WEEK 1 PICKS

So here we are. The Year 2014. The fifth year of the Miller brothers' week by week picks, some seasons included where the Browns were so bad that we lost interest in our picks and just waited around for next year's draft.

In each of the last four seasons, older brother Mike has been proven wiser. Younger brother Joe tries to stop the losing streak. In four combined seasons, we're both winners. I've picked at a .528 clip and Joe at .508.

THURSDAY NIGHT
Green Bay @ (-5.5) Seattle
Joe: GB. Blah blah blah 12th man blah blah blah. As terrible as that sentence is, this match-up is the opposite.  I'll take a top-3 QB against any defense with this many points. Oh wait, I did that in the Super Bowl. I'll still take the Discount Double Check over the Manning Face against this much heralded D. Last year was the perfect storm for the Seahawks and they'll find this season much harder to the tune of my preseason pick of 13-3. Russell 'hustle & bustle man muscle' Wilson gets the win but it comes by way of a Steven Hauschka field goal.
Mike: GB. How could I have been dumb enough to not take Seattle and give a paltry 5.5 to the visiting team, regardless of whatever team that is. I'll put down that the Seahawks win the rest of their home games by 10+.
FINAL: Seattle 36-16. Wasn't close and we're off to a roaring start.

SUNDAY EARLY GAMES
Browns at Steelers (-6.5)
Joe: PIT. I'm making the Browns prove it to me this year. After losing in picks 4 years in a row, it's time to start picking with my head and not my heart. While I hope 100% that I'm wrong, I have a tough time seeing Cleveland scoring more than 13 points per game without Josh Gordon. Even with an improved defense, they'll need at least 20 points to win. They might get to 20 points by week 3.
Mike: CLE. I think the Browns perform reasonably well this year. Number one: Their defense is even better. I never saw a lot of big plays from D'Quell and I think we will from Dansby. But if history is our teacher, it's more likely he's washed up and we'll notice it early in the season. The risk is less with Donte Whitner. I'm excited to see him in a Browns uniform. There are so many former Buckeyes that the Browns passed over the years that it feels like some sort of redemption when they come back home. (Browns haven't won season opener since 2004, the only time since they returned in '99. We'll shit our pants if they win this game.)
FINAL: Pittsburgh 30-27. Such a typical Cleveland loss I can't even talk about it.

Saints (-3.5) at Falcons

Joe: NO. As my predictions boldly stated, I have the Saints at 13-3 this year and Brees winning the MVP. However, for fantasy purposes only I'm hoping for big things from Matt Ryan as well. 52-42 Saints.
Mike: NO. I never expected Atlanta to be so bad last year. I kept picking them week after week and they always let me down. I had my doubts about Matt Ryan when he was drafted first over all but then he erased my doubts when I saw his arm strength and accuracy on this crazy sideline pass to get into FG position with only seconds left in the fourth quarter back during his rookie year. He's been good enough to lead the team to the playoffs but last year was such a dud. I think they're better this year but still not good enough to sniff the playoffs.
FINAL: Atlanta 37-34 OT. Joe received his fantasy points he needed but not the start to Brees' MVP campaign.

Vikings at Rams (-3.5)
Joe: MIN. The Vikings will be frisky this year, kind of like the Browns but with weapons on offense. On the other side, it will be a long year for the Rams. Luckily for them there are many good QBs coming out next year. (that was not a Michael Sam reference)
Mike: MIN. The Browns guy barely touched Sam Bradford and he went down in a heap. I almost feel bad that it happened against Cleveland. But imagine how bad it could have been had he really been hit. Rams are in trouble this year.
FINAL: Minnesota 34-6. And we're both right.

Jags at Eagles (-10.5)
Joe: JAX. Double digit favorites to start the season?!? That's a little much for me. Yes, the Jags are terrible but they'll cover late in the fourth quarter.
Mike: PHI. The Eagles, whether winning or losing, are entertaining to watch with Chip Kelly going crazy aggressive on offense.
FINAL: Philadelphia 34-17. I HAD THIS ONE. FU JAGS!!!

Raiders at Jets (-5.5)
Joe: NYJ. Cross country flight, early game, rookie QB equal bad news for the Raiders. The rookie Khalil Mack will be a stud for them though.
Mike: NYJ. This may be the obvious pick of the day or the one that looks obvious in retrospect. Imagine if Derek Carr is decent and doesn't make mistakes. And imagine that the Jets are just as disappointing as ever. Isn't that more likely than the Jets blowing out anybody? And nobody wants to see Rex Ryan fired because the networks will want to turn him into the next John Madden.
FINAL: New York Jets 19-14. How does Vegas know?????

