The NFL season is here, against all odds the Chiefs and Texans kickoff tonight. As such we've taken a few moments to give our thoughts on the upcoming openers for the Panthers and Ravens. We're also joined by frequent show guests Eric and Coach Jansen as we give our picks for every week one game.

Carolina VS Las Vegas

The 2020 season kicks off for the Panthers this Sunday in Charlotte as the Las Vegas Raiders come to town. Both teams are coming off disappointing seasons but have taken different approaches to the new campaign. The Raiders used the draft and free agency to help build on a solid foundation in hopes of exceeding their 7-9 record of a year ago. They added big time potential in Henry Ruggs and camp surprise Bryan Edwards to an already talented offense. On defense they used their second 1st round pick on Ohio State CB Damon Arnette and signed top free agent MLB Cory Littleton. 

It was a stark contrast to the Panthers offseason. Carolina said goodbye to franchise QB Cam Newton, HoF LB Luke Kuechly, longtime TE Greg Olsen and nearly every starter on defense. If the roster turnover wasn’t bad enough, the Panthers enter the season with virtually no NFL coaching experience among their HC, OC and DC. The rebuild is on, and there’s plenty of young talent to be excited about. Carolina looks 1-2 years away from having one of the best defensive lines in the league with second year EDGE Brian Burns and rookies Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos. Things are shakier in the secondary where returning safety Tre Boston is the only proven NFL player. The Panthers have major questions on defense to be sure, but the offense looks ready to explode. Unfortunately it looks like the presumptive starter at LG, Dennis Daley, could miss the opener, which should help temper any expectations for week 1.

The massive changes to the roster, coaching staff, and the truncated prep time make it hard to envision a gelled and ready to roll Panthers squad. This is a group that should be much stronger on week 17 than week 1 but it looks like there’s going to be some hard to watch football between now and then.

Panthers to watch: 

CB Troy Pride- The Panthers secondary will tell the tale of the defense this season, if they can find solid starters on the outside they have a shot to accelerate the rebuild. First up is rookie Troy Pride. Good luck.

The Interior O-Line- Like the secondary on defense, the guards and center represent the key group for the offense. They have good tackles for the first time in a decade and if the interior can hold up, the Panthers offense could be something special. If not, we’re in for another year of wasted potential.

Baltimore VS Cleveland

The Ravens return with a roster that’s stacked at nearly every position. The best rushing team in NFL history added arguably the best RB in the draft in J.K. Dobbins, they fortified the front seven of their defense by bringing in vets Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe and drafting stud LBs Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison. Despite the loss of Earl Thomas, the Ravens still boast the league’s best secondary and it isn’t particularly close. The only real question mark for Baltimore is the group of pass catchers. They elected to not bring in a veteran and are relying on Marquise Brown living up to his potential and Miles Boykin taking a big step up after a disappointing rookie year. They added Devin Duvernay and James Proche in the 3rd and 7th rounds respectively and are returning Willie Snead. All told, a pretty underwhelming group at the moment. They’ll need someone outside of Hollywood and TE Mark Andrews to step up and consistently produce if they want to avoid another embarrassing playoff loss.

The Browns have high expectations coming into 2020 and the roster to back it up, outside of QB that is. A revamped offensive line, starts at all skill positions, and a defense that looks ready to claim a place in the upper echelon of the league all scream playoffs, but they were supposed to be a playoff team last year as well. Enter Poor Man’s Jameis Winston. The more popular but less talented signal caller joined the 20-20 club and effectively doomed the Browns to another 6-10 season. If Baker Mayfield put in the work this offseason and comes back closer to his rookie self than last year’s version, the Browns will make plenty of noise this year, but they’re the Browns so...no.

Ravens to watch:

WR Miles Boykin- It’s reasonable to expect solid-good play from Marquise, but what Baltimore really needs is a second WR to step up and establish themselves as a reliable pass catcher. Hopefully it’s Miles.

S DeShon Elliot- Odell Beckham has a lot of people to shut up after 2019’s lackluster performance. Landry, Hooper, and Njoku will all be looking to test Earl Thomas’ de facto replacement as well, as they desperately search for a weak link on the Ravens’ back end

QB Lamar Jackson- Lamar is the most exciting player in the league, he’s always the player to watch.

WEEK ONE PICKS:

Brodny- Chiefs, Bills, Patriots, Ravens, Colts, Eagles, Lions, Packers, Seahawks, Raiders, Chargers, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Steelers, Titans

Jose- Chiefs, Seahawks, Ravens, Bills, Panthers, Bears, Colts, Vikings, Patriots, Eagles, Chargers, Saints, Cardinals, Cowboys, Steelers, Titans

Eric- Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens, Bills, Raiders, Seahawks, Colts, Eagles, Lions, Packers, Chargers, 49ers, Saints, Cowboys, Giants, Titans

Coach Jansen- Chiefs, Seahawks, Bills, Bears, Packers, Dolphins, Eagles, Raiders, Colts, Ravens, Chargers, Saints, Cardinals, Cowboys, Steelers, Titans