Let’s get this season started.
In Week 1 in the NFC, expect huge games from the defenses of the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, a strong performance from a touted first-round rookie quarterback and at least 100 yards receiving from a first-round rookie wideout.
Before Thursday night’s Baltimore Ravens-Kansas City Chiefs season opener, Yardbarker NFL writers offer a Week 1 prediction for every team in the NFC.
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS | The defense gets seven sacks | Per StatMuse, Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson is the sixth-most sacked QB (211) since joining the NFL in 2017. Dallas recorded seven sacks in a game twice last season (including the opener against the Giants) and should have no problem getting to a QB who sat out the preseason after missing 11 games in each of the past two years.
NEW YORK GIANTS | Devin Singletary will rush for at least 62 yards | That’s slightly over the number former Giants running back Saquon Barkley averaged in his last four opening games with New York, who plays Minnesota in Week 1. For those worried about New York’s new-look backfield, keep in mind that over the past four seasons, Barkley averaged just 2.8 more yards per game than his replacement, Singletary. Barkley missed 23 games during that span, but Singletary was a workhorse, missing only two games and rushing for 373 more yards than Barkley.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | Darius Slay gets Eagles’ first interception of 2024 | Given the secondary’s poor performance in 2023 and so much excitement surrounding first-round CB Quinyon Mitchell, it’s easy to forget that Slay is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl appearance. Look for the 33-year-old cornerback to spice things up Friday night in Brazil with a first-quarter interception of $220M Green Bay QB Jordan Love.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | Jayden Daniels runs for two touchdowns | The second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft ran for two or more TDs in a game seven times during his college career. New offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury won’t hesitate to call his QB’s number against a Tampa Bay defense that held opponents to 95.3 rushing yards per game last season, the fifth fewest in the NFL. — Bruce Ewing
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS | Marvin Harrison Jr. has 100 yards and a touchdown. | Even though the first-round pick did not play much in the preseason, he enters Week 1 as the team’s top wide receiver and should have an immediate impact. Quarterback Kyler Murray does not have many reliable targets outside of Harrison and tight end Trey McBride, and Harrison has the type of big-play ability that should make him a star against the Bills in his debut.
LOS ANGELES RAMS | Matthew Stafford throws for at least 330 yards | In his two games against the Lions, his former team, Stafford topped the 330-yard mark each time and threw for five touchdowns to zero interceptions. Expect another huge game on Sunday night against a Detroit secondary that was 29th against the pass last season.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | The 49ers sack Aaron Rodgers five times | The 49ers worked hard this offseason to improve their defensive line depth to take pressure off star D-lineman Nick Bosa (53.5 sacks in five seasons). That work will pay off in Week 1 as the Niners feast on a new-look Jets offensive line that will be trying to block for 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who was sidelined for nearly all of 2023.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | Devon Witherspoon gets two interceptions | Witherspoon was an immediate impact player in the secondary as a rookie in 2023 — check out this 97-yard pick-six — and now he is starting to emerge as a leader of that group. He opens the season against a rookie quarterback — Denver’s Bo Nix — who does not have many weapons, which should give Witherspoon several opportunities for game-changing plays. — Adam Gretz
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS | QB Caleb Williams has at least one passing and one rushing TD | The rookie flashed great playmaking skills and the ability to extend plays with his legs during the preseason, and he’ll need to do both against a revamped Titans defense. With the WR trio of D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, plus tight end Cole Kmet, the Bears are one of the few teams that match up well against Tennessee’s new-look secondary, which added L’Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs.
DETROIT LIONS | RB Jahmyr Gibbs has 200+ combined yards | Lions head coach Dan Campbell has made it clear Gibbs will be more heavily involved in the offense this season, and the second-year RB has set a lofty goal for himself of 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. The Rams’ pass defense ranked in the bottom third of the league last season. Now that he’s no longer a rookie, expect Gibbs to be in the 20-carry, five-to-eight-target range per game.
GREEN BAY PACKERS | RB Josh Jacobs struggles in team debut | The Eagles had a top-10 run defense last season, and Jacobs is getting adjusted to a new supporting cast. Green Bay’s offensive line is better than the one Jacobs ran behind in Las Vegas, but Week 1 will likely be a feeling-out process for the two.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | WR Justin Jefferson has a 200-yard receiving day | With rookie J.J. McCarthy ruled out for the season because of a knee injury, the Vikings are banking on journeyman QB Sam Darnold finding his USC form. That means Jefferson is going to get fed the ball a lot, and it should surprise no one if he goes off for a huge game against the Giants secondary.— Michael Gallagher
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS | Running back Bijan Robinson gets 20+ touches | Look for first-year Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to succeed where former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith failed: getting the ball in Robinson’s hands early and often. His inconsistent usage frustrated fans a season ago, and with Smith on the opposite sideline in Week 1 as Steelers offensive coordinator, Atlanta will show him what could have been.
CAROLINA PANTHERS | Panthers snap scoring drought | By the time Carolina kicks off Week 1 in New Orleans, it will be 259 days since the offense last scored in the regular season. The Panthers were shut out in their final two games of 2023, but they’ll take a baby step and put a crooked number on the scoreboard against the Saints.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | DE Chase Young records multiple sacks | Young represents the biggest splash the Saints made in 2024 free agency. He won’t take long to make an impact, harassing Panthers QB Bryce Young all game and finishing with multiple takedowns.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | Mike Evans has two receiving touchdowns | Last season, Tampa Bay’s Week 1 opponent, the Commanders, allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers. The unit should improve under first-year Washington head coach Dan Quinn, but this is a difficult matchup for the Commanders and one Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans should exploit. — Eric Smithling
