NFL Pro Football 2011 Preseason Week 1 Picks Late Games

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Pro Football Preseason Week 1 Picks - early games

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Fearless Rick's NFL Preseason Week 1 Picks - Late Games
Rick Gagliano | August 12-15
All times Eastern - Click here for early games.
Friday, August 12
8:00 pm Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs (-2 1/2, 33) - This could actually be a pretty good game as both teams are coming off solid 2010 campaigns and have most, if not all, of the components in place to make another good run this year.
Matt Cassel will start for the Chiefs, but expect to see a lot of Ricky Stanzi, the rookie QB out of Iowa.
For the Bucs, Josh Freeman has cemented the starting job, so the backups will get plenty of action. Tampa may try to pound inside with LeGarrette Blount and Earnest Graham, though that's tough against KC. Going with home field as the real advantage here.
Prediction: Chiefs 17 Buccaneers 13

8:00 pm San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (-3, 36) - The Saints should not worry that Reggie Bush is gone, but be pleased that Derren Sproles has arrived from San Diego to fill the spot as speedster and third down option.
Sproles will get his hands on the ball a few times here, and as professional as he is, will likely impress.
San Francisco has to put the disastrous 2010 season behind them and let QB Alex Smith do his work with Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards on the receiving end. The 49ers have plenty of talent at wideout, and if Frank Gore is healthy, they should have a balanced attack. The defense will have to deal with Drew Brees and his accurate throws, but this one looks very much like a shoot out in the final quarter between a lot of unknown players.
Prediction: 49ers 31 Saints 30

Saturday, August 13
7:30 pm Green Bay Packers (-1 1/2, 35 1/2) at Cleveland Browns - If there's a mismatch in week one of preseason, this looks to be it, though the Browns have had success against the Packers in the past.
The Super Bowl champs will have all of the tools available for multiple strikes inside the red zone, with Aaron Rodgers throwing to Greg Jennings, Jerichael Finley, Donald Driver and James Jones.
Cleveland has a decent secondary, but they'll need to play nickel in the first half to contain the Packer offense. Colt McCoy will start for the Browns and it's not an enviable role that he'll have to play. Expecting a blowout.
Prediction: Packers 28 Browns 6

8:00 pm Indianapolis Colts at St. Louis Rams (-7, 34) - Two of the better offenses take the field here but the Colts will be without regular QB Peyton Manning, who is recovering from surgery to repair a bulging disk in his neck. Plans B and C involve the horrific Curtis Painter and third stringer Dan Orlovsky, so if Sam Bradford and his receivers can put up points in the first quarter, it's tough to see Indianapolis rallying to even keep this close.
The Rams have loaded up in a lot of areas and could be one of the most improved defensive units of 2010. Indy, as always, is pretty weak defensively, so a slaughter could be in store.
Prediction: Rams 34 Colts 13

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8:00 pm Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears (-3, 33 1/2) - Two snow-loing squads get together in the heat of August and the question will be which has had enough prep time to get the offense moving in the right direction.
The Bears probably have the better of it, with lots of returning veterans, plus they're at home, so this shouldn't be a big issue for the starters nor the reserves.
Buffalo has failed to address their quarterback problems, but will likely start Ryan Fitzpatrick and then throw newcomer Tyler Thigpen into the mix. Looks like a long night of evaluation for the Bills' brass, which has many holes to fill.
Prediction: Bears 20 Bills 10

8:00 pm Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans (-3 1/2, 33) - Many new faces and schemes for both of these teams means that neither can claim any advantage, and will likely spend most of the game making evaluations and lots of substitutions.
Donovan McNabb will get his first look at the Minnesota offense, which, on paper, looks better than Tennessee, but it's early, so expect turnovers from both sides. Backup QB Christian Ponder will see plenty of action. The Florida State rookie has a live arm and a couple of good receivers, so deep tosses will be in play.
The Titans break in Matt Hasselbeck at QB, and also have a rookie backup in Jake Locker out of Washington. This one could be a very interesting matchup of two teams looking to bounce back after troubling 2010 campaigns.
Prediction: Titans 23 Vikings 21

8:00 pm NY Giants at Carolina Panthers (-2, 33) - Well, the Panthers have made lots of changes in personnel, but the big one is at quarterback, where Jimmy Clausen and Cam Newton will be vying for the starting QB job. Clausen will be the starter here, but Newton may ignite some fireworks when he takes the field.
For the Giants, their mainstain, Eli Manning, will be testing out the arm and looking to hook up with Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. Carolina probably doesn't have the speed to contest these guys, plus Sage Rosenfels will be getting lots of snaps and probably will want to throw often.
Carolina will be improved this season, but after finishing 2-14 last year, that's not saying much.
Prediction: Giants 21 Panthers 7

Monday, August 15
8:00 pm NY Jets at Houston Texans (-2 1/2, 34) - Houston was supposed to be an up-and-coming team for the past two seasons, but last year's 6-10 finish wasn't what had been expected. The Texans have plenty of offense on the fringes, with Andre Johnson catching Matt Schaub passes, but the backfield leave much to be desired, as does the defense.
Meanwhile, the Jets are one of the favorites in the AFC, and have put together two nice seasons back-to-back for coach Rex Ryan. Mark Sanchez continues to improve and mature, and now he'll have Plaxico Burress complementing Santonio Holmes at wide receiver. Despite the Texans being favored for being at home, the Jets should pound them.
Prediction: Jets 23 Texans 6
All times Eastern - Click here for early games
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