NFL fans have a loaded slate of games to stay up for this upcoming weekend, and on Friday, Colin Cowherd revealed his Blazin’ 5 picks for Week 1 of the 2022 season.
The host of “The Herd” selected five Sunday games to focus on, starting with the Carolina Panthers — led by newly-acquired quarterback Baker Mayfield — taking up Mayfield’s former team, the Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
His other decisions include the Detroit Lions taking up the Philadelphia Eagles (1 p.m. ET, FOX), the Houston Texans facing the Indianapolis Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS), the Washington Commanders vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, FOX), and the Minnesota Vikings facing the Green Bay Packers (4 p.m. ET, FOX).
Blazin’ 5: Texans, Vikings highlight Colin’s Week 1 picks
Colin Cowherd shares his first Blazin’ 5 picks of the NFL season for Week 1.
Listed here are Cowherd’s predictions, together with odds and win totals as presented by FOX Bet.
Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
CLE
+1.0
-105
o42
Carolina Panthers
CAR
-1.0
-120
u42
Colin’s thoughts: “I like Baker Mayfield here, at home, against his ex-teammates. To begin with, the Panthers had essentially the most blown leads within the NFL last yr with 10. They were in a whole lot of games. Sam Darnold made too many mistakes. Their defense is superb — I said that every one yr. They’d the third-fewest yards all yr. That is against Jacoby Brissett, missing his starting center, who has a profession passer rating within the low 80s and struggles to finish 60% of his throws. Carolina, back-to-back, has had drafts that I like. Cleveland is using a career-average backup. Baker has a history of being inspired for individual games. I will take the Panthers and Baker, 27-23.”
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions
Philadelphia Eagles
PHI
-5.5
-227
o48.5
Detroit Lions
DET
+5.5
+175
u48.5
Colin’s thoughts: “The Lions are 3-3 of their final six games, and once Jared Goff got comfortable at the top of the yr, he accomplished 69% of his throws, 11 TDs, and two picks. They’ve two of the perfect tackles in football — I like their tackles. And the Eagles couldn’t get to the quarterback last yr — second-fewest sacks. Detroit is an inspired football team, not an excellent one, but they’re at home as a dog. Dan Campbell, if nothing else, is an excellent motivator. I will take the Lions to win certainly one of the more entertaining games of the weekend. Take the points, 27-26.”
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
IND
-7.0
-357
o46
Houston Texans
HOU
+7.0
+260
u46
Colin’s thoughts: “I will take the Texans plus-7. Davis Mills was good last yr — you only didn’t watch him play. He’s a rookie and was second amongst rookies in completion percentage, touchdown passes, and passer rating. And the Colts have lost eight-straight season openers. They’re on one other quarterback, and so they don’t really have a No. 2 receiver. I believe the Colts will win the division, but they don’t seem to be dynamic offensively. They shut down Jonathan Taylor, and so they have limitations excessive in what they’ll do. I will take the Texans with the points, however the Colts win narrowly.”
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders
Jacksonville Jaguars
JAX
+2.5
+110
o44
Washington Commanders
WAS
-2.5
-143
u44
Colin’s thoughts: “I’m taking the Jaguars plus-2.5, and I believe they’ll win outright. To begin with, they spent over $300 million in free agency. Teams that spend that type of money in free agency often improve. And so they got Trevor Lawrence an offensive coach. They have Ed Ingram at tight end, Zay Jones at wide receiver, Christian Kirk at wide receiver, and so they’ve upgraded the offensive line. Carson Wentz — total disarray for this franchise [Washington]. It’s one other quarterback, he did not have an excellent camp, there’s controversy, and the Commanders’ defense struggled mightily against the pass last yr. I believe the Jags are certainly one of the surprise teams within the league this yr. They will not be great, but in that division, they’ll be an actual threat week-to-week. I even have them beating the Commanders, 28-20.”
Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
GB
-1.0
-120
o46.5
Minnesota Vikings
MIN
+1.0
-105
u46.5
Colin’s thoughts: “I do not understand how [the Vikings] are getting points at home. They were in essentially the most one-possession games last yr, and that is with a whole lot of injuries and a quarterback that did not feel supported. Kirk Cousins was certainly one of two quarterbacks that had 30 touchdowns and fewer than 10 picks. Only Aaron Rodgers last yr within the league did that. The Packers are frequently great at home, but they were only a 5-4 road team last yr, and so they have struggled through the years with Minnesota. Allen Lazard is hurt. Christian Watson is hurt. Robert Tonyan, the tight end, is off an ACL. The Packers are beat up. They do not have a No. 1 receiver. Eventually, this receiving crew is tasty, but Game 1 with a latest coach, I do not know. I believe the Vikings ought to be favored. I will take them, 26-23.”
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