Every week we'll publish two sets of picks that come directly from journalists.

Our panel is made up of Arif Hasan, featured in the LA Times, Bleacher Report and the Daily Norseman, and our 2014 overall champion ATS picker Mario Mergola of XN Sports/AOL.com.

If you disagree or agree with these picks, let us know in the comments, and head over to the main page to check the expert consensus amongst all media outlets.

Straight Up Picks

Arif Hasan

Arif Hasan has been writing about the Vikings and NFL for four years and has had his work in the LA Times, International Business Times, Forbes, MSN, Star Tribune, Bleacher Report, and various other outlets. You can find his work at the Daily Norseman or his podcast (Norse Code).

Mario Mergola

Mario Mergola is a writer for XN Sports, featured on AOL Sports. He finished first in NFL Pickwatch's standings for picks against the spread throughout the regular season and playoffs in 2015, and he specializes in finding upsets and trap games. These picks are straight up, however if you wish to view Mario's ATS picks, please click here for the ATS page

Matchup

The Pick

The Verdict

The Pick

The Verdict

Steelers

@

Patriots

Pittsburgh really has a lot of firepower, but lost in last year's mind-boggling numbers were the offense's fundamental inconsistency, even with Antonio Brown. With a younger but still worrisome defense, expect Pittsburgh to fall.

Don't be fooled, the Steelers were preparing to face Tom Brady, all along. What they could not anticipate is that his return would come with the desire to pile on as many points as humanly possible. If fuel was not added to the fire, Pittsburgh would stand a chance. Unfortunately for the Steelers, the Patriots will look to torch opponents.

Packers

@

Bears

Trusting John Fox and Vic Fangio to fix Chicago's awful defense is easy. Trusting it to overcome the twin problems of Aaron Rodgers and they're own offense is much more difficult. Despite Green Bay injury woes, Packers should handle this.

The upset of the week. The Bears are an easy team to cast off after their horrific 2014 season, but playing a division rival on Opening Day is a fantastic recipe for rejuvination. A new head coach and Jay Cutler at the end of his rope is a prime condition for an earth-shattering upset.

Chiefs

@

Texans

Two promising defenses should make this game a low-scoring affair, but the Chiefs defense is talented at all three levels and for the moment have better answers at QB and RB.

What has Kansas City done to not get any love? 9-1 and 7-3 in the first ten games of the past two seasons, the Chiefs are notorious for jumping out to a hot start. Without any threat on the Texans' offense, the Chiefs should run away and hide in Houston.

Browns

@

Jets

Maybe not the premier matchup of opening weekend, but there should be an exciting matchup between the Jets defensive line and Cleveland's stellar offensive line. Despite missing Geno Smith and Sheldon Richardson, the Jets could pull this out because of better coaching and a better distribution of talent.

Someone has to be 1-0 after this game, and the Jets are the team with the brighter future - whoever thought that would be true? If New York loses at home, to the Browns, the fans might revolt. The Jets stave off a mutiny.

Colts

@

Bills

Luck's talent is undeniable, but the same is true of the Bills' defense. Despite being led by unproven Tyrod Taylor, Andrew Luck's supporting cast as well as his propensity for turnovers could give the Bills the advantage they need, especially at home.

If the Colts score more than three points, the game should be over. No matter how bad Indianapolis' defense was exploited by the Patriots, Tyrod Tayler is not Tom Brady.

Dolphins

@

Redskins

Even two years ago, Miami wouldn't have been able to put together a more dysfunctional team than Washington has now. Some improvement on the offensive line, along with Tannehill's progression should give the offense enough juice to let the defense, now with Ndamukong Suh, to secure a win. Washington's porous defense and shaky QB situation doesn't help.

Trap. There is no reason that the Dolphins won't blow out the Redskins, but the small spread suggests otherwise. Miami should be one of the best teams in the league, but they failed to beat an opponent by more than a field goal in any of their last six games. Don't fall into the trap, take the points, but the Dolphins win a close one.

Panthers

@

Jaguars

It was tempting to pick Jacksonville given the state of Carolina's offensive line and receivers, but the Jaguars have line issues of their own and at the moment a less talented quarterback with an unproven defense. Carolina should pick up the slugfest.

It is easy to believe that Jaguars will be bad again simply because they always are. But why aren't the Panthers included in that conversation. For nearly all of last season, they were a devestated mess, and reaped the rewards of playing in the worst division in football. Jacksonville should consider the Panthers an 'easy win,' and not the other way around.

Seahawks

@

Rams

St. Louis gave Seattle all it could give last year, but don't expect unsustainable tricks to win it again. St. Louis is arguably is worse this year though their signal-caller is marginally better. The additions of Jimmy Graham and potentially Tyler Lockett could allow Seattle to overcome the sting of last year's defense and home field advantage.

Remember the way the Super Bowl ended? The Seahawks do. They will come out looking for blood. Amazingly, St. Louis tends to play the Sehawks tough, and will avoid a blowout - after all, they arguably have their best quarterback in years. Seahawks win, but the sneaky play is to take the points as the Rams should beat the spread.

Saints

@

Cardinals

Drew Brees is on the precipice of decline, but more importantly—his weapons are gone. Without Still or Graham, Brees will have to hope an aging Colston can do enough while Rob Ryan's defense hopes to recover from its dismal 2014 showing. Arizona on the other hand, is much better on offense with Palmer back and still strong on defense.

If the entire fate of the Cardinals organization rests on the health of Carson Palmer - now with two knee injuries to his name - they better buy insurance. Drew Brees and Sean Payton have individually never had back-to-back losing seasons, and it's hard to believe they aren't due for a rebound year.

Lions

@

Chargers

A tough matchup that should give the advantage to the Chargers playing on home turf, the Lions' best chances are Stafford's return to form and a defense that can operate without Suh. Both are likely, but probably not to the degree that they can beat Philip Rivers and a much stronger Chargers defense than in years past.

Possibly the most frustrating teams to project, the Chargers and Lions never hold true to form. Playing a non-conference game on Opening Day basically makes this an exhibition contest, but the Chargers have a knack for putting together great games out of nowhere.

Titans

@

Buccaneers

Even if we assume both rookie passers are equal in ability, Tampa Bay's talent on offense and defense outstrips Tennessee's roster construction. With Verner, David and McCoy, the Bucs' defense can shut down large swaths of the field while Mike Evans can open them up. Wright and DGB can't compete, and neither can the Titan's defense.

No matter how hard we try to look elsewhere, the game will always come down to Jameis Winston versus Marcos Mariota. Winston may have been the first overall selection, but questions about character usually impeded a quarterback's ability to lead. The Titans struck gold when Mariota fell into their lap.

Bengals

@

Raiders

Cincinnati and Oakland are probably a lot closer than people think, but the Bengals are in the Wild Card race while the Raiders are working on a winning record. It is entirely possible that Derek Carr can become a better quarterback than Andy Dalton—in fact, don't be surprised if that happens this weekend—but the Bengals field a more coherent and capable defense, while still offering a little more in offensive weaponry and in the trenches.

Playing in the AFC North, the Bengals need to secure as many wins against non-divisional, weaker opponents, as possible. Until the Raiders prove that they should be considered anything but a pushover, teams will continue to push them over.

Ravens

@

Broncos

It should give Peyton Manning confidence that he's starting at home, but it's also relevant that he's working with a better defense than Joe Flacco. I'm gambling a bit that Manning's struggles last year were largely due to injury, but it also helps that Flacco is a bit overrated and needs better pieces around him.

Baltimore tends to give the Broncos a headache, but Denver usually prevails, as their passing offense matches up well with Baltimore's defense. The Ravens keep it close, as they tend to do, but the Broncos win, as they tend to do.

Giants

@

Cowboys

Tony Romo was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL last year, and Manning wouldn't crack the top ten. He's likely peaked despite the emergence of his star young receiver and doesn't have the cast around him to make up for that—especially when comparing Dallas' elite line to New York's battered one. A resurgence of Dallas defense is enough to seal it at home.

The Giants have no qualms about playing the Cowboys on the road - New York is 4-2 in its last six games in Dallas - and something about this rivalry lights a fire in whatever team was struggling, most recently. The Cowboys return back to earth as the Giants return to their winning ways.

Eagles

@

Falcons

Atlanta will probably be much better than a lot of pundits are willing to give them credit for, but so too will Philadelphia. Chip Kelly's mad scheming was baffling at times, but the roster as it stands now is still pretty good. With an advantage on both sides of the ball on the line of scrimmage, Atlanta's superior receivers will not be enough to make up for the difference.

It was only a few short years ago when Atlanta was a feared place to play, and all signs point for the Falcons to be trending up in 2015. Philadelphia's Chip Kelly spent the offseason moving pieces around a chessboard, but it will likely take more than one game for the moves to unfold. Atlanta holds serve at home and wins.

Vikings

@

49ers

The rise of the Minnesota Vikings and emergence as a playoff dark horse may be a bit hasty, and there's a good chance that the 49ers are better off than people think. That still doesn't mean that they have enough cohesion and talent to overcome advantages at quarterback, receiver, running back, defensive line, linebacker, cornerback and safety.

Minnesota is receiving too much hype, too quickly. The 49ers will be one of the worst teams, this season, but need to find an escape from the tumultuous offseason they just endured. The 49ers pull it together for just one game and come out victorious.