NFL Games of the Week – Week 1: Quarterbacks seek revenge, a potential Super Bowl matchup, and more

The NFL season is finally upon us after an offseason full of speculation, a lot of wide receiver movement, and retirements (as well as un-retirements).

Now that a preseason of fighting, development, and cuts is at an end, we can now turn our attention to the regular season and the race for the Lombardi Trophy.

Welcome to Sportsmail’s Games of the Week – the series preparing you for the biggest matchups in the NFL this year. 

It will only be slightly different to the college football games of the week piece.

There are at most 16 games in an NFL week, while there are many dozens of matchups in college football. Therefore, we won’t have an honorable mentions section.

This way, Sportsmail can cut right to the action and start looking forward to the games. 

Game 1: Denver Broncos @ Seattle Seahawks 

• Monday @ 8:15 ET (ESPN/ABC) / Lumen Field, Seattle

The first of two matchups featuring a former quarterback returning to his old home is one without malice and a significant upgrade for a Super Bowl winning passer.

Russell Wilson was dealt away from his longtime home in Seattle, where he was a face of the franchise, to Denver – where he is still that franchise caliber player.

The move immediately made the Broncos a potential Super Bowl contender – even if they are in the toughest division in the NFL. Surrounded by weapons like Cortland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, and helped by a strong defense, Wilson could bring the Broncos back to glory.

New Broncos QB Russell Wilson (L) will face his old backup Geno Smith, now starting in Seattle

Meanwhile, Seattle is in the midst of a full-blown re-build. The Seahawks seem to be going with Geno Smith as their starter behind a crumbling offensive line.

Wilson’s problems the last few seasons seemed to revolve less around the amount of weapons he had, but more on how much time he had back in the pocket to make plays.

Now, Russ gets Broncos Country ready to ride into Washington state and put together their first win of the season.   

Game 2: Cleveland Browns @ Carolina Panthers

• Sunday at 1:00 ET (CBS) / Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

The second matchup of quarterbacks facing their old team is not nearly as amicable as the first one.

Cleveland was offered a rare opportunity this offseason: the chance to get a franchise quarterback that could take them to the promised land – one that could make them a team to be feared in the future.

However, that quarterback has been suspended for the first 11 games of 2022 and fined $5million over allegations of sexual misconduct made by dozens of women.

With Deshaun Watson banned for over half the season, starting duties will fall on the shoulders of former Colts starter Jacoby Brissett.

Former Browns QB Baker Mayfield (R) seeks revenge against his former team for the first time

This could have, and maybe even should have, been Baker Mayfield’s job. However, the team seemed to throw him under the bus for the past season’s failings. Mayfield was moved to Carolina in the offseason.

With an injury to last year’s starter Sam Darnold, Mayfield now has the chance to truly prove himself with a team that is all his own and isn’t as cursed as Cleveland is.  

Mayfield took this offseason’s events personally. He was put on a pedestal in Cleveland when he led the team to the postseason in 2020, their first trip to the playoffs in 18 seasons. During his time in the 216, he never seemed to have solid footing after working with four head coaches in four seasons.

While he denied reports saying he wanted to ‘f*** [Cleveland] up,’ it’s clear that he feels the organization let him down. He has the chance to vindicate himself at his new home for the first time on Sunday.

Game 3: Kansas City Chiefs @ Arizona Cardinals

• Sunday at 4:25 ET (CBS) / State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Patrick Mahomes will be without his top target from last season.  Kyler Murray will be without his top target too. Both are for different reasons.

Former Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill was moved to the Dolphins this offseason ahead of what may have been a prolonged contract negotiation. Without Hill, Mahomes will have JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Mecole Hardman as top targets at receiver. On top of that, reliable TE Travis Kelce is still an option.

Kansas City has lofty expectations this season in a division that’s gotten a lot tougher. No one expects them to miss the playoffs if they stay healthy, but it won’t be as much of a runaway season as it would have been a year ago.

A fun QB battle is on the cards between KC’s Patrick Mahomes (L) & Arizona’s Kyler Murray 

As for the Cardinals, DeAndre Hopkins has been suspended for six games due to the use of performance enhancing drugs. 

Trading for Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown was smart, but things may look a lot more comfortable on paper if he was playing second fiddle to Hopkins.

Instead, 34-year old veteran A.J. Green and second-year pass catcher Rondell Moore will be options 2 & 3, with tight end Zach Ertz questionable to start week 1.

With both teams playing in tough divisions, any win could prove crucial come playoff time. But a morale-boosting victory such as this one might mean more than just another win for your record. 

Game 4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys

• Sunday @ 8:20 (NBC) / AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

Buccaneers fans have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions this offseason.

First, they thought they’d be without a franchise QB when Tom Brady retired. Then, he unretired. Then, head coach Bruce Arians retired, followed by tight end Rob Gronkowski.

At the end of it all, Brady is back in the saddle under head coach Todd Bowles – Brady’s offensive coordinator last season.  He’s without good friend and reliable target Gronkowski, but the Bucs have a good enough receiving corps to win the NFC South.

Meanwhile, Dallas has had a relatively quiet offseason – with enough time to think about where it all went wrong last year.   

Bucs QB Tom Brady (L) and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (R) face off in Week 1 in Dallas

The season ended thanks to poor clock management and a slide from QB Dak Prescott giving the Cowboys less than enough time to snap the ball.

Dallas didn’t make any big name free agency signings, but lost Amari Cooper in a trade to the Browns. Prescott will still have top targets like Ceedee Lamb and Dalton Schultz to throw to, but losing Cooper will be a blow. 

While the Cowboys are expected to win the NFC East, they’ll face a tough challenge from Philadelphia and need all the momentum they can get. A win over Brady can be a great start for that. 

Last year’s champs Matt Stafford (L) & the Rams take on this year’s favorites – Josh Allen’s Bills

Game of the Week: Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams 

• Thursday @ 8:20 (NBC) / SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles

This could be the first time – but not the last – we see these two teams take the field against each other.

Los Angeles saw its first Super Bowl title since 1983 – when the Raiders played in LA – as the Rams won the Big Game at home against the Bengals.

Even as some pieces depart (Von Miller, Darious Williams) and some stay in limbo (Odell Beckham Jr.), the Rams are still the second favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.

They should have a relatively easier path to get there as well, especially as the AFC West has made things more unpredictable and tough in the playoff picture.

Despite that, the Bills are still the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl this year thanks to a reinvigorated defense featuring players like Micah Hyde, Ed Oliver, and the aforementioned Miller.

Offensively, the hopes and dreams of Western New York lie on the shoulders of Josh Allen. He has a variety of reliable weapons – and Beckham could join them, whenever he chooses to sort out his future. 

Buffalo thinks this is the best shot they have at winning a championship for the first time in its Big 4 pro sports history. They’ll need to prove to themselves that they can by starting the season off with a win.