The Once-Over: Week 2

With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.

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The Early Games

Carolina (0-1) at Atlanta (1-0): Jake Delhomme has won four of his last six starts against the Falcons but the only history that matters to the Panthers at this point is his recent history -- as in last week's four-interception debacle and subsequent benching in the third quarter (yes, it took less then three quarters for Delhomme to throw four picks).

The biggest surprise in Atlanta last week was the excellent play of the Falcons defense, which was well-timed, as neither quarterback Matt Ryan nor running back Michael Turner were as sharp as they could have been against the Dolphins. You could see the offense begin to click as the game went on for the Falcons, and if that defense proves to really be as good as they showed in Week 1, it'll be a long trip back up I-85 to Charlotte for the Panthers.

Pick: Atlanta

Minnesota (1-0) at Detroit (0-1): Hey schedule makers, give these Lions a break! Detroit began the season facing the most prolific passing offense in the NFL in the New Orleans Saints -- New Orleans threw up a 45-spot on the Lions defense. It doesn't get any easier in Week 2 as the league's best running back, Adrian Peterson, comes to town.

Minnesota has won 13 of the last 14 meetings against the Lions and that trend should continue forward. When the Vikings aren't watching Peterson rack up yardage on the ground look for Brett Favre to air it out to rookie receiver Percy Harvin and tight-end Visanthe Shiancoe, to name a few.

Pick: Minnesota

Cincinnati (0-1) at Green Bay (1-0): These two teams were on the opposite ends of late-game comeback drives in Week 1 -- none more heartbreaking then the 87-yard touchdown pass deflection the Broncos used to beat the Bengals. The Bengals must bounce back from that deflating finish, and Carson Palmer needs to progress further from an elbow injury that caused him to miss most of the 2008 season, and an ankle injury that forced him out of preseason action.

Green Bay's defense looked tough against Chicago in Week 1, but Aaron Rodgers and the offense sputtered, in large part to the pressure Rodgers was getting from the Bears' pass rush, which sacked the Packers quarterback four times. The Bengals can bring the pass rush, too -- the Packers must protect Rodgers better if their offense is going to get on track.

Pick: Green Bay

Houston (0-1) at Tennessee (0-1): The Texans had a total of 183 net yards of offense in Week 1 against an aggressive Jets defense. Steve Slaton mustered just 17 yards rushing on nine carries and Matt Schaub only managed 166 yards passing. The Houston offense needs to vastly improve, and that's a tall task as the Titans defense is strong. Slaton rushed for 100-plus yards against the Titans in both meetings of 2008, but look for Tennessee to focus on shutting down the second-year running back just like the Jets did.

Tennessee dropped a close one in the NFL opener, 13-10 against the Steelers. Defense was on display, but don't count out what rookie Kenny Britt and veteran Justin Gage were able to accomplish in Week 1. The two receivers combined for 163 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions, and look to be a nice compliment to LenDale White and Chris Johnson, who no longer want to be called "Smash and Dash", but need to put up the numbers like the duo of old.

Pick: Tennessee

Oakland (0-1) at Kansas City (0-1): There's nothing better for a young, inconsistent offense than facing one of the worst defenses in the league. The Chiefs were only able to sack opposing quarterbacks 10 times last year, which should allow JaMarcus Russell some time to make decisions. Kansas City also gave up 198 yards on the ground to Baltimore last week -- great news for Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

Matt Cassel is close to making his way back from his MCL sprain, but his status is still up in the air for Week 2. Brodie Croyle performed admirably (16 of 24, 177 yards, 2 touchdowns) against a top-notch Ravens defense last week and could do so again if called upon in Cassel's absence. Larry Johnson was limited to 20 yards rushing on 11 carries and needs to get going on Sunday if the Chiefs are going to have any chance to bounce back.

Pick: Oakland

New England (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0): Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to Benjamin Watson in the final 2:06 of their Week 1 game against the Bills to win 25-24. If not for a well-timed fumble, the Patriots don't get that chance for a heroic Brady comeback. The Jets are much better then the Bills, so New England is going to have to play more then just two minutes of Patriots-style football if they hope to continue their winning ways.

The Jets beat down a Texans team that many feel is a playoff-caliber team. They did so with blistering defense and a sensational NFL debut performance from rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. The running back tandem of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, who performed well in Week 1, could see similar results against a young Patriots front-seven.

Pick: New England

New Orleans (1-0) at Philadelphia (1-0): Drew Brees tallied 358 yards passing and threw six touchdowns against a hapless Lions defense in Week 1. The Eagles will surely put up more of a fight and be the first test for the Saints offense, which still may be missing running back Pierre Thomas. The Saints defense may be the benefactors of a Donovan McNabb rib injury. If McNabb can't go on Sunday, Kevin Kolb steps in for the Eagles.

With the Saints in town, Philadelphia knows it's going to have to put up big numbers to keep up. Much of that burden may fall onto Brian Westbrook if Kolb has to play quarterback. Kolb has never started a game in the NFL and would like to be able to go out with a balanced rushing and passing attack instead of having to throw the ball 35-plus times.

Pick: New Orleans

St. Louis (0-1) at Washington (0-1): The Rams were the only team to get blanked in the first week of the NFL season but recent history predicts good things for the Rams in Washington. Marc Bulger is 2-0 against the Redskins with a 109.1 passer rating. Steven Jackson has averaged 135 yards per game in his three meetings with Washington and don't forget one of the two Rams victories from 2008 came against the Redskins.

Washington is going to look to get Clinton Portis on track who only had 62 yards against the Giants last week. They'll also look to pressure Bulger as the Redskins pass rush is better then the one sack performance from Week 1. The offensive line for the Rams isn't quite as established as New York's, so expect Bulger to get touched a few more times than Eli Manning did when he faced Washington.

