It’s been awhile.

I wrote my last column last fall, and I couldn’t even tell you what it was about off of the top of my head. I was probably complaining about the White Sox. I still do that. I complain about a lot of things. Here’s another one. I wish there was a Chick-Fil-A or a Five Guys Burgers & Fries in Kosciusko County. I’ve got more, but that’s not what this column is about.

What is this column about? To make it simple, football. I love football. I love that for the last three weeks I’ve been covering teams in our area on Friday nights and each week the weather has gotten just a little cooler. I love interviewing a coach and having him tell me his reward for a great defensive line performance is taking them out to dinner (shout out to Coach Moriarty). I love the popcorn. I love the touchdowns. I love the crowd. Football has helped me meet and get to know people in our community, something I usually struggle with in a lot of different situations.

I’ll be at Manchester Friday night covering the Squires Three Rivers Conference game against Tippecanoe Valley. If you see me, please say hi!

But this column is about the National Football League.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the season starts tonight. Instead of putting an Associated Press graphic in the paper every week like last season, I’m going to make the picks myself. It’s no fun when a national writer is wrong, but when I am, you can email me to let me know! How exciting!

I’ll preface by saying I’m not an expert myself, I’m just a guy who watches a lot of football. Nothing can stop me. Starting on Sunday and continuing each week, I’ll have my phone queued up to NFL Red Zone while I work on pages at the office. In case you’re somehow reading this, I can’t wait to see you, Scott Hanson.

I won’t waste any more time: here are my picks for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Buffalo Bills (-2.5) at Los Angeles Rams

It strikes me as a tad disrespectful to have the reigning Super Bowl champions as underdogs at home to open up the season, but that’s how good this Buffalo Bills team figures to be. Super Bowl favorites to many, Buffalo added even more talent this offseason, headlined by future Hall-of-Famer Von Miller. Quarterback Josh Allen also looks to make that MVP-level leap. The Bills face five playoff teams from 2021 in their first seven games, starting with the Rams.

Los Angeles was a case of the rich getting richer this summer. The team picked up former Bear Allen Robinson, who many believe is positioned for his best season yet with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback. Running back Cam Akers is looking to be the first running back to have a productive season after an Achilles tear. On the defensive side, the Rams replaced Miller with Seattle’s Bobby Wagner, one of the best linebackers in all of football. I don’t have to say anything about Aaron Donald. I really like the Bills all season long, but I don’t think the Rams will take too kindly to the underdog status.

The Pick: Rams +2.5

1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY

San Francisco 49ers (-6.5) at Chicago Bears

It pains me to say this, but I truly believe the Bears will be competing for the #1 overall pick in next year’s draft. A full rebuild that saw Ryan Poles take over general manager duties and Matt Eberflus become the new head coach has Chicago searching for an identity. They figure to be searching for points as well. Second-year quarterback Justin Fields may have had a better receiving core at Ohio State, but spent the preseason developing connections to Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet.

With all of that being said, the Niners are a team that I’m struggling to figure out. Jimmy Garoppolo is still on the roster, but will make way for 2021 third-overall pick Trey Lance, who will be the QB1 moving forward. The team has one of the best weapons in the league in Deebo Samuel, who signed a 3-year deal with the team after requesting a trade earlier in the summer. San Francisco figures to be a playoff team, and even though they may have some growing pains to start off the season, I believe they should be good enough to get a week one cover.

The Pick: 49ers -6.5

Indianapolis Colts (-7.5) at Houston Texans

Matt Ryan will be the Colts third opening day starter in as many years Sunday afternoon, but the real story will be how Jonathan Taylor looks after his 2021 rushing title. The defense will have a tough task duplicating the amount of turnovers forced, but will remain a stout unit regardless. Even with the Tennessee Titans’ stranglehold over the rest of the division, the Colts are the sexy pick to win it this year.

They’re starting off with division rival Houston, who will likely be battling the Jacksonville Jaguars for last place in the AFC South. Rookie running back Dameon Pierce is a potential breakout player to watch, but Houston is not on Indy’s level.

The Pick: Colts -7.5

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5)

The Bengals surprised everybody last year as champions of the AFC and Super Bowl runners up. The offense is going to score a lot of points with Joe Burrow having top options like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Joe Mixon finally figured it out last year and had his best season yet out of the backfield.

The Steelers said goodbye to longtime QB Ben Roethlisberger and announced former Bear Mitchell Trubisky as the new starter over the weekend. The Steelers are going to play smash mouth football, with second-year running back Najee Harris poised for a big year. I’m not sure Pittsburgh will win, but they are going to show up.

The Pick: Steelers +6.5

Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) at Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are going to be better than they were last year. It won’t be difficult, as the team only won three games, but I think they could easily double that total. They won’t get their first win in week one against a tough Eagles team though. I’m seeing a LOT of early Eagles love this season, and I do believe they have a strong chance at winning the division with the pieces they have. It will all come down to how well Jalen Hurts can perform.

The Pick: Eagles -3.5

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers (-2.5)

The Deshaun Watson saga was the most followed storyline of the offseason for obvious reasons. After ending with an 11-game suspension for the quarterback, the Browns will go with former Colt Jacoby Brissett as the starter against former Brown Baker Mayfield, who seems to be very excited about the matchup. The Panthers have a knack for starting the season strong, and they will here.

The Pick: Panthers -2.5

New Orleans Saints (-5.5) at Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons, like the Bears, figure to be one of the worst teams in football this season. The Saints should still be contending for a playoff spot with Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas (probably) returning. The defense figures to remain stout as always, but will Jameis take care of the ball?

The Pick: Saints -5.5

Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) at New York Jets

Lamar Jackson is in a contract year. Lamar Jackson is his own agent. Lamar Jackson’s liked tweets would indicate he might feel disrespected. Lamar Jackson is going to have a great year. I like the Jets, but the Zach Wilson injury will hurt them until he comes back.

The Pick: Ravens -6.5

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (-3.5)

The Dolphins made one of the splashes of the offseason, trading for deep-threat Tyreek Hill from Kansas City. A pick by many to sneak into the playoffs, I wonder too much about the ability of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and if he can get it done. I do think Miami will win more games than New England this season, but I have to go with Belichick in week one.

The Pick: Patriots +3.5

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders (-2.5)

Jacksonville can’t be worse than they were last season. I mean, the record might be close, but Urban Meyer isn’t the coach anymore. That’s 1-0 in my book. Washington will have to deal with the highs and lows of Carson Wentz. If Chase Young is able to come back at some point and come back strong, they’ll be tough each week.

The Pick: Commanders -2.5

LATE AFTERNOON SLATE

Green Bay Packers (-1.5) at Minnesota Vikings

Maybe it’s the years of trauma #12 has put me through, maybe it’s because I genuinely believe the NFC North has a new top dog, but I will NOT be picking the Green Bay Packers to win the division. The defense will be good, maybe a top-five unit in the league, and so will Rodgers. But I think Minnesota takes a leap under offensive-minded coach Kevin O’Connell and wins the division this year. They’ll start off with a win here.

The Pick: Vikings +1.5

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5)

The AFC West is going to be the best division in football. I could see three and maybe, MAYBE even all four teams finding a way to get into the playoffs, but I’m aware it’s a stretch. Picking the games where these teams play each other is going to be difficult. For this one, I’m going with the Chargers. They’re upset they didn’t make the playoffs last year, and they know the pressure’s on. I think both starting QBs in this one could find themselves in the MVP race.

The Pick: Chargers -3.5

Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5) at Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have been the hottest team in the league out of the gate the last couple of seasons. Will this finally be the year that they string together a complete season, or will Kyler Murray’s supposed Call of Duty addiction keep them from reaching their potential? Modern Warfare II comes out October 28, so we’ll have to see. The Chiefs are still going to be the Chiefs, but Arizona will be in this one until the end.

The Pick: Cardinals +5.5

New York Giants at Tennessee Titans (-5.5)

I like Tennessee in this one. The Giants are not going to be good. Not really much else for me to say.

The Pick: Titans -5.5

WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5) at Dallas Cowboys

I don’t think I’ve ever seen more football fans collectively agree on something more than Mike McCarthy needing to get canned in Dallas. The Cowboys have a lot of talented players on both sides of the ball, but I don’t hear their name come up when I hear about contenders. On the other side, Tom Brady begins his 21styear with another Super Bowl contending team. Maybe Dallas will win this matchup in the future with Sean Payton under the headset.

The Pick: Buccaneers (-2.5)

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Denver Broncos (-6.5) at Seattle Seahawks

What other way was there for Russell Wilson to begin his next chapter? He’ll get his flowers from Seattle fans in his first game as a Bronco. Seattle fans will likely spend the entire game and season missing Mr. Unlimited, as they’ll be in the #1 pick conversation as well. Denver on the other hand will be happy to have him. Something special is brewing up at Mile-High.

The Pick: Broncos -6.5 …let’s ride.

Come back next Thursday for Week 2 picks and most importantly, to see how many I got right! Have a great week, everyone.