Three NFL favorites that could stumble badly in Week 1

Week 1 has a habit of torching predictions that looked perfectly reasonable during the summer. These three NFL favorites have enough talent to win their openers, but each is stepping into a matchup with more danger than the point spread suggests.

Seattle cannot assume the Super Bowl will repeat itself

Seattle defeated New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX. Seven months later, the Seahawks are favored by 3.5 points in the rematch.

Beating the same opponent twice is hardly automatic, especially when the second meeting opens a new season. New England spent the offseason fixing an offense that committed three turnovers in the Super Bowl. Its biggest addition, A.J. Brown, gives Drake Maye the proven No. 1 receiver he previously lacked.

Seattle still owns home-field advantage and the defense capable of making Maye miserable again. The problem is that New England has spent an entire offseason staring at everything that went wrong in February. Mike Vrabel does not need to reinvent football. If the Patriots protect the ball and Brown changes a few third downs, the defending champions could begin their title defense with an uncomfortable reminder that February’s scoreboard carried no rollover minutes.

Chicago’s comfortable opener is getting complicated

The Bears are only 2.5-point favorites in Carolina, which already tells us this is not viewed as the leisurely Week 1 stroll some Chicago fans expected.

Then Thursday happened.

D’Andre Swift and Rome Odunze both left practice with apparent injuries. Odunze’s issue is not believed to be serious, while Chicago has yet to provide an official update on Swift. Their availability could change the entire shape of the offense, particularly with backup running back Kyle Monangai already working his way back from a knee injury.

Chicago should have the better roster. It also must take a young Carolina team seriously while adjusting to life without DJ Moore, who was traded to Buffalo during the offseason. The Panthers have little pressure and a home crowd behind them. That is a dangerous combination against a Bears team carrying playoff expectations before it has played a meaningful snap.

Cincinnati’s defense must prove it is finally different

Few NFL favorites will receive more public support than Cincinnati. Joe Burrow is healthy, the offensive line was rebuilt and the Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins available despite both being limited recently.

None of that guarantees the defense can hold up.

Cincinnati has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, with its defensive decline helping waste some terrific offensive production. Tampa Bay brings enough firepower to test whether the offseason repairs accomplished anything beyond producing optimistic press conferences.

The Buccaneers do not need to completely stop Burrow. They need to pressure him occasionally, avoid giving away possessions and attack a defense that still has plenty to prove. Cincinnati could score 30 points and remain in danger deep into the fourth quarter.

The Bengals are favored for obvious reasons. They are also the type of Week 1 favorite that can play well offensively, make two ugly defensive mistakes and somehow spend the final minute wondering how everything went sideways so quickly.