
NFL.com editors Jeremy Bergman , Brooke Cersosimo , Gennaro Filice , Bobby Kownack and Dan Parr will predict the winner of every game in the 2026 NFL season, using the unbeatable combo of football analysis and excessive punctuation. Check out their Week 1 NFL picks below.
Why Dan picked the Seahawks: I'm expecting a much more competitive contest than what we saw when the Patriots and Seahawks met in February -- a 29-13 shellacking by Seattle -- mainly because I have concerns about the condition of the Hawks' run game and the back end of the defense. As you might recall, those two facets played leading roles in propelling Mike Macdonald's team to the top last season. The SB LX MVP, Kenneth Walker III , departed in the offseason, and Zach Charbonnet is on the PUP list. That means rookie Jadarian Price and third-year pro George Holani , who has made his bones on special teams so far, will be asked to carry the bulk of the rushing load. Are they up to the challenge against a defense that didn't allow a 100-yard rusher until Week 12 last season?
Also, the Seahawks lost safety Coby Bryant and corner Riq Woolen in free agency. They will be without starting safety Ty Okada , while nickelback Nick Emmanwori is questionable to play as he returns from ankle surgery. Any coverage breakdowns as the new secondary gains its footing could be costly against an offense undoubtedly anxious to feature marquee offseason acquisition A.J. Brown .
Ultimately, I don't trust the Patriots' offensive line -- last seen being ripped to shreds by Seattle's fearsome front -- enough to pick the upset, but I do believe in OC Josh McDaniels' promise that the rematch will be different .
Why Bobby picked the 49ers: It's nearly impossible to enter a campaign with as much hype as the Rams. Los Angeles was already enjoying a promising offseason, having added cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson , when general manager Les Snead swung a trade for the single-season sack king , Myles Garrett . It was such a seismic move that three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald came out of retirement . Can such exultant vibes carry over to the field in Week 1, which is often a toss-up anyway, after a roughly 16-hour flight to Australia? I'm not sold. There's a lot of injury or load-management situations to consider on both sides -- George Kittle , Nick Bosa , Garrett, Donald not traveling to Australia , etc. -- so that doesn't necessarily move the needle on rosters that are formidable with or without a few of the bigger stars. The Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay rivalry doesn't give too much away, either. Although Shanahan is 11-8 against McVay, Los Angeles has won four of the past five contests. Where I (and many others sporting large under-eye bags) draw the line is sleep. While the 49ers flew to Melbourne to acclimate a week ahead of the showdown, the Rams are jetting in 24 hours before the game, hoping to keep their bodies on Pacific Time for a whirlwind victory before turning right around and traveling home. Sleep scientists are divided on the vastly different approaches, but San Francisco's feels safer. If Rams players experience post-travel fatigue, there's no time to fix it.
Why Dan picked the Bears: I've already planted my flag with the Bears , particularly Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson heading into their follow-up to an exhilarating first year together. I'm not going to back down now that Week 1 is finally here.
My pick is largely tied to belief in Johnson's offense and my continued skepticism about a Bryce Young -led attack being able to score enough to consistently win. Yes, there's been a lot of hand-wringing about whether the Bears truly have upgraded their defense, which allowed the fourth-most yards in the league last season and made taking the ball away its signature -- a risky way of doing business from year to year. I'm not sure the Panthers are prepared to fully take advantage of Chicago's weakness, with questions of their own at offensive tackle.
Now, Carolina spent big on defense this offseason with the signings of LB Devin Lloyd and OLB Jaelan Phillips . If Ejiro Evero's crew comes out guns blazing and never lets Williams settle in, things could easily swing in the home team's favor. Unfortunately, the Panthers will be without the player who was supposed to be Phillips' top running mate off the edge, as Carolina's sacks co-leader from last season, Nic Scourton , is out for the season with an ACL tear.
If the game does turn into a shootout -- a distinct possibility I'm leaning toward -- I like the Bears' chances a bit better.
