Editor's note: ESPN senior NFL writer John Clayton's weekly "First And 10" column takes you around the league with a look at the best game of the week followed by primers for 10 other games. Here's his look at Week 2.

First ... Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers: No one can figure why the Bill Cowher Steelers teams stumble in openers. Maybe his 3-4 defensive scheme takes a week or two to get down its timing. On offense, the Steelers are dependent on a good running attack, and sometimes that takes times to develop.

The Steelers have lost six of their past nine openers, but, during the same span, the Steelers bounced back and won the next week every time except one. In the grand scheme, all will be normal for the Steelers if they beat the Raiders on Sunday night (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

	Jerome Bettis rushed for only 35 yards in Pittsburgh's Week 1 loss to the Patriots.

If not, the Steelers will be sitting around during their bye week wondering about their bid to return to the AFC championship. In most circles, the Steelers are favorites to return and probably host that game, but a loss to the Raiders would put them in the same position as last year's Patriots. They'd be 0-2.

The Raiders also have visions of being in the AFC championship game. They were a Tuck Rule away beating the Patriots and being in Pittsburgh for last year's title game. Their 31-17 victory over the Seahawks didn't really give coach Bill Callahan a complete gauge as to their readiness for this huge game, a potential AFC championship preview.

The most encouraging thing for the Raiders from the Seahawks victory was their ability to stop the run. That was a problem last season. Callahan imported John Parrella from San Diego to be the run-stopping defensive tackle and made the late training camp addition of 340-pound Sam Adams, a two-time Pro Bowlers. Adams took part in 28 plays in the win over the Seahawks. The Seahawks gained only 43 yards rushing.

Kendrell Bell's ankle problems takes away a key-player in the Steelers defense. He's listed as doubtful, but the Steelers have depth at linebacker and Cowher can patch the spot by pairing James Farrior and John Fiala.

A healthy Jeff Hartings is also going to be a key, and that could be a problem. Hartings is playing on a sprained medial collateral knee ligament. Though he finished the Patriots loss, the Pro Bowl center will need mobility to handle Adams and Parrella at the defensive tackle spots. The Raiders duo will also create problems for right guard Oliver Ross.

All along, the Steelers figured they would be fine if they would get into their bye week in Week 3 with a 1-1 record. Their schedule is easy. Heading into the season they had only five teams on their schedule that had winning records last year, and the Raiders would be the second. Considering that two of those five games are against the Ravens -- thanks to the salary cap a team that isn't expected to win -- the Steelers should have reasonably clear sailing until their Week 16 visit to the Bucs.

That is if they can beat the Raiders.

And 10. Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts: This is one of the great annual matchups that was lost by realignment. Strategically, these teams were made for each other. The Dolphins specialty is man-to-man, pressing pass coverage. The Colts specialty is having quarterback Peyton Manning work his passing magic out of the three-receiver set. The three-receiver set is a great way to maneuver Marvin Harrison into spots along the line of scrimmage to get one-on-one coverage. Pro Bowl corner back Sam Madison will follow. The Dolphins' trade to acquire Ricky Williams makes this series even more fun. Williams versus Edgerrin James, the running back prizes from the 1999 draft. Williams has a new contract revision that could allow him to earn another $10 million to $20 million over the next five seasons. James beat Williams to the punch by getting a contract that paid him $21 million over the first three years of his contract, twice as much as Williams. Manning's problem last year was the defense. Even against the normally conservative Dolphins, Manning knew he'd have to come up with 24 or more points because the defense would allow 31. The Colts defense is better, so Manning won't have to force downfield throws in the first half. Of course, the Dolphins are more formidable on offense with the addition of offensive coordinator Norv Turner.

9. Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins: Steve Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun produced 31 points, 442 yards and a surprising 25 carries for halfback Stephen Davis. Just what Spurrier envisioned when he left Gainesville. But in some ways, that should have been the expectation. The Cardinals didn't have a pass-rush and have weaknesses at defensive end. Give any quarterback time and the ability to run the ball, and watch what he does. Life gets tougher Monday night. The Eagles are among the NFL elite, but they aren't as strong as last year on defense. Against the pass, they are fine. Troy Vincent should be back at his cornerback spot, and the Eagles have the blitzes to supply the pass-rush. What the Eagles don't know is how good is their run defense. Though they limited the Titans to 80 yards, the Titans worked some pass plays behind middle linebacker Levon Kirkland to challenge his range. Their defensive line is down two with the season-ending loss of tackle Hollis Thomas and the injury to defensive end Derrick Burgess. The big question in Washington is the health of Davis. He's playing with a groin injury that is very painful. Will that limit him against the Eagles? We'll see. For the Eagles, this is a must win game or they would fall two games behind the Redskins.

8. Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints established themselves as a playoff team with their impressive road victory over the Bucs last Sunday. Now, Jim Haslett has to tighten his secondary to face the arm of Brett Favre, who will be playing before his Mississippi family and friends at the Superdome. Cornerback Fred Thomas probably won't play after hand surgery. Boy, could the Saints use Dale Carter, who is hoping to convince commissioner Paul Tagliabue to free him from his indefinite suspension for violations of the substance policy. The Saints defensive line performed well despite its changes, and the offensive line looked strong and solid in the opener against the Bucs. Also impressive was halfback Deuce McAllister, who gained about three quarters of his 109 yards by running through defenders or even carrying them. The Packers struggled to beat the Falcons in overtime, and coach Mike Sherman's mission is cutting down on mental mistakes. Ahman Green had two fumbles last week. Those won't be tolerated.

7. Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers: Quarterback Brian Griese may be looking over his shoulder following last Sunday's near benching by coach Mike Shanahan. He's got to bounce back and hold his head high and lead the offense. Griese did that on the drive that led to the touchdown that clinched the opening victory over the Rams. Still, the opener displayed a switch in the typical look of a Shanahan coached Broncos team. It looks as though the strength of this year's team is the defense. The Broncos four-man defensive line did wonders against the Rams. The secondary has speed. The linebackers are quick. And coordinator Ray Rhodes knows how to coach them. Griese just can't make turnovers. Two interceptions and a fumble in the third quarter of the Rams game almost gave Steve Beuerlein the chance to take over. The 49ers defense forced three interceptions in the opener from Kerry Collins of the Giants. Coordinator Jim Mora will be mixing schemes and trying to find ways to do the same to Griese.

6. New York Giants at St. Louis Rams: After a shaky first offensive possession, Rams right tackle John St. Clair held up pretty well against Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce last week. Now, St. Clair faces the supreme challenge, defensive end Michael Strahan, the NFL's sack record holder. Strahan had four sacks last year against a more experienced Ryan Tucker, and coach Mike Martz has no choice but to give him some hope. Strahan's mission is to disrupt the Rams offense. The Rams offense should bounce back after scoring only 33 points in their past two games, including the Super Bowl. Better blocking on the whole offensive line will be the key. What will be interesting to watch is whether the Giants copy the defensive game plans used by the Patriots and the Broncos. Those teams rushed four and dropped their linebackers to try to get the Rams to throw underneath passes. The Rams love to go downfield. Will the Giants let them?

5. New England Patriots at New York Jets: The Jets came out of the pre-season as one of the league's most impressive teams. The Patriots followed up their Super Bowl championship with an impressive blowout of the Steelers. Something has to give. In many ways, the Patriots gained the confidence for their Super Bowl run by winning at the Meadowlands last year. In that game, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pretty much did the same thing against the Jets that he did against the Steelers -- he threw short passes. The Jets can't allow Brady to throw 25 consecutive passes like he did against the Steelers. The Jets will go through the week not knowing if Curtis Martin's ankle is going to be healthy enough to play, and they are going to need him for this one. The Jets lost a chance to win the AFC East by losing a division home game to the Patriots, so this game is more critical to the Jets than the Patriots. The schedule-maker didn't help the Patriots. In two weeks, the Patriots have to visit the Dolphins. If they can win both road games, the Patriots will be the favorites to repeat as AFC East champs.

4. Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks: It's hard to believe, but this is a critical game for the Seahawks. They are in a new division, the NFC West, and if they lose to the Cardinals at home, the Seahawks will enter the season as a cellar-dweller. The opening loss to the Raiders was embarrassing. Minus five starters, the Seahawks couldn't stop the run, they couldn't run, they couldn't win. Trent Dilfer is rushing back from a sprained knee to be the starter, but he will probably experience some mobility problems. With two new offensive tackles, the Seahawks need a big game from halfback Shaun Alexander, who had no holes and gained only 36 yards in the opener. For the Seahawks to win, they must put their best efforts into the defense. As expected, the Seahawks run defense was horrible. They signed Kirkland and John Randle to fix that problem last year. Kirkland was cut and Randle is a few weeks away from playing because of complications following knee surgery. The Cardinals will be trying to get a 100-yard day for halfback Thomas Jones, and they are going to need it to take the pressure off their defensive line, the weakest area on the team.

3. Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns: Bengals coach Dick LeBeau vowed starting lineup changes following their opening disaster against the Chargers. But injuries prevented any big changes. Five of the eight injured Bengals couldn't practice Wednesday, and that left LeBeau with few options to make changes, particularly on defense. Yet, their biggest worry might be the right thumb of quarterback Gus Frerotte. It's not supposed to be a big deal, but Frerotte has had swelling in the thumb this week, and that's what the Bengals don't need. They don't need another quarterback change. They've had five different opening day starters in five years, and a change after one week won't advance the program. Frerotte should be able to play, but if the swelling of the thumb limits his practice time, it won't help the offense. LeBeau has ordered more conditioning for his players, and they must play better on defense. The Browns are still in shock after losing the Chiefs game. Browns quarterback Tim Couch is fighting an uphill battle trying to play. He says he is about 90 percent sure he will start, but don't count on it. Players with those type of elbow problems usually need a couple of weeks of healing. Right tackle Ryan Tucker is hurt, and the Browns are hurting emotionally from the loss to the Chiefs.

2. Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys wondered if Quincy Carter was ready to take them to the playoffs. Now, following a loss to the expansion Houston Texans, he just has to prove he can win a game. Carter is learning the West Coast offense and that learning curve is going to be much tougher than expected. Going against a good defense such as the Titans won't help either. Sure, the Titans lost defensive end Jevon Kearse for six weeks with a broken bone in his foot, but they still have a good pass-rush. The Cowboys offensive line, which struggled in the opener, has to block not only defensive end Kevin Carter, but rookie defensive end Carlos Hall, who had four sacks in the preseason and three sacks in the opener.

1. Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings: These were fun, high-scoring teams in the preseason, and it should be no different in the regular season. The key to this game is how the team's finish their drives. Drew Bledsoe needs to make sure he doesn't settle for field goals because Daunte Culpepper will be going for touchdowns. The Bills do have the cornerbacks to match up against receivers Randy Moss, D'Wayne Bates and Derrick Alexander, but they need the defensive line to come up with a big effort. Actually, against the Jets, the Bills defensive line played well. They got good pressure on the quarterback and it forced the Jets to go a little shorter with their passing attack. The Vikings will try to go for the throat. Both teams headed into the season knowing they will need about 24 to 28 points from their offense each week if they wish to win. The team the plays the soundest defense has the best chance to win.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.