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The New Orleans Saints started their defense of the  Super Bowl title on the right note last night, defeating Minnesota 14-9 in a game in which both teams looked a little rusty. You’d like to say it was a defensive battle but between Brett Favre not being in synch with his receivers and Garrett Hartley missing field goals it wasn’t exactly a great display of execution by either team. But the bottom line is it’s great to have NFL football back. Here are my predictions for this weekend’s opening games:

Cincinnati at New England – the Pats are favored and are usually tough to beat at home, but the Bengals are a better team than I had originally figured and will give them a tough test. Still, I like New England to pull out a win in the 4th quarter, wiping the taste out of their mouths of their last home game, the shocking playoff loss to the Ravens last year.

Cleveland at Tampa Bay – both these teams are looking to turn around their fortunes this season, and both finished last season on a high note. I like Tampa Bay at home because they are entering season 2 under Josh Freeman at QB, while Jake Delhomme starts his first game for the Browns. I expect more consistent offensive play from the Bucs for that reason.

Miami at Buffalo – the Bills defeated Miami at home last season when the team was winding down a bad year under interim coach Perry Fewell. Miami’s running game will rack up yardage on the Bills’ new 3-4 defense but the Bills will match them in the rushing department and make enough plays in the passing game and on special teams to pull out a win before a raucous home crowd.

Indianapolis at Houston –  the Colts have owned the Texans over the years, so it should be an easy pick here. I’m going to go against the grain and pick Houston to pull off an upset. The Colts do have some weaknesses that can be exploited and I just feel the Texans will approach the game as their Super Bowl and grind out a tough win at home.

Denver at Jacksonville – I don’t expect much out of the Jaguars this season but feel that they will knock off Denver at home to open the season, with Maurice Jones-Drew having a big game to lead the way.

Atlanta at Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh’s season will depend on how they survive their first 4 games while Ben Roethlisberger serves his suspension. Atlanta is going to have a big season this year and will start it off on the right foot with a big road win here in a low scoring game.

Oakland at Tennessee – the Raiders are on the rise, but I see Jason Campbell struggling on the road in his first start for them, and the Titans winning handily. Oakland had a horrible run defense last season and has made changes to correct the problem, but Chris Johnson should have a big day.

Carolina at N.Y. Giants – based on last season it’s tempting to pick the Panthers here, but I see the Giants coming out with an inspired effort, especially on defense, in the opening game of their new stadium, and pulling out a tough, well-earned win to start what I think is going to be a big rebound year for them.

Detroit at Chicago – Matthew Stafford has a huge day, the Lions’ defense comes up with a couple turnovers and coach Jim Schwartz’s team pulls off the upset of the day at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler will have a better season this year, but struggles in the opener.

Arizona at St. Louis – the Cardinals use their running game and some well-timed deep throws to Larry Fitzgerald to pull off a close win over the Rams.

Green Bay at Philadelphia – the Packers are the chic pick to win the Super Bowl this year, and open the season with a big road win as Aaron Rodgers has a huge day and the Packer defense, shredded in the playoffs last year, plays an inspired game and shuts down new Eagle QB Kevin Kolb.

San Francisco at Seattle –   the Seahawks are clearly rebuilding under Pete Carroll and the Niners are being touted as the team to beat in the NFC West this year. I’m not sure how coach Mike Singletary’s team will handle the higher expectations this year overall, but they’ll pound out a big win in the opener, with Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree being big factors.

Dallas at Washington – in one of the NFL’s best rivalries, I see the Cowboys spoiling Mike Shanahan’s debut with a big win, as Tony Romo exploits the Skins’ secondary and has a big night passing, and the ‘Boys 3-headed monster at running back wears down the defense.

Baltimore at N.Y. Jets – the pressure starts to mount on the Jets and their brash Super Bowl dreams, as they get battered by a team that is a REAL championship contender, the Ravens. Baltimore has some weaknesses on defense but on offense QB Joe Flacco is coming of age and I see him orchestrating a game plan that mixes the run and pass well and surprisingly racks up large chunks of yardage on the Jets’ top-ranked defense.

San Diego at Kansas City – Matt Cassel plays well, Jamaal Charles has a big night running the ball and the Chiefs pull off the upset at home.

Some final thoughts about the Buffalo Bills and the division they play in – the AFC East. If you listen to all the preseason predictions from the experts about this division, you get a mixed reaction of picks to win the division between New England and the New York Jets, and a few picking Miami to return to the top of the heap after faltering somewhat last season. Buffalo is either considered an afterthought, or not mentioned at all. Regardless of the choices for numbers one through three, Chan Gailey’s team is basically a unanimous pick to finish last. Meanwhile, the Bills quietly go about their business of getting ready for the season.

The Patriots are the choice of some experts to return to glory mainly based on 2 factors – the coach, Bill Belichick, and the quarterback, Tom Brady. The Pats have serious issues on defense – they were exposed in the playoffs by Baltimore last year, and clearly aren’t the powerhouse they were in 2007. But the expectation is that Belichick will plug in some unknown rookies on defense and that unit will play well enough to win, while Brady and company light up the scoreboard. While Belichick has done some amazing coaching jobs over the years, it may actually be reaching the point where the Pats are beginning to age and their annual purge of veteran players is starting to catch up to them. Now there is word out of Foxborough that Randy Moss is unhappy with his contract also.

The Jets’ Super Bowl bandwagon is overflowing with experts who have them winning the big game this year after reaching the AFC title game last year. It was a terrific accomplishment to go that far in the playoffs after barely sneaking into the playoffs, but every season is different and the Jets, especially their coach, Rex Ryan, don’t seem to realize that they have to earn their way back this season. The Jets’ roster is solid, but they also have fallen into the Dan Snyder-like trap of putting together a “fantasy” team of retread players, like LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor and Santonio Holmes. I have a feeling that recently signed Darrelle Revis isn’t going to just step onto the field, after holding out all through training camp, and dominate like he did last year. They haven’t been terribly impressive in preseason, and there’s a chance that the Jets could follow their usual pattern of not living up to expectations. The expectations on this franchise have never been as high as they are this year, and I just don’t see a lot of tangible team chemistry with this group.

Down in Miami, how are the Dolphins preparing for this week’s opener against the Bills? Well, the other day the players were scouring the practice field, with rakes and on their hands and knees, looking for a teammate’s $50,000 lost diamond earring. Terrific. For some reason, Bill Parcells suddenly stepped down as team president the other day also. Other than adding stud receiver Brandon Marshall, the Fins haven’t improved that much. Marshall’s presence also means that coach Tony Sporano has to find a balance between Miami’s bruising running game, which has been the strength of their offense, and keeping Marshall happy, which was always a chore for his coaches in Denver.