2015 NFL Season Kickoff Preview

2014 was a great year in football, especially for the New England Patriots. Thursday night, 2014 is out the window as the new season begins. Week 1 in the NFL may be the most exciting week in football because all fans believe that it's their teams year to go to the big game (Super Bowl).

The 2015 NFL season begins with one of the most controversial games, maybe of the season, as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, who are coming off of a Super Bowl victory that had one of the greatest finishes to any Super Bowl, in history. The Patriots had one of the biggest story lines in the NFL during the offseason, after being accused of deflating footballs during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. Quarterback Tom Brady, who had originally had a four-game suspension that he would have to serve due to accusations over his involvement in the deflation of their team balls, had recently won in a higher court over the NFL commissioner and is currently not serving a suspension at all. The Steelers have issues of their own. Pro bowl running back Le'Veon Bell won't play week one due to suspension, as well as the speedy, physical receiver Martavis Bryant.

Five Games To Watch For in Week 1

1. Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos: This game has playoffs written all over it, and it's only week 1. This could potentially be Peyton Manning's final season; Ravens' wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. already announced, right before preseason, that 2015-16 would be his final season. I know both players will give it their all this season, in hopes of raising the Super Bowl trophy one more time.

2. New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: Historically, since Eli Manning has been there,  when the Giants have come off of a bad season and have low expectations on the year, they end up having a very good season and have appeared in the Super Bowl and won twice. After coming up short last season in the Playoffs, how will the Cowboys look in their week 1 debut without the 2014 league-leading rusher Demarco Murray in the backfield? It's a divisional game, so you know there will be a lot of tension in the air during the game. Also, Odell Beckham Jr. will be on the field ready to make something spectacular happen with his hands, maybe a one-handed catch?

3. Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons:  This Eagles offense looks very different from the 2014. With Eagle head coach Chip Kelly the team is 20-12 over the last two season. And after missing the playoffs last season with a record of 10-6, Kelly decided to give the team a slight makeover. During the offseason, the Eagles traded quarterback Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford. If healthy, Bradford could be the perfect person to run this fast-paced offense. However, "if healthy" is the most important part of that. The Falcons haven't been the same since losing to the San Francisco 49ers in 2012 in the NFC Championship game and have failed to make the playoffs since then. Will this be the year Matt Ryan can get that team back on the right track? The biggest thing to watch for in this game of birds, will be the Philadelphia secondary against the Atlanta receivers.  The Eagles spent a lot of money on this new secondary and if they look as atrocious as they did in 2014 it could be a long season for Eagles' fans. 

4. Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills: Colts' quarterback Andrew Luck has a few new weapons on that offense, two future hall-of-famers, wide receiver Andre Johnson and running back Frank Gore. It'll be interesting to see how this offense looks week 1 against a Bills defense that looks like it'll be top 5 in the NFL. Andrew Luck is 1-2 in week 1 for his career and both loses were on the road.  The Bills have new star power in their offense as well. During the offseason, they acquired running back Lesean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Kiko Alanso. I'd say that's a fair trade for the Bills. Bills' head coach, Rex Ryan recently announced Tyrod Taylor as the starter for week 1 after having a very impressive preseason.  How will Taylor fair in his regular-season debut as the starter with the Bills?

5. Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Let's be honest, the real battle will be Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota or No.1 pick vs. No.2 pick... It's really up to you. This game will be watched to see who looks better in their debut. When you have two rookie quarterbacks playing it could get messy and it could be an ugly game. However, people are just happy that football is back. Jameis Winston has the weapons around him and Mariota doesn't really have much to work with in that Titans offense, but Mariota is a playmaker with both his arm and legs.

Season Award Predictions 

Rookie of the Year: Tyler Lockett. Wide Receiver. Seattle Seahawks

Breakout Player: DeVante Adams. Wide Receiver. Green Bay Packers

Comeback Player of the Year: Kiko Alanso. Linebacker. Philadelphia Eagles

Defensive Player of the Year: JJ Watt. Defensive end/Tackle. Houston Texans

Offensive Player of the Year: Dez Bryant. Wide Receiver. Dallas Cowboys

Most Valuable Player: Russell Wilson. Quarterback. Seattle Seahawks

Super Bowl Predictions (Early Predictions) 

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Indianapolis Colts

The road to Super Bowl 50 looks to be paved in gold. Just remember, it all starts with week 1. Let's just hope for another great year of football and hope that every team stays healthy.