It’s time for our first five for Friday of the year! This is where I give you some storylines of 5 games coming up in this weekend as well as my predictions. Let’s dive in.

New, Old Quarterbacks: Pittsburgh @ Atlanta 11 AM (mountain time) on Fox

Both of these teams got new quarterbacks…that are old. Kirk Cousins is coming off a serious injury and we really haven’t seen him play in almost a year. Russ is dealing with a calf strain and really haven’t seen him play well since 2020. I didn’t think the Steelers could get worse than Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. But Russ said, hold my beer. Russ is so bad the Broncos are paying him millions of dollars to play against them. Not only is he not good, he also keeps getting hurt. If he can’t go, they will run Justin Fields out there who runs around so much I am sure he will get hurt during the game. The Steelers O-Line is not good either which isn’t ideal for two quarterbacks that hold the ball way too long. On the other side, you have everyone’s favorite quarterback from the Netflix show. Kirk is genuine, kind and just an all around great guy. This doesn’t help him win playoff games but it does help him in the “athletes I’d like to be friends with” category. Atlanta has all the pieces to be a playoff team but can Kirk play at his old form to lead them to that elusive first round playoff loss? We start to find out on Sunday.

Falcons 24 Steelers 13

The Battle for Florida or at least part of it: Jacksonville @ Miami 11 AM (mountain time) on CBS

Sure the Bucs play too but nobody really likes Tampa. This game could also be deemed the battle of disappointing second half of the seasons. Both these teams were rolling along winning their divisions and then things slowly got worse and worse for the Dolphins. The Jags on the other hand just full on took a nose dive. Now both teams try to start the season off on a positive note. It’s going to be a cool 91 degrees during the game so that should be enjoyable for fans and players a like. This does not bode well for Lawrence and his luscious locks. The more hair the hotter you will be in this one. Both these QB’s got paid huge amounts of money for no apparent reason. They have a combined 1 playoff victory and both have trouble staying healthy although Lawrence plays through his injuries. He plays poorly…but he is out there. The Jags have some good weapons but the Dolphins have great weapons. That’ll be the difference in this one with Hill and one of the extremely fast running backs both scoring long touchdowns. By the end of the season the Jags will be the better team but in week 1 give me the fins for the win.

Dolphins 31 Jags 20

The Tom Brady game: Dallas @ Cleveland 2:25 PM (mountain time) on Fox

Everyone will be tuning into this one. Not to watch either of these teams play but to see Tom Brady do his first broadcast. And lets be honest, we all are hoping he sucks. He took Greg Olson’s job just like he took Drew Bledsoe’s job. For some reason I find Tom Brady even less likable now that he isn’t playing. He is sort of this know it all who acts like he says good things about other players but then it ends up always coming back to him. And besides, you can’t be good at everything, it’s not fair. So here is to Tom Brady hopefully fumbling around in the broadcast, saying the wrong names, mixing up information for players and just sucking in general. Also, both these teams are talented but kind of a disaster. Dak is good or at least that is what everyone keeps telling me. But he seems to do poorly in big games. Watson hasn’t been good since he stopped getting creepy massages. It is really who’s talent drags the QB to victory. Give me the home team in an ugly game on the field and hopefully in the broadcast booth as well.

Browns 20 Cowboys 16

Stafford returns…again. Los Angeles @ Detroit Sunday Night on NBC

Matt Stafford threw for a lot of yards in Detroit. Unfortunately it didn’t translate to winning. So the Lions finally helped him out and traded him to the Rams. The Lions got Goff in exchange along with some draft picks and it worked out well for both teams. The Rams won the super bowl and the Lions went from absolutely terrible to contender. These two teams met in the playoffs last year when the Lions won a thriller. Both teams have strong offenses and questions on defense. This is one of the games I am looking forward to the most. Both teams are fun and likable. Goff usually plays exceptionally well inside. Both teams have lots of fun weapons. McShay is smart and Dan Campbell is well…Dan Campbell. I think both their defenses will be good by the end of the year but their will be some mistakes in this one. The Rams win a shoot out and Stafford gets his revenge from last year.

Rams 38 Lions 30

California Love: New Jersey @ San Francisco Monday Night on ESPN

Aaron Rodgers makes his way back home to California. The 49ers famously passed on Rodgers and drafted Alex Smith instead. It did not work as well. At the same time the 49ers have been Rodgers nemesis especially in the playoffs. Now Rodgers has a new team and he is hoping to make it to play 5 this year. The 49ers have had a messy offseason but somehow managed to get the whole gang back together. ESPN really wants the Jets to be good and it is on ESPN…so…. I don’t think either team comes out playing real crisp. The top Jets players haven’t played together in a game yet. The 49ers haven’t played together because half of them had contract disputes. It’s a sloppy game filled with good defenses and bad offense. Rodgers survives the game which is a victory in itself. All the 49ers survive the game as well which again is a victory. Rodgers drives the Jets down for a td to take the lead. Purdy tries to do the same but throws an interception instead. The aftermath is the media says that the Jets are going to win the Super Bowl and Brock Purdy is the 32nd worst quarterback in the league. Because the media is all about hot takes over facts.

Jets 23 49ers 17

Enjoy the first weekend of Football!!