ESPN analyst Joe Theismann answers five key questions after NFL Week 1:

What do you expect in the MNF opener?

	QB Tom Brady and the Patriots are ready for a new season and a Monday night showdown with the Steelers.

I expect a close, hard-hitting game. I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers are the best team in the AFC, and the New England Patriots are the defending Super Bowl champs.

I expect a close game that will be determined by the kicking game and by turnovers. I don't think we'll see offensive fireworks.

Will the Steelers have extra incentive because the Patriots beat them in last season's AFC title game? Not really. Last season is over, and these are different teams in a new year.

Any player who needs what happened last season as motivation for Monday night's game has a serious problem getting motivated. It's Monday Night Football, it's the season opener, and the Super Bowl champs are playing the team with the AFC's best record last year. What more motivation do you need?

Which teams' Week 1 performances impressed you?
Kansas City Chiefs -- The Chiefs hung in there and came away with an improbable 40-39 victory over the Cleveland Browns. With 30 seconds left, it looked like the Chiefs had absolutely no chance to win. I have never in my 31-year involvement with professional football seen a situation like Dwayne Rudd's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Rudd, who threw his helmet in a premature celebration, cost the Browns the game. Just when you think you've seen it all, someone does something that makes you shake your head and say, "I can't believe it." That's what happened in Cleveland on Sunday.

Denver Broncos -- The Broncos impressed me, but their win over the Rams didn't really surprise me. Last year, some of QB Brian Griese's struggles stemmed from not having a supporting cast around him. Having TE Shannon Sharpe and WR Ed McCaffrey back gives Denver stability on offense. If the Broncos stay healthy, I expect them to be tough.

Washington Redskins -- The naysayers will say, "Sure, the 'Skins won, but it was just the Cardinals' defense." But if the Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles next week, I believe new coach Steve Spurrier will get the credit he deserves for his offensive philosophy. There's more to his Fun 'N' Gun than the passing game: At Florida, his offenses rushed for about 150 yards per game and threw for about 350 yards. Sunday, the Redskins had a similar distribution (124 yards rushing, 319 passing).

Atlanta Falcons -- Mark my words: Michael Vick will be a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. He puts more pressure on a defense than any single player in the league. If two receivers hadn't dropped sure TD passes from Vick on Sunday, the Falcons would have pulled out the win over the Packers. But you can never count Packers QB Brett Favre out.

Which teams' Week 1 performances disappointed you?
St. Louis Rams -- I expected more from the Rams. They're obviously a Super Bowl-caliber team, and they were disappointing. Good defensive coordinators are learning to game-plan ways to slow down the Rams. The Patriots did it masterfully in the Super Bowl, and apparently others are ready to do the same this season.

Dallas Cowboys -- I expected the Cowboys to be more productive on offense against the expansion Houston Texans. But what the NFL forgot in the past year is just how good a coach Houston's Dom Capers is. Kudos to the Texans -- they're only the second expansion team to win their debut.

How much pressure do the Rams and Eagles face heading into next week?
After Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Eagles can't afford to lose next week on at least two fronts: They don't want to go 0-2, and they don't want to lose to the division-rival Redskins. So the Eagles face some serious early-season pressure in Week 2 on the road at Washington.

The Rams certainly don't want to go 0-2 either, and they host the New York Giants in Week 2. The Giants and their young offensive line played well against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night in the NFL opener. The Rams face tremendous pressure to even their record next week.

How long will it take for Jon Gruden's offense to fall into place in Tampa Bay?
It will take a good six to eight weeks for the Bucs to understand the demands and nuances of Gruden's West Coast system. It's no small task for the quarterback, receivers and backs to master such a system, and it takes time. In the meantime, Tampa Bay must rely on its defense -- and there wasn't enough D on Sunday in a 26-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Now the Bucs need to regroup before traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens in Week 2.

A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He reviews the NFL each week for ESPN.com in Cup o' Joe.