As of Thursday Sept.6, the NFL season commences, so here’s some predictions of what to expect as the 88th season of NFL football kicks off.

New Orleans vs. Indianapolis: This game, I believe, will feature numerous offensive fireworks as two of the NFL’s most prolific offenses in ‘06 take the field at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Obviously, the home crowd will be energized as it will be the first time they’ve seen their Colts since they became Super Bowl champions last February. While I fully expect both of these squads to amass well over 400 yards in offense, the Saints have too tall of an order to fill in beating the Colts on the road. I expect Peyton Manning to rip their hearts out in the last stanza, even as he has so many other opponents previously. In the best game of opening week, I’ll take the Colts in a 45-38 win.

Philadelphia vs. Green Bay: The Eagles, with veterans such as Brian Dawkins, Brian Westbrook, and Jevon Kearse are always among the NFL’s most resilient teams. This is a valuable trait to possess especially since head coach Andy Reid has had to navigate through family turmoil this offseason and quarterback Donovan McNabb has had to rehabilitate a torn ACL during much of the summer. For now, the Eagles are healthy and with McNabb’s excellence and leadership combined with Dawkins’ stellar example, Philadelphia is as good as anyone else in the NFC. The Packers seem to be a team on the rise but as long as legendary QB Brett Favre tries to hold on to past glory, it will be hard for this team to move on. I like the Eagles in a big win, call it 38-20.

Atlanta vs. Minnesota: Let’s just say that of all the teams in the NFL, the Falcons have to be among the most relieved to take the field for 2007. After an offseason of turmoil primarily centered around QB Michael Vick’s allegations of involvement in dogfighting, the franchise can finally pick up the pieces and move on. In the preseason, reserve QB Joey Harrington, newly acquired from Miami, showed glimpses of grasping the Falcons offense, so the optimists in the ATL may have reason to rejoice. Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood provide a solid running game for the Falcons and the defense has performed well at times. The Vikings, in my opinion, quietly had one of the best drafts in the NFL this past April and may be ready to be a prolific offensive team once again with the advent of second-year QB Tarvaris Jackson. The defense was among the better units in the league last season and things are coming together for Brad Childress’ squad. I expect the Vikes to assert themselves and become legitimate Super Bowl contenders by 2008 and to start Sunday. Call the final score, Vikings 27 Falcons 17

Miami vs. Washington. The Redskins, because of their sufficient revenue generated from the NFL’s largest stadium, FedEx Field and a wealthy owner in Daniel Snyder have been a sleeping giant the past few seasons. While they’ve not experienced much success on the field the past few seasons, they finally seem to have enough talent that meshes well with each other to make waves in the NFC. The Dolphins, because of the advent of new head coach Cam Cameron in south Florida seem ready to shake off the mediocrity of the past few seasons and begin anew. Both of these teams are at a crossroads, although Miami has a bit more experience at quarterback with the acquisition of former Redskins signal-caller Trent Green, although if there’s struggles, former Brigham Young QB John Beck may be called upon. Since Washington has the homefield advantage in this one, I’ll take the ‘Skins in a tight one as quarterback Jason Campbell will show the ‘Hogs faithful a portent of things to come. Redskins 24 Dolphins 21

Kansas City vs. Houston: My upset special of the weekend. The Chiefs just don’t seem like a football team with much direction right now. After fortuitously falling into the playoffs a year ago, a tumultuous offseason ensued, with star tailback Larry Johnson holding out. In Kansas City workouts, Johnson hasn’t looked like his former self while the Texans may not yet be playoff contenders but have improved themselves considerably, nonetheless. Former Falcons QB Matt Schaub will have an impressive breakout in front of the Reliant Stadium faithful and a young and athletic defense will pressure Kansas City’s offense all afternoon long. Call the final, Texans 31 Chiefs 16

Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland. As the Mike Tomlin era begins in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have been stung by the failures of last season coming off of 2005’s Super Bowl-winning campaign. Tomlin, a first-time NFL head coach has walked into a good situation, and his willingness to open up the Pittsburgh offense will cause QB Ben Roethlisberger’s star to rise. The Browns appear to be nowhere near contention, but this is a divisional game and the Steelers and Browns are two of the NFL’s most bitter rivals, so I expect this game to be fairly close. Still, the Steelers have too much talent so I expect them to escape with a 19-16 victory.

Tennessee vs. Jacksonville. Turmoil currently reigns in Jacksonville. Just days after starting QB Byron Leftwich was stunningly released, the team is shellshocked and must prepare itself for a season opener against the intriguing Tennessee Titans in a divisional game. Vince Young resuscitated the Titans last season to make them among the NFL’s hottest teams down the stretch a year ago. Unfortunately for Tennessee, several key pieces from that team have gone elsewhere so while he’s the type of athlete that can put a franchise on his back, he needs the young talent around him to develop. This will take time and since they have to go on the road in opening week to face a veteran Jaguars squad, I’ll take Jacksonville in a 23-20 win.

Denver vs. Buffalo. The Broncos are among the NFL’s best teams, unbeknownst to the national media and they’ll show their excellence early and often at Rich Wilson Stadium this Sunday. The Bills, with J.P. Losman running the offense are a great young team but they have too many holes defensively to compete for a playoff berth this season. Meanwhile, the Broncos have bolstered an already strong team with key imports such as ex-Titans tailback Travis Henry and former Lions cornerback Dre’ Bly. The first full season of the Jay Cutler era should get off in a flurry as he throws for 350 yards and three scores in what could be a shootout. Still, I’ll call the final Broncos 38 Bills 17

Carolina vs. St. Louis. The Panthers are a team that must experience some soul searching at the moment. After their near-victory in Super Bowl 38 against New England, the team has experienced extremes in excellence and mediocrity. With several members of that Super Bowl team still around, including breakout receiver Steve Smith, the potential still exists for Carolina to contend for a title. The Rams are among the more underrated teams in the league as star tailback Steven Jackson has the potential to amass 2500 yards from scrimmage this season. A successful season for St. Louis starts right here as they humble the schizophrenic Panthers. Call the final, Rams 40 Panthers 28

New England vs. New York Jets. No, I’m not drinking the Patriots’ Kool-Aid. With that said, New England will be an excellent offensive team. However, the suspension of Rodney Harrison for HGH use and the injury of Richard Seymour, which should sideline him the first six weeks of the season will force New England to win a lot of shootouts. This is true except when the opponent is the New York Jets. The Jets are capable of derailing the Pats’ explosive offense, and while QB Chad Pennington is anything but athletic, his accuracy will consistently move the chains and lead the Jets to victory in a close one. Call it Jets 20 Patriots 17

Detroit vs. Oakland. These were the two worst teams in the league last season, but the Lions have the edge in this one. Quarterback Jon Kitna has lots of new toys to play with, such as tailback Tatum Bell and breathtaking rookie Calvin Johnson to add to previously established stalwarts such as wideouts Roy Williams and Mike Furrey. The Lions will be fun to watch this season and their defense should also rise to the occasion against a Raiders team which still lacks an identity. This may be a shocker in Week 1, but only because the margin of victoy is so large. Call it Lions 35 Raiders 7

Tampa Bay vs. Seattle. These two expansion brethren from 1976 have had their peaks and valleys but since 2002, each of these teams have made a Super Bowl appearance. The Seahawks have more talent firmly in place and QB Matt Hasselbeck and tailback Shaun Alexander are once again healthy. Thus, the Seahawks are not only the prohibitive favorite in the NFC West, they’re also more prepared to win this game. The Buccaneers have all the potential in the world, but their youth may be a deterrent until they get some experience. This game will fit that bill as a battle with the Seahawks should easily prepare them for the upcoming season. Still, you’ve got to take your lumps sometime. Call it Seahawks 34 Buccaneers 14

Chicago vs. San Diego. Things just don’t get any easier for the Chicago Bears. After a challenging offseason and the consistent struggles of Rex Grossman being magnified during the preseason, the Bears must travel to Qualcomm and face the powerful Chargers. San Diego, of course, has plenty of questions left to answer such as whether or not they’re capable of winning a Super Bowl with the most talented squad in the league on paper. Marty Schottenheimer could not win with this team, so in comes Norv Turner to take them to new levels. LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL’s best tailback, will have plenty of energy to face a stout Bears defense as he did not play in the preseason. The Chargers must throw the ball effectively to ascertain that Tomlinson has plenty of room to decimate defenses with his speed and athleticism. Thus, the pressure’s on Philip Rivers to make plays. Against the Bears, he’ll do enough to win. Call the final Chargers 33 Bears 19

New York Giants vs. Dallas. The Cowboys are being lauded as one of the NFC’s best teams. I have a differing opinion. Tony Romo, I predict will continue in his downward spiral of last season against a Giants team which isn’t playoff-caliber but good enough to pressure Romo defensively. Much-maligned Giants signal-caller Eli Manning will do just enough to abate the critics for a week and I think New York reciever Plaxico Burress will have a huge game to silence the denizens of Texas Stadium. This will be a defensive struggle but the Giants will grind one out. Call it Giants 22 Cowboys 10

Baltimore vs. Cincinnati. The Bengals are an impressive spectacle of offensive firepower. Carson Palmer is virtually as good as Peyton Manning statistically and Chad Johnson is not only among the NFL’s great entertainers, he’s a pretty good receiver as well. With all of that said, the Ravens are one of the only NFL teams that can neutralize an offense that’s this explosive. Baltimore’s defense will thrive off the atmosphere that a home crowd coming in for Monday Night football will provide and find a way to slow down the Bengals enough to sneak away with a victory. Safety Ed Reed thrives on these moments. I expect him to stonewall Palmer late in the 4th Quarter by returning an interception for the game-winning touchdown. Additionally,Steve McNair will also riddle a weak Cincinnati secondary in a 34-31 Ravens victory.

Arizona vs. San Francisco. This game brings Week 1 to a close and both teams are loaded with young talent that must learn how to thrive amidst the adversity that the NFL consistently provides. Because of the 49ers home crowd, I’ll give them a slight nod, although this will be a shootout with punts coming at a premium. I like San Francisco tailback Frank Gore to break out. As the saying goes, “big players make the big plays in the big games.” This is Monday Night Football, so this counts as a big game. Expect Gore to break off for 165 yards and three scores in a 38-35 49ers win.