Eagles (1-0) at Falcons (0-1)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
Line: Eagles by 2 1/2
In honor of Michael Vick’s return to Atlanta, the Eagles have starting using their 1989 throwback offense. The scheme pays homage to Randall Cunningham’s glory days. The Eagles do not really drive down the field; they just string together amazing highlights, interspersing the occasional punt or baffling mistake. A typical play begins with two defenders knifing untouched through Philadelphia’s porous, inexperienced offensive line. Vick either gets flattened or performs some Matrix-style escape, scrambling for a big gain or tossing to a receiver who used the confusion to get wide open. Andy Reid calls for a timeout four or five times per half to impose order (teams only get three timeouts per half, but a 5-yard penalty is a small price to pay for the chance to install a precisely designed sequence of plays for Vick to scrap).
The Falcons have built a solid foundation on the lip of the crater Vick left when his career in Atlanta ended, but you could not tell by watching Sunday’s messy loss to the Chicago Bears. In addition to giving up too many sacks and turnovers, the Falcons lost several key starters to injury, most notably defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (knee). The Falcons have the talent to compete with the Eagles and the Packers in the N.F.C., but they must get back to fundamentals. Nobody is going to beat the Eagles in a battle of sloppy playground brilliance. Pick: Eagles
Chargers (1-0) at Patriots (1-0)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Patriots by 7
Dominating New England victories are inevitably followed by self-flagellating comments from Bill Belichick and the players. It seems that 38-24 road wins against a division opponent somehow bring shame upon the organization. “We’re a long way from being a good football team right now,” Belichick said after Tom Brady passed for 517 yards on Monday night, the fourth-highest total in history. Chad Ochocinco tried to be a Twitter cheerleader after the victory — “I’ve never seen a machine like that operate n person,” he wrote — only to draw the ire of the former Patriots linebacker and current television analyst Tedy Bruschi. “Drop the awe factor,” Bruschi said. “You’re not a fan.” If we get this kind of snippy pessimism after a win, losses are going to be a blast.
The Chargers picked up right where they left off last year. Their offense and defense are very sound, while their special teams are an utter disaster with the potential to sabotage the season. With kicker Nate Kaeding injured, the team signed Nick Novak, who has not kicked in the N.F.L. since 2008 and is 13 of 24 in his career on field-goal attempts of longer than 30 yards. The Chargers did go a full game without having a punt blocked last week, so at least they have shown some progress. Pick: Patriots
Bears (1-0) at Saints (0-1)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Saints by 6 1/2
Jay Cutler was downright theological in his appraisal of the New Orleans defense. “It’s unorthodox, to say the least,” he said. In their opener against Green Bay, the Saints certainly dispelled the dogma that defenses are supposed to cover receivers. Like the rest of us, Cutler could learn only so much from watching the Saints’ loss to the Packers, because defenders could be seen only on the edges of the television frame. Chicago has not solved all of its offensive problems; Cutler was sacked five times on Sunday. New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will keep the faith with another game plan full of tricks, even though the Packers appeared to understand the Saints’ blitzes better than the Saints did. Pick: Saints
Bengals (1-0) at Broncos (0-1)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Broncos by 3 1/2
Tebow! Tebow! Don’t bother shouting, Broncos fans: John Fox claimed on Monday that he cannot hear your pleas. In any case, Saint Timothy the Inaccurate cannot help a Denver run defense that allowed 190 rushing yards against Oakland. Tim Tebow has earned a promotion of sorts: he is no longer technically third string or second string, but levitating miraculously somewhere in between while Kyle Orton remains the starter. Where does that leave Brady Quinn? His plight is reminiscent of Tom Petty’s when preceding Bruce Springsteen during the No Nukes concerts. The fans may be chanting “Bruuuce” instead of booing, but it is little consolation either way. Andy Dalton, who has attained a sub-Tebow folk hero status in Cincinnati, may not play Sunday because of a wrist injury. His replacement would be the well-traveled backup Bruce Gradkowski. Bruuuce! Pick: Broncos
Seahawks (0-1) at Steelers (0-1)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Steelers by 14
Seattle quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has been dubbed Captain Composure by teammates, making him a charter member of the League of Even-Tempered Superheroes. Jackson calmly endured five sacks at the hands of the 49ers last week and is likely to suffer many more against the Steelers. While he may lose the football (he fumbled three times last week), he will not lose his cool. Pick: Steelers
Ravens (1-0) at Titans (0-1)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Ravens by 6
Under the coordinator Cam Cameron and quarterback Joe Flacco, the Baltimore offense has always been good at 40-yard passes and 4-yard passes. It’s the 36 yards in between that gave the Ravens trouble. That is why their short passing game was one of the brightest spots in a galaxy of bright spots from Sunday’s victory over the Steelers. Another source of optimism was the offensive line, which was rearranged late in camp to accommodate the free agent Bryant McKinnie. McKinnie’s blocking surprised everyone except Cameron. “I’m surprised how surprising it was to everybody else,” Cameron said. Once you are stunned by an 8-yard pass to Dennis Pitta, even minor developments can prove shocking. Pick: Ravens
Raiders (1-0) at Bills (1-0)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Bills by 3
Record-tying field goals! Thirty-four point blowouts! This old-school A.F.L. rivalry is finally getting back a little luster: these teams are meeting with winning records for the first time since the 1993 playoffs, when Jim Kelly outdueled Jeff Hostetler for a 29-23 win and the right to eventually get crushed once again in the Super Bowl. Tune in to watch unpredictable old-school masterminds at work: Chan Gailey of Buffalo never met a formation he did not like, while Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Al Saunders of Oakland know a hundred ways to disguise an off-tackle run. Pick: Raiders
Packers (1-0) at Panthers (0-1)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Packers by 10
Like a soap opera child who goes from baby to teenager in just a few weeks, Cam Newton grew from a too-raw prospect into a polished passer in one sudden growth spurt. Jim Mora of NFL Network compared Newton to a young Michael Vick in a classic example of Week 1 hyperbole mixed with selective amnesia. Vick’s is not the best career arc for a young passer to emulate. Newton has grown up quickly as a passer, but Green Bay presents a tougher test than Arizona, and soap opera time paradoxes can cut both ways: those suddenly adolescent youngsters often find themselves stuck at the junior prom for months. Pick: Packers
Cardinals (1-0) at Redskins (1-0)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Redskins by 3 1/2
It was great to be a former Donovan McNabb backup last week. Kevin Kolb won a passing duel against Cam Newton. Rex Grossman threw for two touchdowns against the Giants. Michael Vick helped the Eagles win easily. Even A.J. Feeley got onto the field, which is as good as it gets for him these days. Hopefully, Jeff Garcia bought a lottery ticket or something. Grossman’s big game against the handful of Giants defenders healthy enough to suit up could be seen as evidence that both the quarterback and Redskins have finally shrugged off years of disappointment. McNabb’s victory over the Cowboys in last year’s season opener was also interpreted as the start of a new era for the Redskins. In Washington, eras last days, not years. Pick: Cardinals
Jaguars (1-0) at Jets (1-0)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Jets by 9
Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 24 times in Jacksonville’s win against Tennessee last week, but he was not satisfied with his playing time. The Jaguars limited Jones-Drew’s carries because he had knee surgery in January and barely played in the preseason, but Jones-Drew thought his knee was good as new. “It feels like a fresh-out-of-the-womb knee,” the budding obstetrician said. Most of us think newborns cannot walk at all, but the real reason that they cry so much in the nursery is that they resent being denied a 30-carry workload by their overly-cautious parents. Pick: Jets
Chiefs (0-1) at Lions (1-0)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Lions by 8
