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Both teams are flying under the radar but they each have high hopes for the 2017 season. The Arizona Cardinals are looking to get back to their 2015 form when they won 13 games and advanced to the NFC Championship. There was a huge dropoff last season that resulted in only seven wins, the fewest in the Bruce Arians era. The Cards are counting on David Johnson to put another MVP-type season together to lead the offense. He’ll be matched against a Detroit Lions defense that has already suffered significant injuries when the clubs battle in Week 1.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from Ford Field will be televised on FOX... 

After being discarded by the Bears this offseason, the Miami Dolphins turned to Jay Cutler as their quarterback when Ryan Tannehill was lost for the season with an injury. Cutler had one of his finest years statistically when Adam Gase was the offensive coordinator in Chicago a few seasons ago. Now, the two are reunited to try and keep the Dolphins afloat. Both teams enter Week 1 with lofty expectations after solid 2016 campaigns, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their man in Jameis Winston.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from Hard Rock Stadium will be televised on FOX.... 

Since the NFL started the tradition of opening up the season with the defending Super Bowl champions playing in the kickoff game of the season, the defending champs have virtually never been beaten. The New England Patriots are tremendous favorites to continue that trend in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. That doesn't mean they're slam dunks to get to 1-0, though. There are several matchups across the field that could end up deciding which one of these AFC behemoths will kick off the 2017 campaign on the right foot.Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 8:30 p.m. ET. This duel from Gillette Stadium will be televised on NBC.... 

The Atlanta Falcons are a favorite in the NFC and they should be after reaching the Super Bowl and coming within a sustained second half drive of being league champions. Instead they suffered the largest blown lead in Super Bowl history and must overcome that distinction. The only way they can is to return to the big game and get a win. They return all key performers from the league’s highest scoring offense, but will be without coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who took the head gig with the 49ers. St... 

On one hand, the team still has many of the key cogs remaining from that impressive 2015 team, including quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running back David Johnson, cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tyrann Mathieu.On the other, many of those players were healthy last season and they couldn’t do enough to help the team muster a serious run at the postseason. Fitzgerald and Palmer both considered retirement this offseason and the Cardinals’ coach, Bruce Arians, is also nearing the end of the road, so this has the feel of a possible final stand for this core.... 

The 49ers were one of the worst teams in the NFL a season ago and seem likely to finish near the cellar once again. While the season win total projections forecast a slight uptick after 2016’s 2-14 showing, it’s not a huge jump.The 49ers have a lot of new pieces but any thought of a .500 season or the playoffs is a pipe dream. This is a long-term rebuilding plan and San Francisco will be judging itself more on progress than wins and losses in 2017.... 

It’s a good bet to say the Cleveland Browns will be an improved team in 2017. Heck, after winning one game last season, they can’t be much worse. But calling this team worthy of a Super Bowl is ludicrous. The Browns nailed the draft with No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett a stud on the defensive line and Jabril Peppers adding talent to the secondary and excitement to the return game. But until this team settles on a quarterback and he can stay healthy, just getting a few more victories will make this a winning year.... 

It was only two seasons ago that the Denver Broncos ended up with a Super Bowl championship, so the team and its fans believes a return to that type of flory is eminently possible in 2017. However, there are some legitimate issues facing Denver as it makes its trek.... 

The Rex Ryan regime is done in the birth place of one of my favorite guilty pleasure foods, wings. The Buffalo Bills haven’t been a force to be reckoned with in the AFC East since Jim Kelly and Andre Reed lost four straight Super Bowls. The Bills haven’t won 10 games in over a decade or been to the playoffs in 17 years. Their season win total currently resides at 6.5 and their odds to win the Super Bowl check in at +10,000. The New England Patriots have owned this division throughout the Belichick/Brady era, so it hardly comes as a shock to see them installed 16-1 underdogs to pull the trick this season.... 

The Rams move to Los Angeles was hardly memorable. Jeff Fisher was fired. Jared Goff looked like an enormous bust. Todd Gurley regressed terribly in his sophomore campaign. The only bright side was the defense, but it also flamed out at the tail end of the year due to overuse. The franchise enters the 2017-18 season refreshed and ready to go with the youngest coach in NFL history, Sean McVay, at the helm. With so many problem areas needing to be addressed, the Rams will step onto the field in Week 1 as the third biggest underdog to win the NFC ( +6600 ).... 

A few generations of NFL fans have never seen the Buffalo Bills compete in a playoff game. It’s been 17 seasons since their last postseason trip, the longest drought in the league, and oddsmakers aren’t high on their chances of ending the streak in 2017 with a win total projected at 6.5. Buffalo’s offense took a hit with the trade of Sammy Watkins and the retirement of Anquan Boldin, so it’s a good thing they have the best rushing attack returning. But will it be enough?... 

It was so difficult to watch the Los Angeles Rams play last season, management even had enough. The team relieved Jeff Fisher of his duties late in the season and turned to Sean McVay to help mold franchise quarterback Jared Goff. McVay, the youngest head coach in NFL history, coordinated the Redskins prolific offense and helped Kirk Cousins develop into a star. The Rams need more scoring if they are to contend for anything, but a Super Bowl title isn’t in the cards this year and that’s why they are ahead of only the Niners, Jets and Browns as a Super Bowl favorite.... 

