Cincy Jungle staff picks for Week 1

Week 1 is here. The NFL regular season isn’t a sprint. It is a marathon. Cincinnati Bengals fans know that as well as anyone after the Bengals started 0-2 last season before ultimately making it back to the AFC Championship game and seconds away from another Super Bowl appearance.

Despite that, it is still nice to start off that marathon feeling good with a win. Not starting the season off with a hole that you need to dig out of is just better in every way. Let's take a look at some of the notable matchups

The Baltimore Ravens get a close look at the new Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. There aren’t many worse defenses for a rookie to open their career with. Baltimore definitely won’t make it easy, and they have a history of starting the season off with a big win.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a surge of confidence from the national media as a sort of sleeper pick for a team to break out this season. Quarterback Kenny Pickett and wide receiver George Pickens are entering their second season together, and their success could coincide with the team’s success as a whole. The San Francisco 49ers are an interesting early test for them.

The highlight of Sunday’s games is the game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are viewed by many as one of the contenders in the NFC, and last season they were close to being the No. 1 seed in the NFC but ended up finishing just behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.

The Giants were no slouches last season, either. They made the playoffs and ultimately even won a playoff game. The question is if New York, led by Daniel Jones, can make that step to get into a legitimate race with the Cowboys and Eagles for that division title. These early division games tend to come back and matter quite a bit at the end of the season.

Here is who our staff of writers is taking for Sunday’s games.