Pick: Washington

Arizona (0-1) at Jacksonville (0-1): Arizona's high-powered offense was held to just 16 points last week as Kurt Warner threw for 288 yards but was picked off twice. Anquan Boldin wasn't effective, as his game-time decision to play may have been ill-advised and Steve Breaston sat out completely. If both those receivers sit out in Week 2, Jacksonville will be able to focus on Larry Fitzgerald as the Cardinals rushing attack was non-existent against the 49ers.

The Jaguars got a good game from running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who scored a touchdown and rushed for 97 yards. But David Garrard was held to just 122 passing yards. The Arizona secondary could contain Garrard this week as well so Jones-Drew will need to come up big if the Jags want to score more then 12 points.

Pick: Jacksonville

The Late Games

Tampa Bay (0-1) at Buffalo (0-1): The Bills suffered a terrible come-from-behind defeat at the hands of the Patriots on Monday Night Football. However, they need to take solace in the fact that they controlled that game until the 2:06 mark in the 4th quarter. The Bills should be able to move the ball against this Buccaneers defense. Fred Jackson was an awesome threat on the ground and through the air, and Terrell Owens should be able to catch more than two balls on Sunday.

Tampa held on strong against the Cowboys in Week 1 -- in the end though, they just couldn't outlast the offensive onslaught from Tony Romo. Byron Leftwich looked good with 276 yards in the air but will miss his number one receiver Antonio Bryant if he can't play due to injury.

Pick: Buffalo

Seattle (1-0) at San Francisco (1-0): Matt Hasselbeck overcame two early interceptions to throw for 279 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Seahawks to a Week 1 win. Second-year tight end John Carlson was a big-time target for Hasselbeck, catching two touchdown passes and six balls on the day for 95 yards. Julius Jones was also impressive, rushing for 117 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks offense seems to have found a groove early.

The San Francisco defense slowed the Cardinals in Week 1 -- you should know that Mike Singletary's defense posted two interceptions and three sacks, and they are well on their way to becoming one of the rising defensive powers in the NFL.

Pick: Seattle

Pittsburgh (1-0) at Chicago (0-1): The Bears offense has a nasty streak in place right now. They've been held to under 100 yards rushing in five consecutive games dating back to last season. Matt Forte only rushed for 55 yards last week and his job gets no easier against one of the best rush defenses in the league. If Forte has trouble running, Jay Cutler will need to vastly improve from his four interception performance against the Packers.

Pittsburgh needed an overtime drive from Ben Roethlisberger and the rest to survive against the Titans 13-10. The Steelers offensive line buckled often in Week 1, with "Big Ben" getting sacked four times. Even without Brian Urlacher, the Bears can still bring pass-rush heat. Pittsburgh has to protect Roethlisberger better.

Pick: Pittsburgh

Baltimore (1-0) at San Diego (1-0): Talk about two teams that underachieved last week -- the Ravens gave up more points to the Chiefs then expected and the Chargers needed a late drive to beat the Raiders. The Ravens defense still looked like one of the best in the NFL, they just had lapses in consistency at times. Baltimore should fix those issues moving forward and will benefit from a missing LaDainian Tomlinson, if the Chargers running back does indeed miss Sunday's game due to a sprained ankle.

Darren Sproles has the skills needed to be a force in the NFL, but his start this week, if Tomlinson doesn't play, couldn't come against a worse team. The Ravens defense will prove to be a tough task for Sproles and Phillip Rivers will need to air it out if the Chargers hope to put numbers up on the scoreboard.

Pick: Baltimore

Cleveland (0-1) at Denver (1-0): Take away Kyle Orton's 87-yard "Immaculate Deflection" to Brandon Stokley and his 156 yards passing seem rather pedestrian. Look for Orton to try and get Brandon Marshall more involved in the passing attack as Marshall only had 27 yards on four receptions.

Brady Quinn threw a touchdown pass and an interception on Sunday and struggled most of the day until a late 80-yard drive turned his quarterback numbers from ugly to average. The Browns would surely like to get Braylon Edwards more catches this week as he only had one reception for 12 yards against Minnesota.

Pick: Denver

SNF

New York Giants (1-0) at Dallas (1-0): The Cowboys will unveil their $1.15 billion new stadium on Sunday night and I'm setting the over/under on kicks off of the enormous HD television screens at 1/2 -- What are you guesses? While not watching punts carom off of the TV's, fans will be scoreboard watching to see if Tony Romo can put up they same type of offensive numbers against the Giants that he did in Week 1 versus Tampa Bay. The bigger question will be whether or not DeMarcus Ware and the Cowboys pass rush can disrupt Eli Manning, and if so, if the Dallas defense keep Brandon Jacobs from destroying them on the ground.

One of the bigger knocks against the Giants is there lack of a true number one receiver. Steve Smith, with his six receptions for 80 yards in Week 1, is making strides to fix that issue. He'll need to step up even more against the Cowboys as the passing attack will be without rookie Hakeem Nicks.

Pick: Dallas

MNF

Indianapolis (1-0) at Miami (0-1): Both of these teams had uncharacteristic starts to their 2009 season last week. Miami turned the ball over four times in Atlanta and almost abandoned the Wildcat offense they've made popular. Indianapolis' high-powered offense only put up 14 points in a win against Jacksonville. The Colts will have to find a way to up their scoring this week -- which won't be easy against a stingy defense and without wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who'll miss extended time with a knee injury.

The offense from Miami just looked miserable against what was supposed to be a beatable Falcons defense last week. They led the league in 2008 with a plus-17 turnover ratio and will need to get back to those ball-protective ways to have any chance against Indianapolis. Chad Pennington will face plenty of pressure this week as well as the Colts have a new blitz strategy which brings much more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Pick: Indianapolis