The city of San Diego is still nauseated about their beloved Chargers picking up and moving north to Los Angeles. While the exit strategy certainly burned some bridges, I got a feeling Bolts’ fans will get over it quickly when they see the product that takes the field in 2017-18. A team that only won five games a short season ago finds itself with the third longest odds to win the division ( +298 ), but those odds have been getting closer to the Chiefs and Raiders as we near the regular season.... 

Its three straight years and counting since the New Orleans Saints last went to the playoffs. During that stretch, they’ve seen two divisional opponents go to the Super Bowl and lose. Of the four teams in the NFC South, the Saints have the longest odds to win the NFC and are lined as the biggest dog for divisional bragging rights ( +420 ). The division winner has won at least 11 games the last two seasons, and it’s only gotten better as a whole. Should the Saints come out as the unlikely winners, they’d easily go over their season win total of 8.... 

This is a matchup of competing strengths when the Saints have the ball and similar weaknesses when the Texans are driving. Houston recently named Tom Savage its starting quarterback but he is a less-than-inspiring choice. Savage hopes to have a good showing in this one so the team will believe in him after a few seasons of poor quarterback play.It’s a good situation for the starting Texans offense as the Saints are a poor defensive team. This is an intriguing matchup and it will be interesting to see which team emerges victorious as both sides ramp up for the regular season.... 

This is typically the game in which each side really game-plans and plays its starters for about a half, so it should be an interesting clash between the two powers. The Cowboys are at home and will aim to win this game and hit the ground running heading into the regular season.This game in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.... 

The team is coming off a 1-15 season, and while there is some young talent coming on board, there is still a long road to hoe ahead. The Browns have to face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in their division, each of whom have all made the playoffs in recent years.The Browns will again have extremely long odds to win the division, and it’s nearly impossible to see it happening unless they find a quarterback and all three other teams are racked by injuries.... 

Buffalo has some decent pieces, and if quarterback Tyrod Taylor and running back LeSean McCoy can help run an efficient offense, it’s not out of the question that the Bills push to finish with a winning record of make the playoffs. However, the level of talent is not on the same level as teams like the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers or Oakland Raiders.The Bills have a new coaching staff and recently jettisoned star wideout Sammy Watkins in a trade, brightening the future but hurting this year’s squad. The defense will need to dominate and the ground game must be unparalleled for Buffalo to truly have a shot to win the AFC.... 

As we enter the start of the 2017-18 regular season, all the talk surrounding the New York Jets is about who the team is going to anoint their QB1. I can’t help but wonder why? Does it really truly matter if it’s Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, or Christian Hackenberg? The short and immediate answer is no. New York’s offense could possibly go down as the absolute worst in NFL history. The defense is going to be the unit to watch, but defense doesn’t win in this day and age of the NFL. That’s why New York is the owner of the lowest season win total on the board at 4 with heavy +135 juice riding the over.... 

If you ask Jed York when there are no cameras around, he might tell you that the San Francisco 49ers miss Jim Harbaugh. San Francisco has cratered since Harbaugh left to take over as the head coach of his alma mater, but things might be looking up. Although the hiring of new GM John Lynch was widely panned, he fleeced Chicago out of some extra picks in this year’s draft and may have found its quarterback of the future in CJ Beathard. San Francisco still has too many holes to be considered a threat to finish above .500, but things are at least trending in the right direction.... 

It appears as though the New Orleans Saints have hit a wall under Sean Payton and this could be his swan song unless he turns things around. In his first seven seasons the Saints averaged over 10 wins per, reached the playoffs five times and won a Super Bowl following the 2009 campaign. It’s been a struggle recently, though they have been consistent. New Orleans was won seven games in each of the last three seasons and with a stronger defense they could rise above that number in 2017.... 

The Denver Broncos ended their quarterback battle when Vance Joseph named Trevor Siemian the starter over Paxton Lynch. It’s the safe move as Siemian won’t make too many mistakes and the Broncos will rely on their stingy defense to win most games. Siemian earned the starting job last season, and while the Broncos posted a winning record, they missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. The newly anointed QB will face the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 of the NFL preseason.This battle in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.... 

It’s always been widely accepted that the Los Angeles Chargers have the talent to be a playoff contender in the AFC. However, keeping that talent healthy and on the field is one thing the Chargers are not known for. Once again the team was ravaged with injuries last season and the loss of several key playmakers, along with their inability to win close games were the major factors in the Chargers 5-11 campaign. They won nine games just two seasons ago and if healthy they could easily reach that mark again.... 

Up until last season the Cincinnati Bengals were a contender in the AFC and missed on several opportunities for greater success with a stacked roster. They stumbled last season, having their win total from the previous year sliced in half while missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. The window may be closing on the Bengals championship hopes and if they don’t rekindle their winning ways, that window will slam shut on the career of Marvin Lewis. Cincy visits out nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins in preseason Week 3 action.This preseason Week 3 matchup will take place on Sunday, August 27, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. ET at FedEx Field. Watch the game live on FOX.... 

Did the Chicago Bears sign Mike Glennon to a big free agent contract to sit on the bench, or did they trade up to draft Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick to hold a clipboard for the entire season? We think it was the latter, but the way the two have played this preseason, the “C” word is being tossed around Chicago. Glennon will have a chance to solidify his precarious spot as the Bears starting quarterback when they take on the Tennessee Titans in a Week 3 matchup.This matchup in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Sunday, August 27, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium. The game will be televised live on FOX....