Bengals at Ravens (-1.5)
Joe: CIN. I'm hoping for a Baltimore 6-10 season. Cincy shouldn't be getting points here.
Mike: BAL. If only Rae Carruth had a friend like Ray Lewis, perhaps there'd be a statue of him, arms outstretched pulling in a pass. Somebody needed a better lawyer. And crew. 
FINAL: Cincinnati 23-16. Should have been a Bengal blowout. 5 FGs in the first half, then almost blew it. Browns are better than both these teams.

Bills at Bears (-6.5)
Joe: CHI. This should be the double digit line of the week. This has 34-10 written all over it.
Mike: CHI. A loss for the Bills is a win for the Browns. Cleveland holds Buffalo's 2015 #1 pick and if the Bills do as poorly as I think they will, the Browns will have Buffalo's Top Five pick to go with their own Top Five pick. I don't see the Bills winning many games this year and certainly not at Soldier Field.
FINAL: Buffalo 23-20 OT. And we couldn't be more wrong. 

Washington's Football Team at Texans (-3.5)

Joe: HOU. It's going to be a long year in the nation's capital. Captain Kirk Cousins will command the ***skins offense before midseason thanks to another RGIII injury. The Watt/Clowney pass rush will be a monster combining for 25-30 sacks.
Mike: WAS. I'll take the Redskins -- and speaking of words of Native American nature, did you know the name Texans derives from a Native American word, a tribe named Caddo's word for "friend" is tejas. The Spanish used the word for "friend" to describe the native peoples (nice trick) and used the word to name the region. Today, only 25 native speakers of Caddo remain -- they're the original Texans.
FINAL: Houston 17-6. The 'skins had their XP blocked. Thank God the Browns didn't hire Jay Gruden.

Titans at Chiefs (-3.5)
Joe: KC. A season of regression back to the middle for KC this year starts next week.
Mike: KC. I went against the Chiefs with regularity last season and I was proven wrong week after week. Still, this is more of a vote against Tennessee than a nod to KC.
FINAL: Tennessee 26-10. We were a week off for KC. They are not good. 

Patriots (-4.5) at Dolphins
Joe: NE. Lots of people like the Dolphins this year. Tom Brady does not.
Mike: NE. There are ten games with 1 p.m. kickoffs. Why not space them out? Kick off at 12:00 and every :20 thereafter, with the last of the ten kickoffs coming at 3 pm. It leads perfectly into the 4 pm and 4:30 pm kickoffs that follow. Not a sermon, just free advice.
FINAL: Miami 33-20. This week is not going well. Apparently we have never watched football since last year. 

SUNDAY LATE GAMES
Panthers at Bucs (-2.5)
Joe: TB. Reading lots of love for Tampa this year. I absolutely don't see it. But Derek Anderson is starting for Carolina, so the Bucs by double figures.
Mike: CAR. Being without cable, I'm out of the loop here. Cam Newton might not play? It doesn't matter. Tampa Bay is going to be as bad as the Miller Bros predict they will be.
FINAL: Carolina 20-14. This might be the worst week ever.  

49ers (-4.5) at Cowboys
Joe: DAL. I'm down on the 49ers this year. When your coach flirts with leaving your team to come to the Browns, then you're going to have problems.
Mike: DAL. Jerry's boys will be competitive all year and juuuust miss the playoffs again. Would he ever fire himself as GM? If it was me, I'd be GM for Life. I bet he will too.
FINAL: San Francisco 28-17. This was way more of a blowout than the score says. 

Colts at Broncos (-7.5)
Joe: IND. Luck is too good for over a touchdown spread. Be interesting to see how many more times Luck is this big of an underdog for the rest of his career.
Mike: DEN. This matchup is more interesting to me than Manning vs Brady. I love it that Luck is building a rivalry with Manning. Of all the teams to give the Broncos trouble in the post season, I bet it will be Indianapolis.
FINAL: Denver 31-24. I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!! I KNOW EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!

MONDAY NIGHT DOUBLEHEADER
Giants at Lions (-6.5)
Joe: DET. The Giants will be terrible this year. Coughlin may not make it to December.
Mike: DET. I can see the Lions starting off hot, somebody gets injured on a freak play and the losing streak begins. 
FINAL: Detroit 35-14. PICK STREAK AT 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chargers at Cardinals (-3.5)
Joe: SD. Phil Rivers will have an under the radar great season and garner some MVP votes. Carson Palmer, not so much.
Mike: SD. Chargers are one of those sneaky/disappointing teams that always manages to finish 9-7. This year will be no different -- just good enough but never able to get better.
FINAL: Arizona 18-17. MAKE THAT 3!!!!!! We get hot just as the week ends. Will it carry over to week 2.... (doubtful)

Week 1 results 
Joe: 6-10
Mike: 6-10