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 matchup followed by 10 other games you should follow. Here's his look at the 2002 regular season:

	Faulk and the Rams have won six straight against San Francisco.

First ...Didn't it seem as though the exhibition season dragged on forever. The reason is simple. Coaches were so fearful of getting players hurt that the games lacked sizzle.

Little was learned. The Redskins 4-1 record was overblown because coach Steve Spurrier cranked up the offense against backups. His starters only scored 19 points against opposing No. 1 defenses.

The Rams, Eagles, Bucs, Bears and 49ers may be among the elite teams in the NFC, but they had losing seasons in the preseason. Meaningless. Still, you had to be impressed how the Jets moved the football on offense and looked more potent now that offensive coordinator Paul Hackett is going downfield more.

The Chargers are better than outsiders believe. The Jaguars and Seahawks may not be as good as originally billed although the Seahawks looked great with Trent Dilfer at quarterback. Unfortunately for coach Mike Holmgren, that preview only lasted into the second quarter of one game when Dilfer suffered a knee injury that should keep him out of the opener.

Touring around camps built up the anticipation for perhaps the most interesting game of the season. In Week 5, the Rams visit the 49ers on Oct. 6. In many ways, that game could sum up the 49ers season. For three years, the 49ers have been building to catch the Rams, but the Rams have won the past six games.

Even worse, the 49ers have only finished within a touchdown of the Rams once in those six games. Quarterback Jeff Garcia has established himself as a Pro Bowl regular and one of the top quarterbacks in football. Against the Rams, he's been average and has struggled.

Making this game even more intriguing is that the first one is at Candlestick as it was last year. The 49ers have a bye week to gain extra time to heal and prepare for the game, but that could be a curse. It gives the Niners too much time to reflect on the importance on this game.

The pressure is on the 49ers to win this one game. If they lose it, they will lament that game all season. The rematch is not scheduled until Dec. 30 on a Monday night, the final game of the season. By that time, the seeding for the playoffs may have already been set.

It's all or nothing for the 49ers Oct. 6. Can't wait.

And 10. Sept. 15: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders This could be a preview of a potential AFC championship game. The game has home-field advantage implications and gives each team an early test of their ability to play in big games. For the Steelers, this could be a desperate game. They will be coming off a tough Monday night game in New England. Bill Cowher's teams usually have a tough opener, and the Patriots fans should be in a frenzy following last year's Super Bowl run. Odds are good that the Steelers will be entering with a loss and can't afford to be 0-2. Steelers fans will be charged up. They always are extra loud against the Raiders. It's been that way for three decades. This rivalry goes back to the 1970s, and the chance of these teams meeting again in the playoffs is likely.

9. Sept. 23: St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sure, the Bucs have a tough out of division NFC schedule, but of the good teams in the NFC, they have the easiest schedule. They have to gear themselves up for their opener against the Saints to establish an early edge in the new NFC South. But their easy schedule could translate into homefield advantage if Jon Gruden runs through the schedule the right way. The Bucs are more potent on offense along with still being good on defense. If the Bucs win the home-opener against the Saints, they should beat Baltimore the next week and come into the game with a 2-0 record. The Rams have a tough opener against the Broncos and have to worry in Week 2 to see how right tackle John St. Clair does against Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. For talent, though, the Rams are the best team in football, but the Bucs might come out with a better record as long as they take advantage of their schedule.

8. Sept. 22: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Freaky things happen to the Dolphins when they play the Jets. A lot of the times, the Dolphins play the better game, but the Jets win. The Jets have won eight consecutive games against the Dolphins, and if the Dolphins can't win this home game, they are in big trouble. It probably doesn't help that the Jets are playing the Dolphins this soon. The Jets were one of the more impressive teams during the preseason. Their offense is in tune. The Dolphins offense is still getting a feel for itself with the delay caused by Jay Fiedler's hip surgery. Fiedler's still getting his timing down in the passing offense. The left side of the offensive line is getting adjusted to having Mark Dixon at left tackle and Jamie Nails at left guard. The Dolphins need to win this one. The rematch won't happen until Nov. 10 in the Meadowlands.

7. Oct. 7: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Watching both teams in training camp, I came to the conclusion that they are tied as the best teams in the NFC North. Either team could win the division. The Packers are solid at receiver as long as Terry Glenn is healthy, but they are too young at the position if Glenn is out. The Bears have to keep quarterback Jim Miller healthy, but he already enters the season with a sore ankle. Chris Chandler is ready for action if called upon. This will be the ultimate test to see how well the Bears respond with their new homefield in Champaign, Ill. The Packers come into the game off an easy schedule that includes games against the Falcons, Lions and Panthers. The Bears have a good chance to be 3-1 with their schedule. This game gives an early look at the NFC North. The rematch comes Dec. 1 in Green Bay.

6. Oct. 20: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles
It's not certain that the Eagles are as talented as the team that finished last season, but in their division, the NFC East, it probably doesn't matter. The Eagles are still good as long as they have Donovan McNabb at quarterback, Andy Reid as the offensive mind along the sidelines and Jim Johnson putting together his blitzing schemes on defense. They have two tough road games to open the season -- at Tennessee and at Washington -- but their schedule until the Bucs game is pretty easy. They could get a good winning streak against the Cowboys (home), Texans and Jaguars, setting up a bye week heading into this key NFC showdown. If the Eagles are 4-1 or 5-0, this game will have major implications on seeding in the playoffs. The Bucs and Eagles are each trying to secure a bye during the first week of the playoffs. This is a rematch of last year's playoff game when the Eagles passed the Bucs in their quest for the Super Bowl. The Eagles won, 31-9, but eventually lost to the Rams in the NFC title game.

5. Nov. 11: Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
The AFC West is a land mine. The Chargers might be the league's surprise team because Marty Schottenheimer should will the Chargers to win the close games they lost a year ago. The Chiefs could be a surprise if Trent Green gets hot and the defense comes together. But the Raiders and Broncos head into the season as the division's top dogs. It's a shame that we have to wait until November for one of the league's best rivalries to heat up again. The Broncos will know by November if Brian Griese can direct another playoff run. Griese knows the pressure is on him and he's had some of his best games against the Raiders. The Raiders, a veteran team, are biding time before the playoffs, but now that they've broken that long jinx of losing games to Mike Shanahan, anything goes in this one. This game will also feature the return of former Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski, who will draw a big response from the Broncos crowd.

4. Nov. 3: Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts:