The Once-Over: Week 1

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.

The 1s

Miami (0-0) at Atlanta (0-0): Let the Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez show begin. Sunday will be the first time fans get to see Ryan and the future Hall of Fame tight end connect in real, meaningful situations, and they'll need to do it quite a bit as the Dolphins front seven could get good pressure on the Falcons quarterback all day. Miami's defense is also great versus the run so don't count on Michael Turner to churn yardage like he did last season.

Expect a shoot-out as Chad Pennington could exploit a young and inexperienced Falcons secondary and Ryan will throw more as the passing playbook is opened up for the reigning Rookie of the Year.

Pick: Atlanta

Dallas (0-0) at Tampa Bay (0-0): No longer are Terrell Owens, Adam "Pacman" Jones or Jessica Simpson distractions in "Big D" and nobody is complaining. More discussions have been had recently about the score board in Dallas rather than how the Cowboys will score. Tony Romo should look to establish the run first on Sunday but don't think he won't throw the ball. Tampa's defense has six new starters which should make it easier for Romo to get his legs under him.

Byron Leftwich will start on Sunday, but his leash isn't a long one. If he struggles, Josh Freeman could make his NFL debut earlier then expected. With the new offensive play calling in Tampa and the tough defense Dallas will bring, the Buccaneer offense could sputter and die instead of making this game interesting.

Pick: Dallas

Denver (0-0) at Cincinnati (0-0): Denver suffered one of the most raucous off-seasons in recent memory, and it bled over to the preseason as well. The Broncos bring new a quarterback (Kyle Orton) and a new rookie running back (Knowshon Moreno) into Cincinnati this week. How they'll do isn't even the biggest question mark. Will Brandon Marshall get onto the field after not playing this preseason as he recovered from hip surgery and a hamstring issue. There seem to be too many questions around this Broncos team for them to feel comfortable.

Carson Palmer is back as the Bengals leader and he looks to pick apart one of the weaker defenses in the league. Chad Ochocinco feels he's ready to rebound from a down season last year and the Bengals should put more faith in Cedric Benson and the run game.

Pick: Cincinnati

Detroit (0-0) at New Orleans (0-0): The 2009 first overall draft selection Matthew Stafford won the starting quarterback job this preseason and has the unenviable task of having to out duel Drew Brees and the offensive juggernaut Saints. The Saints rushing attack is banged up but it shouldn't matter against the worst rush defense in the league from last season.

Stafford showed flashes of brilliance in preseason games but he's still going to go through his fair share of growing pains. The new-look Saints defense promises to be more aggressive in blitz schemes and should feast on a rookie quarterback this week.

Pick: New Orleans

Jacksonville (0-0) at Indianapolis (0-0): The Jim Caldwell era begins in Indianapolis as the Colts face the tough task of trying to stop Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jaguars. For his career, Jones-Drew has 571 rushing yards on 91 attempts (6.3 avg.) against the Colts, the most he has against any other team. Since the Colts will most likely be without safety Bob Sanders, Jones-Drew could have a big day.

That said, with Peyton Manning at the helm the Colts have ruled this rivalry, winning 11 of the 15 games they've played against the Jaguars. Manning will miss Marvin Harrison as this is the first time he'll enter a season without the receiver on the Colts roster. But, he still has Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and a new-found solid relationship with receiver Anthony Gonzalez.

Pick: Indianapolis

Kansas City (0-0) at Baltimore (0-0): New Chiefs face-man Matt Cassel is still not sure whether or not he'll be able to go in week 1 but it should matter either way. The Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco should be able to pick apart a floundering Chiefs secondary and he could have all kinds of pass protection as the Chiefs only amassed ten sacks all season in 2008.

The Chiefs offensive line is bad. No matter which quarterback plays for Kansas City, they be relentlessly chased and beaten upon by a dominant Baltimore defense.

Pick: Baltimore

Minnesota (0-0) at Cleveland (0-0): Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini started the overhaul of the Browns defense, but it won't be enough as the high-powered Vikings attacking offense hits town. Adrian Peterson led the NFL in rushing yards last season and will still be the focal point for Minnesota even with Brett Favre leading the Vikings.

The Browns have decided to hand Brady Quinn the quarterbacking duties but the Vikings defense should prove to be too much.

Pick: Minnesota

New York Jets (0-0) at Houston (0-0): Mark Sanchez will make his NFL debut against the Texans this Sunday but might not like the look of Mario Williams bearing down on him, an occurrence that could happen all too often. Sanchez and the Jets will need to figure out quickly that the way to beat Houston is on the ground, not through the air. For that reason Leon Washington could have a huge day running against a swiss cheese rush defense in Houston.

The Jets have won every game they've played against the Texans, three in all. But Matt Schaub seems healthy enough to run the Texans offense and they will show why they are a popular sleeper pick in the AFC.

Pick: Houston

Philadelphia (0-0) at Carolina (0-0): Instead of cruising to an NFC Championship game, the Panthers faltered in their first playoff game last season as Jake Delhomme threw five interceptions and feels that he let the team down. The preseason this year hasn't been any kinder to the team as injuries have slowed Steve Smith and Jonathan Stewart.

For the Eagles, Brian Westbrook looks ready to go and could flourish this season as the team brought in LeSean McCoy to ease the running back workload for Westbrook. There's no chance to see Michael Vick as he's still suspended, but Donovan McNabb will be dutifully running the show. First-round draft pick Jeremy Maclin and second-year receiver DeSean Jackson should benefit from the running attack opened up by Westbrook and McCoy.

Pick: Philadelphia

The 4s

San Francisco (0-0) at Arizona (0-0): The big question here is whether or not we buy the Cardinals 0-4 preseason as a precursor to a rough season following a Super Bowl loss or if we believe some of the players and coaches who blame the win-less preseason on only running about 20% of their available playbook on offense. Arizona's receiving corps is banged up as Anquan Boldin isn't a sure bet to play and Steve Breaston will be limited as well.

The 49'ers will pound and pound the ball on the ground with Frank Gore. Shaun Hill enters the season for the first time as the starting quarterback in San Francisco. The 49'ers are 7-3 when Hill starts. But, in the end, the 49'ers just aren't ready to overtake the top-dog in the NFC West.

Pick: Arizona

Washington (0-0) at New York Giants (0-0): To the delight of many fans, we're going to get a super running back showdown between Clinton Portis and Brandon Jacobs. Both running backs could go off for huge games on Sunday so the determining factor in the game will be at the quarterback position.

If Eli Manning can spread the ball around to a slew of receivers without a true number one target, the Giants will come out victorious. If Jason Campbell can limit his mistakes, something he was very good at in 2008 with only six interceptions, and put the fact into the back of his mind that the Redskins thought about dumping him prior to the draft so they could draft Mark Sanchez, Washington will win.

Pick: New York

St. Louis (0-0) at Seattle (0-0): St. Louis is heading into the Pacific Northwest, a place where it's never easy to play. To make matters worse, the Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has returned from missing nine games last year with a back injury.

Rams quarterback Marc Bulger will probably play on Sunday but his pinky finger will need to be taped. Steven Jackson will take some of the pressure off of his signal caller with a powerful rushing attack, but in the end it won't be enough.

Pick: Seattle

SNF

Chicago (0-0) at Green Bay (0-0): Jay Cutler will make his Bears debut on Sunday night but it's not going to be easy. The Packers have made the switch to a 3-4 defensive scheme look easy this preseason and since they are the only team in the division using the 3-4, they feel they'll have an advantage.

Where Green Bay is sure to have an advantage is on offense. Aaron Rodgers threw for over 4,000 yards in his first season as a starting quarterback. With weapons like Greg Jennings and Donald Driver running routes and Ryan Grant rushing the football, the Packers will light up score boards all season.

Pick: Green Bay

MNF

Buffalo (0-0) at New England (0-0): Tom Brady makes his return to football after missing all but a few plays of the 2008 season with a knee injury. He's going to want to go out and prove that's he's healthy and there aren't too many better teams to do that against then Buffalo.

Terrell Owens only played in one preseason game due to a toe injury and the Patriots will bring all kinds of pressure on Trent Edwards. It's going to be difficult for Edwards and Owens to develop any kind of chemistry in the week one match up.

Pick: New England

San Diego (0-0) at Oakland (0-0): Oakland cannot stop the run. San Diego, and LaDainian Tomlinson specifically, will want to prove to the league that he really is a top-notch, feature running back in this league.

Oakland will counter L.T. with a running back they feel is ready to emerge, Darren McFadden. If McFadden is ready to break out he's going to need to show something against one of the tougher defenses in the NFL.

Did I mention that San Diego has won the last 11 meeting between these two teams?

Pick: San Diego