NFL Preview: Week Two

GAME OF THE WEEK: Eagles at Cowboys (Monday night)

Arguably, Dallas and Philadelphia were the two most impressive teams in Week One, although, as Pacman Jones made reference to, the Eagles were playing the Rams. This week, they go head-to-head in a game that will establish early-season momentum in the division race for one and disappoint the other.

The Cowboys have a little bit of swagger going into this game, which, as a fan, bothers me. T.O. made remarks about his pal McNabb today, Jones said the above comment, and bimbo Jessica Simpson was quoted as saying, "We are going to kick the Eagles' butts," (note to Romo: Drop this loser, NOW).

Don't give the Eagles any extra incentive. Let your play on the field do the talking. Come out and stake a claim as to who is at the head of the class in the NFC East.

The keys to this game will be the Eagles' ability to generate a pass rush against a very good offensive line, and the Cowboys' consistent pass defense. Jim Johnson brought the house on Romo last December, and it allowed them to hold Dallas to six points.

Don't give him all the time in the world to throw the ball. You could have timed how long he had in the pocket before anybody got to him in Cleveland with a sundial, and he ripped that secondary to shreds as a result.

Dallas held up pretty well in the secondary against the Browns, but that was partly due to the fact that Cleveland's receivers couldn't catch a cold. McNabb is short on receivers at the current time, so he will probably look to Brian Westbrook and L.J. Smith a lot in the intermediate passing game.

The linebackers and defensive backs need to be ready for these threats if the Cowboys want to win on Monday night. It would be a huge help if Terrence Newman could return after missing last week's game with a groin injury. 


Other top games

Colts at Vikings

Based on my observations, the Indy defense did not show that killer instinct of 2007 against Chicago. The unit looked more like the one that struggled during the 2006 regular season, and as a result, Kyle Orton and a bunch of unknown running backs led the Bears to victory.

This week, it won't get any easier while facing Adrian Peterson, who had over 100 yards against a very good Green Bay defense on Monday. I expect Peyton Manning to come out and play better in his second game back, and he will have to, seeing how establishing a consistent running attack against that defensive front won't be easy. 

Steelers at Browns (Sunday night)

People are already anointing the Steelers as the favorites in the AFC, given all that happened last week, combined with a dominating performance against Houston. Not so fast my friends. It's one game and one game only.

They could easily go into Cleveland on Sunday night and lay an egg. Not to say this team isn't a contender, because they are. Just don't make assumptions like that in September.

The Browns, meanwhile, need to come out and prove that last week's drubbing at the hands of Dallas was an aberration. They could start by generating a pass rush and not dropping easy catches. 

Patriots at Jets

With Tom Brady's season-ending knee injury, this game doesn't seem quite as important as it did just a few days ago. But really, this is still a crucial early-season matchup in the AFC East.

While the Brady vs. Favre element is not there anymore, we still have Mangini vs. Belichick and a Patriots team trying to prove they can win with Matt Cassel under center.  Not to mention, this division race is probably going to be a lot closer without Brady playing.

Look for the Patriots to run the ball more this week, although Belichick can't ignore big-play threats Randy Moss and Wes Welker. I think Cassel has the tools to be an adequate replacement and will cause anyone who wrote this team off for 2008 regret it in a matter of weeks. 

Chargers at Broncos

San Diego faithful are probably a little bit nervous about Sunday's trip to Mile High. Denver was dominant against the Raiders on Monday, although I don't know if we can contribute that to the fact they were playing Oakland or are truly that good.

San Diego, meanwhile, lost in the last second to Carolina at home, and then Shawne Merriman elected to end his season and undergo reconstructive knee surgery. Luckily for the Chargers, Oakland and Kansas City won't be a threat in the West this year, but they cannot afford to fall two games behind the Broncos this early in the season.

They beat them by a combined margin of 64-6 one year ago, but Jay Cutler, the running game, and defense were all sharp in Oakland. And that was without Brandon Marshall, who returns from a one-game suspension. 

And the rest of this week's entertainment

Titans at Bengals
Ex-AFC Central rivals clash in Cincinnati, as Kerry Collins temporarily takes over for Vince Young. 

Bills at Jaguars
Buffalo has to be considered a player in the AFC East now, and they could put themselves on the map with an upset here. 

Raiders at Chiefs
One of the NFL's great rivalries, but it's hard to get excited with the level of talent assembled on both sides. 

Packers at Lions
The question here is if Lions fans will break out the paper bags as headgear in Week Two. 

Falcons at Buccaneers
Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and company will probably find it a little bit tougher to move the ball on Tampa's defense. 

Giants at Rams
It could be another long week for the Rams' offensive unit against an attacking defense. 

Bears at Panthers
Carolina is without Steve Smith again, but that wasn't a problem against the highly-regarded Chargers. 

Saints at Redskins
Jim Zorn and company look to get on track after a less than impressive performance in the opener. 

49ers at Seahawks
The Seahawks should rebound from last week's drubbing in Buffalo. 

Dolphins at Cardinals
Arizona will be looking for their first 2-0 start in 17 years. 

Ravens at Texans (Monday night)
This game has been moved to Monday night. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone down on the Gulf Coast of Texas.