Junk Food Nation, it’s NFL opening weekend, and I am STOKED.  As I mentioned on Wednesday, Fridays will be dedicated to a public competition between me and my friend The BQB, who runs the Backup QB Blog. Read it, love it, and follow him on Twitter.

Here’s the deal, from The BQB’s fingers to your eyeballs: We’re picking every non-Thursday night game against the spread every week.  Lines are from MGM/Mirage in Vegas (via VegasInsider) at the time of publishing. Every game is worth one point, except for our “Lock of the Week,” which is worth 5.

I’m determined not to lose, espcially given the stakes.  The BQB is a Steelers fan, and I’m a Bills fan, so that means we both despise the Patriots.  As a result, the loser of this season-long competition will have to buy and wear THIS SHIRT to his Super Bowl Party:

OH GOD PLEASE LET ME WIN.  Photographic evidence of this display will be presented by this blog after the Super Bowl.

Anyways, you can read about The BQB’s picks over on his post. His lock of the week is Jaguars +10; his rationale: “I don’t like going with big favorites in the early weeks of a season before we really know anything.  With a totally-serviceable Chad Henne at the helm, some decent weapons, an underrated defense, and an Eagles team everyone’s a little too high on, I’m taking the Jags and the 10 points.”

My LOCK OF THE CENTURY…OF THE WEEK is the BEARS -7 over my Bills. Here’s one thing I do know – EJ Manuel looked lost in the pre-season, so why would I think everything locks into place as soon as the regular season starts? I fully expect Sammy Watkins to be sitting out by the second quarter with a rib injury. Fred Jackson will rush for a score, but a healthy dose of Alshon Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall will help the Bears cover.

The rest of our picks here:

GAME	Backup QB Picks	JFG Picks
Saints @ FALCONS	FALCONS +3	Saints -3
Vikings @ RAMS	Vikings +4	Vikings +4
Browns @ STEELERS	STEELERS -6.5	STEELERS -6.5
Jaguars @ EAGLES	Jaguars +10 (LOCK)	EAGLES -10
Raiders @ JETS	JETS -5	JETS -5
Bengals @ RAVENS	Bengals +2.5	Bengals +2.5
Bills @ BEARS	BEARS -7	BEARS -7 (LOCK)
Redskins @ TEXANS	Redskins +3	TEXANS -3
Titans @ CHIEFS	CHIEFS -3	CHIEFS -3
Patriots @ DOLPHINS	Patriots -4.5	Patriots -4.5
Panthers @ BUCS	BUCS -2.5	BUCS -2.5
Niners @ COWBOYS	Niners -5	COWBOYS +5
Colts @ BRONCOS	Colts +7	BRONCOS -7
Giants @ LIONS	Giants +5.5	LIONS -5.5
Chargers @ CARDINALS	CARDINALS -3	Chargers +3

So there you go. Updated W-L and point totals next Friday. Happy Football Weekend, Junk Food Nation! Let me know what you think of our picks in the comments below. Plus, who are YOUR favorite teams? I’m curious to see where my homer readers are at.

Today’s junk food: Kettle Maple Bacon Popcorn!

Kettle Maple Bacon Popcorn?? Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. That’s right – this is Kettle’s first (to my knowledge) foray into something NON-chip. Kettle is mainly known for potato chips, although I’ve done some tortilla chip reviews too.

And now, Kettle is breaking into the popcorn space.  This Kettle Maple Bacon Popcorn is not the ONLY flavor of popcorn they have either – they also have sea salt, salt & pepper, white cheddar, and sriracha.

Kettle Maple Bacon Popcorn only has a few ingredients – good start.  I wanted to see bacon bits, but I guess smoke will have to do.

When I opened this bag of Kettle Maple Bacon Popcorn, and sniffed, I IMMEDIATELY got the smell of bacon.  Even the Junk Food Gal exclaimed, “WHOA” when she smelled the bag.  Sort of smoky, bacon-y, etc.  Good start, Kettle.

I crammed a mouthful of this Kettle Maple Bacon Popcorn into my mouth (the only way I know how to eat popcorn), and munched.  I. LOVED. IT.

Here’s the thing – this popcorn is NOT overwhelmingly bacon, or overwhelmingly maple either. There was a subtle definite maple sweetness to the popcorn, and then a salty smack of smoky bacon that came in and out as I chewed.  Both flavors were subtle.  Well, maybe subtle is too little…they were muted.  Present flavors, but muted.

The result? Even though this was labeled as traditional salty/sweet kettle corn (despite having the Kettle brand), it did REMIND me of traditional kettle corn. The popcorn was slightly maple-y sweet and the bacon flavor brought the savoriness in just enough to be noticed.

I thought this popcorn was delicious and will finish the whole bag. But yes – for anyone who wants BOLD maple bacon flavor, this is NOT for you. But for my tastes, I thought the balance was perfect.

PURCHASED AT: Safeway, Waterfront metro in DC

COST: $3.29 with coupon

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy