Pikum

The very first game of the 2010 NML season should be a great one. The defending UFC champion Cincinnati Bengals head to Foxboro, Massachusetts to take on the Patriots of New England. Both teams are considered to be top contenders in the UFC this season. The Bengals since they are the defending champs and the Patriots for their offseason acquisition of Peyton Manning.

Cincinnati Bengals - no injuries

Detroit Lions - no injuries

Since Peyton Manning has been with the Patriots there has been an air of confidence. The Pats win this one in a close game.

A game that in the future years may end up being quite a rivalry will probably not start out that way. The two teams are on total opposites of the spectrum. The Bills have been around for 8 years while the Dolphins are brand new to the league. The Bills have a lot of great players while the Dolphins have only a handful. Every advantage, including homefield, belong to the Bills.

Miami Dolphins - no injuries

Buffalo Bills - no injuries

The Miami cornerbacks won't be able to stop Drew Brees' aerial assault. Bills win this easy.

Last year I would have said this game was going to be a horrible matchup. This year will be different. The Colts have gone through a lot of changes for any team this past offseason let alone a second year one. New owner Stephen Long is dedicated to bringing a winning atmosphere to Indianapolis and there would be no better way to kick off is tenure than to beat a perennial UFC powerhouse like the Houston Texans.

Indianapolis Colts - no injuries

Houston Texans - no injuries

While the Pete Carroll definetly makes the Colts a better team, I don't think they have quite enough to beat Houston.

Last season Atlanta was one of the streakier teams, meaning they'd win when they weren't supposed to and lose when they weren't supposed to. They were very unpredictable. They went with a curious offseason strategy to trade away draft picks for proven veterans in order to start winning now. Their first test will be against the Steelers who, while not always a playoff contender are one of the better teams around.

Atlanta Falcons - no injuries

Pittsburgh Steelers - no injuries

It's really hard to say who will win this one but with the addition of Jason Campbell and with the speed of Chris Johnson the Falcons are my pick.

This will be one of the lopsided games of the week. The Buccaneers are a team that gets better each season and while I think last season they reached their plateau, I do think they are still a playoff contender. The Browns on the other hand are one of the worst teams in the league and didn't appear to get much better in the offseason. While they do have a new owner in Ed Spiesz, they have got to start drafting better or they'll never leave the basement of the league.

Cleveland Browns - no injuries

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - no injuries

The Buccaneers win this one easily. The Browns are lacking in so many positions that it won't be hard for Tampa Bay to find those holes and exploit them.

Here's a game that shouldn't be too bad to watch. Both teams were expansions last year and both teams have new owners this year. That means a highly unpredictable game. One thing that we're unsure of is who will start at QB for the Saints. I think Alex Smith has a good chance and also will have a breakout season. The Vikings' Matt Cassel has to improve or they'll be in trouble this year.

Minnesota Vikings - no injuries

New Orleans Saints - no injuries

The Saints will win this one behind QB Alex Smith. Like I said before this will be his breakout season. I also like the way the Saints' defense matches up against Minnesota.

Two first year teams play in this match up so it's impossible to give much of a preview here. The Titans lack anything resemling an aerial attack as it appears that Brian Brohm will be starting QB and the best WR they have is rookie Mardy Gilyard. The Raiders are a bit better off since they've got a better core of players. Matt Moore is expected to win the starting job at QB over Colt McCoy.

Oakland Raiders - no injuries

Tennessee Titans - no injuries

I think the Raiders have the better overall team. They have the right defense to stop a running attack and since Tennessee has nothing going for it through the air Oakland will win.

The Giants will open the brand new Davis Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ against the Panthers. The stadium got its new name from the ownership of its two tenants, Jeremy Davis of the Giants and Jesse Davis of the Jets. As for the actual game it'll be nice to see RB Adrian Peterson running the ball again for the G-men after he went out on injury midway through last year.

Carolina Panthers - no injuries

New York Giants - no injuries

The Giants will win this game. They are home in their new stadium and are the better team. The Panthers will have to use this game as a learning point and improve from here.

This rivalry game is usually a pretty good one and this year should not disappoint. Chiefs' QB Aaron Rodgers is coming off of a disappointing 2009 after being injured for most of the year. This year things should be looking up for him. Second year player Matt Stafford will be the starting QB for San Diego, but if he starts slow look for Kerry Collins to enter the game.

San Diego Chargers - no injuries

Kansas City Chiefs - no injuries

The Chiefs win this game. They're playing in their newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium which is sure to be packed with some of the NML's loudest fans.

San Francisco has been a highly rated team going into the season year in and year out only to fall short of Power Bowl glory. This season is no different after a surprise move to trade Peyton Manning away for a 2nd round pick and Devry Henderson. The Seahawks have made many moves to improve from their poor first season. The new owner is determined to get this team headed in the right direction.

San Francisco 49ers - no injuries

Seattle Seahawks - no injuries

Should be an interesting game. I think that with a rookie QB like Clausen starting for the 49ers it should be an evenly matched team. I'll put my money on the Seahawks for this one.

In one of the many surprising moves in the league's offseason, the Cardinals traded away their MVP WR Brandon Jones. But they were able to pick up Calvin Johnson who will be a deep threat. Their main question is whether to start David Garrard or Kevin Kolb. The Rams are starting Dennis Dixon who will start his first NML game.

Arizona Cardinals - no injuries

St. Louis Rams - no injuries

I really don't see a way the Rams can win this game. They are weak on the offensive line that they'd need for running the ball and Dixon isn't the best throwing QB out there.

The Packers made some decent moves in the offseason to secure their replacement for retiring Kurt Warner. Joe Flacco will do well in his shoes. But the Packers as a whole are not that good and struggle each year of their existance. While the Eagles seem to be on a decline from their back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and Power Bowl championship, they shouldn't have too much trouble in this game.

Green Bay Packers - no injuries

Philadelphia Eagles - no injuries

Obviously the Eagles will win this game unless the offseason has made this Green Bay team much better than the last couple of seasons.