Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys will unveil their new stadium against the
New York Giants. But that won't be the only show in Week 2 of the NFL season.
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Last weekend kicked off the start of the NFL season with an overtime
win by the Super Bowl champs, a miraculous finale in Cincinnati, Adrian
Peterson abusing defenders and a whole lot more. Now we take a look at
what to expect in week two.

Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

Much of John Fox's time this week will be devoted to finding a cure for Jake Delhomme's allergy to ball control. After throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble, Delhomme will need to rebound in a big way against the Atlanta Falcons.

Matt Ryan boasted a very un-Delhomme stat line last Sunday, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.  Even more impressive, the Falcons' defense held Miami to 7 points and forced 4 turnovers.

The Falcons are a tough draw at home for a Panthers team in dire need of a self-esteem boost. Carolina will need to exploit a questionable Atlanta run defense and play "keep away" from Matt Ryan in order to earn a "W" in the Georgia Dome.

Conversely, Atlanta will be 2-0 to start the season if they mirror the same mistake-free game plan used in Week 1 against the Dolphins. Expect Michael Turner to be a workhorse this week against a Carolina defense that yielded 185 yards rushing to the Eagles last Sunday.

Predicted Winner: Atlanta Flacons

Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-1)

In case you are keeping track, the last regular season win for the Detroit Lions came in Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs...during the 2007 NFL season. One would think that that the schedule makers might throw the Lions a bone and give them a CFL team to play against.

Alas, the Minnesota Vikings are a far cry from the Calgary Stampeders. In case you missed it, this is what the Lions will have to deal with come Sunday. His name is Adrian Peterson, and he should be facing criminal charges for what he did to Cleveland Browns defenders last Sunday.

Detroit will need a stellar game from rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford (and a possible act of God) if they want to hang with Minnesota. The Vikings surrendered 205 yards passing to Brady Quinn last week, demonstrating their susceptibility to the pass.

But the Lions are coming off a week where they surrendered 143 yards rushing to Mike Bell. As long as Brett Favre's arm is strong enough to hand the ball to No. 28, the Vikings will dominate all day.

Predicted Winner: Minnesota Vikings

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-0)

Green Bay's new 3-4 defense is for real. A.J. Hawk & Co. made Jay Cutler regress three years with their performance Sunday night. Meanwhile, the collective heart of the Bengals is still being prominently displayed somewhere in the Bronco's locker room after last week's crushing loss.

Despite giving up a modest amount of points, Cincinnati surrendered over 300 total yards to an anemic Denver offense in Week 1. A better effort will be necessary against the Packers. With Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles drawing coverage from Al Harris and Charles Woodson, Carson Palmer will be looking for deep-threat, Chris Henry, to make some big plays going deep against nickel and back-up cornerbacks.

Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers' offense did not look in-sync until their final drive last week against the Chicago Bears. But there is too much talent in Green Bay for this sleeping giant to be dormant two weeks straight.

The entire offense should have a coming out party this week as they defeat the Bengals.

Predicted Winner: Green Bay Packers

 Arizona Cardinals (0-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

A stunning trend has developed amongst Super Bowl losers over recent years: they often stink the next season. The Arizona Cardinals do not appear to be likely candidates to buck this trend after last week's sloppy loss to the 49ers.

Jacksonville experienced a tough loss to the Colts in their season opener. However, the defense looked strong against the run and held Peyton Manning and Indianapolis offense to 14 points. They will need a similar effort against a dangerous Cardinal offense. The Jaguars will also hope for a strong game from Maurice Jones-Drew, who is the key to opening up the offense.

Arizona must recapture its offensive explosiveness in order to pull off a win at Jacksonville. The health of Anquan Boldin is paramount if the offense hopes to get back on track. Assuming this is the case, the combination of Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald will be too much for a Jaguars defense that had its hands full with Reggie Wayne in their last game.

Predicted Winner: Arizona Cardinals

Oakland Raiders (0-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

Both Oakland and Kansas City played better than expected last week, but ended up with the same result: an 0-1 record.

Despite the Chiefs' struggles over recent years, Arrowhead Stadium remains one of the most difficult places to play for opposing teams. The screams of fans will be rattling inside JaMarcus Russell's helmet all game long. A potential Matt Cassel debut also looms large over this game.

Oakland's defense looked much improved at home last week, and will need to transfer that success to the road. Darren McFadden and Michael Bush offer a great 1-2 punch at running back and will give Kansas City's weak defensive front some trouble.

This will be a close contest, but the young Raiders still have some growing-up to do before they consistently win on the road.

Predicted Winner: Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0)

The New England Patriots kept the Foxboro faithful bighting their nails until the thrilling end of their victory on Monday night.

Meanwhile, the fact that the New York Jets won last week is not a surprise. But the way they dominated certainly raised some eyebrows.

Now Jets head coach Rex Ryan will try to pull-off an upset even grander than his waistline. The New York Jets held an explosive Houston Texans offense to 183 net-yards last week. On the other side of the ball, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez (USC) looked like he was playing against Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Sanchez should prove equally unflappable at home against a Patriots defense playing without star linebacker Jerod Mayo.

Buffalo definitely exposed some holes in New England's defense, which lost several veteran leaders over the off season. But the Pats are still led by a quarterback who simply wills his team to victory. Bill Belichik is a master of drawing up game plans and will have a solid one in place to rattle the Jets' stud rookie quarterback.

But this game has upset written all over it. Look for the Jets to exploit the Patriots' depleted line backing corps by running Thomas Jones and Leon Washington right at them. At the same time, the New York defense will continue to assert itself as an elite unit in the league.

Predicted Winner: New York Jets

New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

The McRib jokes have been circulating across NFL forums as Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb continues to nurse the broken rib he suffered in a Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers. It appears as though the star quarterback will be absent as Philadelphia squares off against the New Orleans Saints, who are fresh off a dismantling of the Detroit Lions.

Assuming McNabb does not play, the Eagles will rely heavily on Brian Westbrook and a defense that forced 7 turnovers against the Panthers. If Kevin Kolb gets the start at quarterback, he will need to be smart with the football and keep New Orleans' offense off the field.

Drew Brees hopes to get as many opportunities as possible to build upon his 6 touchdown performance last week. The offense faces a much tougher challenge this week, and will go to the ground game more often as a result. Reggie Bush needs to be more involved in order for the Saints to keep the Eagles blitz-happy linebackers honest.

This would be a completely different contest with a healthy Donovan McNabb. While the game will be close, the Saints simply have too many weapons for a depleted Eagles squad to keep up with.

Predicted Winner: New Orleans Saints

Houston Texans (0-1) at Tennessee Titans (0-1)

Fans are still booing in Reliant Stadium following an inexcusable performance from the Texans to start the season. At least Tennessee showed up for their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Houston is in need of a serious gut-check after being humiliated on their home field against the New York Jets. Quarterback Matt Schaub is not the only player that will have to step-up his game. Steve Slaton has to run with the same authority that put him on the map as a rookie. Additionally, the entire offensive line will need to provide exponentially better protection against a strong Tennessee pass rush.

This game will reveal what the Titans' offensive is all about. Pittsburgh is a tough team to score points on, but Houston's defense should be a little more giving. Tennessee will look to gash the Texans with LenDale White and Chris Johnson. Also, the pass defense will look to rebound after surrendering 363 yards through the air last Thursday.

Both team have a lot of questions to answer going into this game. But the Titans get the edge coming off of a game in which they had a lot to feel good about. The same cannot be said for the Houston Texans.

Predicted Winner: Tennessee Titans

St. Louis Rams (0-1) at Washington Redskins (0-1)

If the Redskins could get as fired up about winning as they do about fighting, this team would be playoff bound. This week, Washington is facing a St. Louis team in search of its first points of the season.

The Rams are not a good football team from any angle. Coach Steve Spagnuolo has to find a way to get star running back Steven Jackson more involved if the Rams are going to hang around in this contest. Otherwise, the team will need to look to Week 3 as their next opportunity to avoid a shutout.

Washington underachieved on both sides of the ball last week. Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth will be more productive this time around against a porous St. Louis offensive line. The Redskins should also expect Clinton Portis to breakout this week and display his Pro Bowl skill set.

The benchwarmers for Washington may get some playing time in this one. Meanwhile, St. Louis will continue to look forward to November 1 - when they get to play the Detroit Lions for the number one overall draft pick next Spring.

Predicted Winner: Washington Redskins

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

San Francisco and Seattle are riding a wave of momentum into this contest. While Seattle enjoyed a fifth exhibition game against the Rams, San Francisco defeated the defending NFC champions.

The 49ers held one of the best offenses in the NFL to a paltry 16 points in Week 1 while playing in Arizona. Many analysts were quick to attribute this result to sloppy play by the Cardinals. But the defense in San Francisco will command respect this season, and they will prove that once again against Seattle.

A healthy Matt Hasselbeck is going to challenge San Francisco. The 49ers are strong against the run, so Seattle will need to attack often through the air. On defense, the Seahawks will have to stop Frank Gore without the services of star linebacker Leroy Hill, who is expected to miss the next 2 weeks.

This match-up will come down to the Seahawks' offense versus the 49ers' defense. Give the advantage to the defense playing at home in this one.

Predicted Winner: San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay (0-1) at Buffalo (0-1)

Leodis McKelvin's ego and lawn were damaged after his fumble set-up the New England Patriots for a dramatic win on Monday Night Football. Nevertheless, the Bills will take some solace in nearly toppling the heavily favored Patriots.

