2020 NFL Week One Matchups To Watch

Gameday is almost here! The 2020 NFL week one will kick off this Thursday when the Houston Texans travel to Arrowhead to face the Super Bowl LIV Champion Kansas City Chiefs. This year will feel a lot different due to no fans being allowed, but that shouldn’t stop the players from giving it their all. Week one features a lot of great match-ups that are sure to get fans pumped for this upcoming season. As we get set for the start of the football year, let’s take a look at some 2020 NFL week one match-ups to watch.

2020 NFL Week One Matchups To Watch

Texans vs Chiefs

The 2020 NFL season will kick off with a great match-up between the Texans and Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. The last time these two teams met was in last year’s AFC Divisional Round. The Texans got off to a 24-0 lead before the Chiefs stormed back to win 51-31. Houston will try to forget about that as they head into the season on a mission.

The Texans were busy this offseason with trades, free agents signings, and extensions. They started with a very questionable move and they traded one of the best receivers in the game as they sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson. Then they signed receiver help with Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks. The most recent deal they made was giving franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson and four-year, $156M extension. The offense can be explosive both on the ground and in the air if these players can stay healthy. The defense got a little help this offseason with already having talent around the field. The problem on both sides of the ball in week one will be trying to limit the Chiefs’ explosion.

The defending Super Bowl Champions have what it takes to do what they did last season. The offense is explosive led by Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes along with his great weapons of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. If Sammy Watkins can get and stay healthy, that’s another great weapon for this offense. The defense can be just as good as last season with a lot of players returning. The Texans offense will have to break through this defense, which got better as the season went on last year. The same is true for the Texan’s defense and they’ll try to stop this great Chiefs offense. These two teams facing off is a great way to start the 2020 NFL season and the 2020 NFL week one.

Buccaneers vs Saints

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints is America’s Game of the Week and why shouldn’t it be? The Buccaneers had a fantastic offseason as they’ve gone from a sub .500 team to a Super Bowl contender. Getting Tom Brady in free agency might have something to do with it but he didn’t come alone. He brought Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to team up in Tampa. These two have had one of the best connections in NFL history. The Buccaneers already have great pieces with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on offense along with Shaquill Barrett and Ndamukong Suh on defense. The running back position seems tight with Ronald Jones and newly signed Leonard Fournette. This team has the potential to be explosive but facing the Saints might make it difficult to see right away.

The Saints have high expectations again this season but now they have to deal with Brady in Tampa. The offense looks like it’ll be explosive again with Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and a determined Alvin Kamara. The defense carried the Saints through a couple of games last season with the play of Cameron Jordan and Marshon Lattimore. They also traded for Malcolm Jenkins from the Philadelphia Eagles to make them even better. We’ll see how the newly formed Buccaneers can handle both the Saints offense and defense. With Brady signing with Tampa for two years, we’ll get to see Brady vs Brees face-off at least four times and we’re all here for that.

Packers vs Vikings

The Green Bay Packers had an interesting offseason, and in particular, the draft. They decided to draft quarterback Jordan Love with their first-overall pick and a running back with the second pick. The Packers didn’t draft one wide receiver in a heavy receiving draft. Many criticized the Packers for not getting Aaron Rodgers any help. That being said, Rodgers has a huge chip on his shoulder to take his team to the promised land and show everyone he’s still that bad man the Packers say he is. Even though he didn’t get any additions at receiver, he still has Davante Adams, who is one of the best receivers in the league. They also expect Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard to step up. The defense showed promise last season with Zadarius Smith, Preston Smith, and newly paid Kenny Clark upfront. The Packers also have Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, and Adrian Amos holding down the fort in the backfield. It’ll be really interesting to see what this team can do but they’ll have their hands full with the Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota had one of the best offseasons of any team in the league. They traded receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills but they signed Tajae Sharp and drafted Justin Jefferson to fill the void. The Vikings also lost Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph but they made a blockbuster trade to acquire Yannick Ngakoue form the Jacksonville Jaguars. They had a great draft as well as they try to open their Super Bowl window. One concern for this team is the cornerback position. They’ll return only one starter and the rest are inexperienced or have played little to no snaps. It’ll be interesting to see if Rodgers can exploit that weakness in week one. These two teams have been going at it for the top spot for years and every time it’s been great to watch. It’ll be no different for opening week in the NFL.