Nobody’s off limits, no team is safe.  JSB Columnist Mike Kaye makes his picks for Week one of the National Football League

MIKE KAYE

If you somehow missed Part 1 you can read it here.

If you didn’t, here’s Part 2: Week one picks and as a special bonus, predictions for the season.  Because everybody loves playing Nostradamus.

The first game is tonight, so let’s get this thing started.

Thursday Night:

Vikings @ Saints/ The Pick: Saints. Saints at home is nice but I’m worried more about Brett Favre’s ankle. New Orleans’s Defense, especially their pass rush, is extremely underrated. Watch out for Farve getting sacked quite a bit.

Sunday 1pm-4pm

Broncos @ Jaguars/ The Pick: Jaguars. You can run on these Broncos. With a new Defensive Coordinator and older secondary, watch for some gaps and breakdowns in coverage as well. The Jags really aren’t better then the Broncos, they are just more polished defensively than Denver. Maurice Jones-Drew will have a big day for you Fantasy owners.

Raiders @ Titans/ The Pick: Titans. These teams are fairly similar, they both have young underwhelming quarterbacks, decent defensive backs, and young receivers who are trying not to bust. But then there’s Chris Johnson…yeah, I like the Titans at home.

Bengals @ Patriots/ The Pick: Bengals. I don’t by any stretch think that this is an upset. Cincy has one of the top 3 secondaries in the league and Randy Moss and Wes Welker aren’t getting any younger or healthier. I think the Bengals linebakers will torture the Logan Mankin-less (awesome name for a SNL character) Pats O-line. The Bengals are just better (this is the dawning of the Age of T.Ochoias).

Browns @ Buccaneers/ Pick: Buccaneers. This team will surprise a lot of people. I’m a former hater of Josh Freeman but saw him play in person against the Fins in the preseason and was greatly impressed by his poise. As a Syracuse fan, I watched Mike Williams a lot and the Tampa Bay media is beginning to discover how fantastic he is. Fantasy Owners watch out for Kareem Huggins, he will be the starter by mid-season.

Colts @ Texans/ The Pick: Colts. There has been a long line of Super Bowl losers who don’t make the playoffs the season after defeat (finally broken by Arizona last year). Indy won’t miss the playoffs, but I do believe they will start slower then usual. The team has gotten older and Jeff Saturday (perennial Pro-Bowl O-Lineman) is in bad shape. I like the Texans against the Colts but then I remember that the Texans have no one in the secondary against the Colts that could literally start four of their 5 receivers not even counting Dallas Clark.

Lions @ Bears/ The Pick: Lions. Yes, yes, yes!!! An upset. Lions have a newly-minted defense with Lawerence Jackson, Kyle Vanden Bousch, and Ndamukung Suh. Jay Cutler threw a ton of INT’s last year and with a pass rush like the aforementioned, he could be in for a few in this matchup. Look for Matt Stafford to be impressive in this game and watch out for Javhid Best, who will attempt to win the Offensive ROY.

Falcons @ Steelers/ The Pick: Falcons. Matt Ryan is my pick for MVP and I think he brings in the new Football (and Jewish) New Year with a huge performance. Dennis Dixon fills in for Big Ben but you have to wonder if he will be able to get the ball to Hines Ward and Mike Wallace on the regular.

Dolphins @ Bills/ The Pick: Dolpins. The Dolphins are well-stocked on Defense and Offense. Chad Henne kind of scares me but the Bills…well…they are the Bills. Tough start to a tough year for Lee Evans and Co.

Panthers @ Giants/ The Pick: Giants. The Panthers have no D-line. The Giants like to run and pass. The Panthers will give up a lot of points and Steve Smith (Caro) will wonder why he didn’t ask for a trade before he broke his arm playing flag-football or tick tack toe or whatever he said was the reason.

Packers @ Eagles/ The Pick: Up in the Air. I will not pick this game as it is against one of my many superstitions as I don’t pick against or for my team (E-A-G-L-E-S). I will say there is good reason for GB to be favored. Aaron Rodgers will be lights out this year but I think Kevin Kolb will surprise a lot of people. I will let my editor, Scott Jacobs, ghost-pick this game.

(Ghost pick: Eagles. Everyone has been blowing smoke up Green Bay’s you know what’s all off-season. I think it’s inevitable they come out flat on the road in a hostile environment. Kevin Kolb starts a new era of Eagles football with a huge win).

Cardinals @ Rams/ The Pick: Cardinals- Two really awfully unfortunate teams meet in St. Louis and it could be a great example of what the NFC West truly is: a mess. Cardinals D is better then Rams O. I barely like the Cards but this will be one of a handful of their wins this season.

49ers @ Seahawks/ The Pick: 49ers. The Niners come to town and won’t leave many survivors. They can run and pass on the Pete Carroll led ‘Hawks. Much like the Bills, this will be a long year.

Cowboys @ Redskins/ The Pick: Cowboys. Donovan McNabb’s season starts the way his last two games as an Eagle did: big loss to the Cowgirls. Old Running Backs and Old Wide-outs are not the strategy for success. For the Cowboys, the key is to run and run a lot and then on defense; attack the Skin’s improved but still faulty O-line.

Monday Night:

Ravens @ Jets/ The Pick: Ravens. I believe Rex Ryan’s old team will shut his current team’s mouth. I think the Ravens are stacked and they will prove that the loss of Calvin Pace will really hurt the Jets. Ray Rice will be unstoppable as the Jets have to respect the pass with Anquan Boldin, TJ, and Derrick Mason going wide.

Chargers @ Chiefs/ The Pick: Chargers. San Diego has a lot of issues, but not as many as KC. Don’t be surprised if KC proves me wrong with a rushing attack that is among tops in the league. But in the end I think this came will come down to QB play and I’d take Rivers over Cassell any day, week, month, year, decade, and millennium.

2010 NFL Season Picks:

MVP: QB Matt Ryan (ATL): Big plays, great leader, and awesome name to boot, Ryan has the goods to get it done this year. Happy Roddy White everyone.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Aaron Rodgers (GBP): I think the Packers will have the best record in the NFC North and I think they will be the Super Bowl due to the offensive prowess of Rodgers, who will lead the league in yards thrown and red zone drives.

Defensive Player of the Year: MLB Patrick Willis (SF): Welcome to the playoffs and welcome to the lime-light Mr. Willis. He’s been the best linebacker in the league for years but now he really gets some recognition with a playoff berth.

Offensive ROY: HB Ryan Matthews (SD): Flat out, Matthews is what dictates the Chargers season. If he plays well, the team will follow suit, if not, they are in trouble.

Def. ROY: DE Brandon Graham (PHI): I watch a lot of this guy and he’s relentless. With Trent Cole on the other side, it will be easy for him to break 10 sacks.

Division Winners:

NFC West: 49ers

NFC East: Cowboys

NFC North: Packers

NFC South: Falcons

AFC West: Chargers

AFC East: Jets

AFC North: Ravens

AFC South: Colts

NFC Wild Cards: Vikings, Eagles

AFC Wild Cards: Texans, Bengals

Championship Games:

AFC: Ravens vs. Texans

NFC: Packers vs. Falcons

Super Bowl: Packers vs. Ravens

Super Bowl Champions: Green Bay Packers

Photo: AP

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