I've got a few blogging tricks left up my sleeve now that we're back in full swing, but it's never too early too look ahead to the best games on the schedule so you can go ahead and start scheduling weddings, baptisms and appendectomies around them. In chronological order, here is Part 1 of the 20 NFL Games to Watch in 2013:
1) Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints, Week 1
Sure, it may not get as much air time as the storied Ravens-Steelers rivalry or the many clashes of the NFC East, but these two division rivals absolutely HATE each other. They hated each other when they were scraping the bottom of the barrel against the Joe Montana 49ers together and they hate each other even more now that they've passed the division crown back and forth over the past several years. With division and conference competition looking as scary as ever, both teams know how critical it will be to start out guns a-blazin'. And in Sean Payton's first game back from his year-long bounty scandal suspension, you better believe the Superdome will be rocking. Prediction: The Saints get the edge with Payton back in one of the loudest arenas in American sports. But Drew Brees and Matt Ryan treat each other to gold leaf-plated caviar afterwards with their massive paychecks in tow.
2) Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers, Week 1
The Packers are dying to atone for a porous defensive effort against the Niners back in the 2013 divisional round, but they will have to do it at Candlestick against the reigning NFC champs. The Niners, on the other hand, can't wait to show off their new weapons in Anquan Boldin, Nnamdi Asomugha and a crazy-stacked rookie draft class. Over the course of NFL history, these two teams have tended to peak and ebb around the same times, so this one has the feel of an instant classic as San Francisco tries to keep its winning streak going against Green Bay. Prediction: By some hype standards, the 49ers might be the first viable candidates since the '07 Patriots to go 16 - 0. Their schedule this season makes for quite the challenge there, but I think Game 1 is in the bag. Jim Harbaugh and Mike McCarthy trade cryptic one-liners in a joint post-game press conference.3) Denver Broncos at New York Giants, Week 2
Avert your eyes, Archie! The Manning Bowl only comes around once every four years, and it ought to be another memorable bout of sibling rivalry for the ages. If the elder Peyton continues to play like the comeback success he was last year and if Eli gets the ball inside of two minutes, we're in for a hyper-competitive treat in the Meadowlands. Prediction: This is a tough one since the QBs are a bit similar and their team rosters have promising balance. But on the assumption that last year's Broncos were a bit more pretenders than fans realized, I like Eli at home. Archie still insists that Eli share some of his Super Bowl rings with Peyton over ice cream sundaes afterwards.4) San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, Week 2
This NFC West rumble became the best new rivalry of the 2012 season, and it will almost certainly set the tone for this division in 2013. Will the 49ers extend their reign of divisional dominance in a hostile 12th Man environment that will coincidentally be attempting to reach new crowd noise heights on September 15th? Will the Seahawks continue right where they left off or is Russell Wilson at risk for a sophomore slump? Will Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh have the kind of delightfully smug handshake that Jim Schwartz can only dream about these days? Stay tuned for this rumble of a CenturyLink opener to find out. Prediction: Remember how I said that the Niners could possibly go 16 - 0 this year? Even they'll have a tough time getting out of Seattle alive now that the Seahawks are actually good. So the 'Hawks take the pressure off with an early victory at home, but the crowd noise is so deafening that the whole city has to learn "Venti Latte" in ASL.5) Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles, Week 3
It's no secret that Philadelphia sports fans are elite when it comes to professional trolling. I bet more than a few are doing wind sprints as we speak (...or just getting belligerently drunk) to give a proper welcome to former Eagles talent-ruiner Andy Reid when he returns to town. Even so, this ought to be a much more interesting game than it would have been a year ago. We have no idea what to expect from Chip Kelly's offensive machinations and Reid will have a much more reliable quarterback in Alex Smith than he ever had in the Michael Vick era in Philly. Prediction: From the outset with a sample size of zero, it would probably be smarter for me to flip a coin, but I think Andy Reid's Chiefs will have the edge in stability and inside knowledge of the other team's strengths and weaknesses. Philly fans are all too quick to point out that his mustache is still really stupid-looking though.
6) New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots, Week 6
Two of the most strategic coaching minds in the NFL will clash in Week 6 for a Belichick-Payton chess match in Foxboro. I expect some bells and whistles in the play-calling and, in a rare sub-headline, a great quarterback duel between Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Prediction: The eight ball's a little murky for both teams given the Saints' 2013 reset and the diminishing offensive talent for the Patriots. I think New Orleans' defense will show signs of improvement but not enough to best Tom Brady's no huddle in Foxboro. Both teams share hilarious bounty- and alleged-homicide-related locker room anecdotes to ease the tension.7) Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, Week 7
The breakup between Peyton Manning and Indianapolis was a fairly amicable one, all things considered. You don't hear many current Broncos or Colts fans complaining anyway. Nevertheless, network camera crews across America are already lining up to get the best post-game Manning-Luck handshake visual possible to commemorate the passing of the QB baton at Lucas Oil Stadium. I expect the good-natured midwestern crowd to cheer more than jeer for their former legend under center while rooting for the upset with Andrew Luck. Prediction: Peyton feels right at home in Indianapolis and contributes to a bit of a sophomore slump for Luck's Colts. Manning still finds time to do a couple local used car lot commercials before leaving town though, giving back with one of his most prominent contributions to society.8) Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots, Week 8
The Dolphins are an intriguing team going into 2013 after an impressive free agency period. They have quite the early season gauntlet to get through including a four-week stretch against the Colts, Falcons, Saints and Ravens. Still, I think the biggest sniff test for these loaded Dolphins will be against the division bully Patriots in Week 8. Assuming they can secure a couple of confidence-building wins earlier in the year, Miami will have every desire to measure up against their biggest competition. Prediction: They might be able to split the series when the Pats come to Florida in December, but I think the AFC East still firmly belongs to New England here. Bill Belichick delivers the most and least exciting post-game interview of his career, just like every time.9) Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans, Week 9
The rest of the AFC South took a collective, all-too-temporary sigh of relief when Peyton Manning packed his bags for Denver. It's too bad for the Texans that the Colts are already breathing down their necks again after just a year with Andrew Luck and Chuck Pagano at the helm. I don't necessarily expect that Indy will have the spectacular and unlikely season it did in 2012, but the Colts ought to give Houston a run for its money in this key divisional matchup. Prediction: While an Indy win is certainly not out of the question, I think the Texans still have too many advantages in big positions (other than quarterback) and will protect the divisional lead at home. Neither of these teams are interesting enough in their own right to insert a stupid Lady Blitz joke here.
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