Why Bobby picked the Bengals: Cincinnati admittedly seems to have a bit of an early-season curse. The Bengals finally broke a three-year Week 1 losing streak in 2025, only for Joe Burrow to suffer a long-term toe injury the following game. However, Burrow has been healthy and striking an optimistic tone in the lead-up to the new season, stating he's trying to " manifest " a return to the Super Bowl and can feel this Bengals squad is different " in my bones ." I believe him. Buccaneers versus Bengals figures to be one of the most explosive matchups of the NFL's opening week; Cincinnati has more firepower comparatively, and the offense should be able to hit the ground running. The healthy core of Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase , Tee Higgins and Chase Brown is as consistent as it gets, while Tampa Bay needs to shake off last season's collapse and figure out how to best find success in the post- Mike Evans era. With Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee) both coming back from injuries, there are likely still some growing pains to work through in that process, which could allow for Cincy's rebuilt, Dexter Lawrence -led defense to provide Burrow with just enough of a buffer.
Senior NFL writer Jourdan Rodrigue shares her assessment of the 2026 Cincinnati Bengals on "The NFL Report".
Why Gennaro picked the Lions: Immediately following a disappointing 2025 season that saw Detroit quadruple its loss total from 2024, Dan Campbell gave himself "a freaking F" and stressed that the Lions needed to "get that hunger back." Earlier this week, Campbell said New Orleans is "a hungry opponent." So, whose appetite will be satiated on Sunday? The Lions feast at Ford Field, as the league's highest-scoring home team in three of the past four seasons, including the '25 campaign. In fact, Detroit dropped a 50-burger on Chicago in last year's home opener. And while it's reasonable to be concerned about the Lions' offensive line, it's equally reasonable to be underwhelmed by the Saints' D-line. Now, New Orleans' second-year signal-caller, Tyler Shough , might take advantage of Detroit's depleted secondary. Points could be plentiful. I just see the Lions getting a bigger fill. New OC Drew Petzing enjoys a splashy debut with Detroit's high-end collection of playmakers, allowing Lions fans to overzealously tell anyone who'll listen that they're totally over Ben Johnson.
Why Gennaro picked the Texans: David vs. Goliath is always fun, but how about Goliath vs. Goliaths? That's how this wildly enticing opener feels to me, with preseason MVP front-runner Josh Allen taking on the baddest defense on the planet . Granted, Buffalo also boasts the reigning NFL rushing king ( James Cook III ), a brand new WR1 ( DJ Moore ) and a highly cohesive offensive line, but I'm still backing the Texans' loaded D. After all, DeMeco Ryans' crew has gotten the best of Allen in each of the past two seasons, holding the quarterback to a career-low 30 percent completions in 2024 and subjecting him to a career-high eight sacks in 2025. Both of those Texans wins came in Houston, where this Sunday's tilt will take place. Oh, and for Buffalo's offensive play-caller, Joe Brady, this happens to be his first real game as a head coach at any level. Learning to manage the dual roles of HC and OC is a challenging task to begin with -- now try performing that juggling act in the face of Will Anderson Jr. and his ferocious friends. As someone who just picked Buffalo to win the Super Bowl , I have the highest possible hopes for these Bills over the long haul, but finding an offensive groove takes time. In Week 1, give me the home team with the hellacious defense.
Why Dan picked the Ravens: While the Colts had the epic collapse, losing seven straight games to close out last season, both teams are going to be eager to remove the bitter taste of a disappointing 2025 from their mouths.
First-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter has an opportunity to prove his worth right away against an offense that scored in bunches when QB Daniel Jones was healthy last year. Minter needs no reminder of that fact, as the Colts went on the road and dropped 38 on his Chargers in Week 7 , the most points allowed by the Bolts all season. Can the defensive guru avenge that loss with his new crew? On paper, he has the weaponry to make it happen. It will certainly help if Jones is at all rusty in his first game back since tearing his Achilles in December.
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