Chiefs game plans are developed by the offensive coordinator Bill Muir, with input from Coach Todd Haley, the quarterback coach Jim Zorn (who is always at the epicenter of these bewilderment storms), quarterback Matt Cassel and a floating green alien with Harvey Korman’s voice that only Haley can see. During games, Muir relays plays to Zorn, who sends them to Cassel via headset. Haley is able to override calls he does not like via carrier pigeon. The play-calling-by-Congressional-subcommittee approach resulted in 119 passing yards on 36 attempts last week. While Kansas City tries to sort out all of that confusion, Detroit is reeling from the shock of being 8-point favorites and of learning that quarterback Matthew Stafford played four consecutive quarters without injury. Pick: Lions
Browns (0-1) at Colts (0-1)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Browns by 2 1/2
Week 1 blowouts often inspire histrionic leaps to conclusions. The television analyst Warren Sapp had these measured reflections on the Steelers after their loss to the Ravens: “old, slow, and it’s over.” It’s a good thing Sapp did not weigh in on Kerry Collins. A mid-week Google search found 1,812 articles discussing whether the Colts should simply scrap the season and draft Andrew Luck instead of letting Collins continue his quest for the Crystal Skull. Steady, folks: the Ravens and Steelers will go back to 17-14 bare-knuckled boxing matches the next time they meet, and while the Colts face an uphill battle, the 0-16 talk is a little silly. It’s not like they lost to Bruce Gradkowski last week. Pick: Colts
Buccaneers (0-1) at Vikings (0-1)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Line: Vikings by 3
Buccaneers Coach Raheem Morris violated N.F.L. rules by calling players during the lockout. The calls were personal, not professional, as Tampa Bay’s performance against Detroit last week proved. Morris certainly did not call running back LeGarrette Blount with hints on how to get involved in the no-huddle offense. Blount had only five carries as the Buccaneers switched to hurry-up mode early in the game. “They don’t completely trust me in the passing game 100 percent,” Blount said after the game. Sounds like a communication issue. Pick: Buccaneers
Cowboys (0-1) at 49ers (1-0)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Line: Cowboys by 3
Ah, the life of Dallas Coach Jason Garrett. The mouthy defensive coordinator Rob Ryan grabs all of the headlines. Jerry Jones openly criticized Garrett’s decision to use Dez Bryant as a punt returner after the loss to the Jets. Jones later clarified that Bryant will only return punts in critical situations, just to make sure that everyone knows that no detail is too minute for his meddling. Garrett may or may not have been available for comment; no one really checks anymore. Tight end Dallas Clark told The Houston Chronicle that Garrett has “greatness written all over him,” which can only mean that Jones has not yet gotten around to erasing it. Pick: Cowboys
Texans (1-0) at Dolphins (0-1)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Texans by 3
No team gets less credit for early-season victories than the Texans, perhaps because no matter how many times they beat the Colts in September, they collapse into a .500-caliber heap by season’s end. This year’s team should be different, particularly on defense. Players like linebacker Mario Williams have taken to their new roles in Wade Phillips’s 3-4 scheme; Williams had two sacks and forced a fumble against the Colts. “I feel like I was a B or something,” said Williams, who went to the Bill Belichick School of Self-Evaluation. Miami did not earn a passing grade in its season opener against New England; most discouragingly, several Dolphins players had heat cramps late in the game. No team partially owned by Gloria Estefan should ever have heat-exhaustion issues. A little “Conga” should cure that. Pick: Texans
Rams (0-1) at Giants (0-1)
Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Line: Giants by 6
Eli Manning said Tuesday that he muted the television when he watched games. It helps him tune out the sometimes erroneous criticism he and the Giants face. If only he could control the volume on the injury report. Receiver Hakeem Nicks (knee) joins the ever-growing list of unavailable Giants; the team signed replacement Brandon Stokley, whom older fans might remember as the Ravens receiver who scored a touchdown against the Giants in a Super Bowl 10 years ago. If Manning throws an interception or two, it may rile up announcer Ron Jaworski. Perhaps we should all mute our televisions. Pick: Giants
All times Eastern. Picks do not reflect the betting line.