Tampa Bay will go into Buffalo with an offense that looked better than advertised last week against Dallas. Both Byron Leftwich and Carnell Williams will need to keep silencing skeptics in order to beat the Bills. On defense, the secondary will look to do a better job covering Terrell Owens than they did against his former Cowboys teammates.

Conversely, Buffalo's offense will seek to go to the air early and often against a shaky Buccaneers pass defense. Fred Jackson should also catch a few passes out of the backfield in this contest. Without middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, the Bills' defense will look for Kawika Mitchell and Keith Ellison to intensify their play along the outside.

Buffalo will take this game with strong performances from Trent Edwards and Terrell Owens as they expose the Bucs' defensive shortcomings.

Predicted Winner: Buffalo Bills

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Chicago Bears (0-1)

This game will showcase two strong defenses with missing field generals as Troy Polamalu and Brian Urlacher are out with injuries.

The Steelers still have plenty of defenders who are capable of making Jay Cutler's life miserable on Sunday. But the team's ability to pressure the quarterback may be compromised if they drop extra players back into coverage to make up for Polamalu's loss. On offense, Ben Roethlisberger will enjoy some extra time in the pocket without Urlacher breathing down his neck.

Chicago is hoping that Jay Cutler will recover quickly from his four interception disaster against Green Bay last week. He has an opportunity to do so playing against a Pittsburgh secondary that is vulnerable at the moment. However, Cutler needs to learn how to also take advantage of the short dump-off pass to running back Matt Forte if he wants to find success against the Steelers' defense.

Chicago traditionally plays great at home, but the Steelers will be too much to keep up with for the Bears' offense.

Predicted Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers

Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0)

Debate is still raging over what aspect of Denver's comeback win in Cincinnati was more entertaining: the miracle tip-drill catch by Brandon Stokely or Gus Johnson's on-air climax while calling the game. I'm going to call it a draw.

Cleveland visits Denver after getting torched for 180 yards rushing and three touchdowns by Adrian Peterson. Bottom line: the Browns need to do a better job stopping the run. The offense will also look to improve against a Broncos defense that is more vulnerable than it showed last week.

Denver will look for Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno to combine for the same kind of yardage that Adrian Peterson put up against Cleveland. Receiver Eddie Royal should also be a factor as Kyle Orton attempts shorter passes with a throwing hand that is still not 100 percent.

The Browns and Broncos are set for a good old fashion shootout this Sunday.  One big defensive stop could mean the difference in this one. Look for Champ Bailey and the Broncos to get it.

Predicted Winner: Denver Broncos

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at San Diego Chargers (1-0)

The San Diego Chargers enter this contest after a barnburner against...The Raiders? The Ravens also pulled off an unexpectedly difficult win versus Kansas City to begin the season 1-0.

Baltimore's defense does not look like the same imposing force that carried them to the playoffs last season. But the season is just beginning and San Diego will be a good measuring stick for the Ravens. Joe Flacco will need to use his cannon to beat a Chargers' defense that is vulnerable to the big play.

San Diego will hope that LaDanian Tomlinson is healthy enough to keep an aggressive Ravens defense off-balance. On the other side of the ball, Shawne Merriman will be counted on to stymie a prolific Ravens rushing attack.

This is a game where the Baltimore defense needs to assert itself. They will keep Philip Rivers and the Chargers' offense on their toes all game in route to a win.

Predicted Winner: Baltimore Ravens

New York Giants (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

The Dallas Cowboys are looking to open their new stadium with a win, but the New York Giants have other ideas.

The Giants' defense will put more pressure on Tony Romo than Jessica Simpson did last season.  Offensively, New York should have success running the ball against a defense that nearly allowed Carnell Williams to hit the century mark last week. Both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are eager to put up similar numbers.

In order to combat the Giants' rushing attack, Dallas will need to move the ball exceptionally well on offense. Running backs Felix Jones and Marion Barber will be vital components to this success. In order for Romo to throw the ball downfield, the running game will need to keep the Giants honest.

In one of the better games on the docket this week, the Giants will ruin the Cowboy's homecoming with stifling defense and bruising offense.

Predicted Winner: New York Giants

Indianapolis Colts (1-0) at Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Miami's wildcat offense was de-clawed last week by the Atlanta Falcons. But the Dolphins will look to rebounds against the Indianapolis Colts.

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will need to have better games for the Dolphins this week. Indianapolis can be run on, and those two running backs are capable of grinding out wins for their team. On defense, Miami will key-in on Reggie Wayne, who is coming off a monster game against Jacksonville.

After watching Matt Ryan pick apart the Dolphins last week, it became painfully obvious that Miami's defense is weak against the pass. Insert Peyton Manning. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark stand to be the beneficiaries of a big passing day.

If the Colts can contain Miami's run offense, this game will be in-hand early.

Predicted Winner: Indianapolis Colts