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Week 1: Cleveland Browns Vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Browns

Eagles

Brandon Weeden gets the No. 1 quarterback position for the Browns and he has passed all his preseason tests. That won’t matter a bit when he’s facing a live defense like Philadelphia’s. He’s going to struggle badly.	Quarterback	Michael Vick suffered bruised ribs in the preseason, but the expectation is that he will be back in the starting lineup for this game. He’s still a brilliant athlete with great arm strength, but he makes too many mistakes.
The Browns are hoping Trent Richardson’s knee will allow him to play but the Browns may have to turn to Montario Hardesty. The receivers aren't good enough to help out an older rookie like Weeden, but the presence of Joe Thomas at is a big boost for this team.	Offense	The Eagles have the ability to put one of the most explosive offenses on the field. LeSean McCoy is one of the shiftiest runners in the league, but don’t ask him to pound out short-yardage plays. DeSean Jackson is a diva at receiver but he is a game breaker while Jeremy Maclin works the middle.
If the Browns have any chance of showing significant improvement this year, it will be the result of a defense that has the ability to shut down good offensive teams. D’Qwell Jackson is a tackling machine who registered 158 stops a year ago.	Defense	The talent level on the defense is high, but the production didn’t match because Juan Castillo didn’t seem to know what he was doing. Jason Babin and Trent Cole are capable of taking over a game and DeMeco Ryans has an opportunity to become a star.
While he has only returned one kick for a touchdown in the last two years, Joshua Cribbs could explode at any time and make a spectacular return. Placekicker Phil Dawson is dependable when the game is on the line and does well in bad-weather situations.	Special Teams	After years of depending on David Akers, the Eagles moved on to Alex Henery last year at the placekicker position. He struggled early but did much better at the end of the season. His sound-alike at punter Alex Henry struggled quite a bit last year.

The winner is

Eagles

3 out of 4

The Eagles were perhaps the most disappointing team in the NFL last year after loading up with talent and failing to make the postseason. Vick needs to get off to a good start and avoid turnovers. Cleveland lacks talent at the skill positions and will struggle to score points.

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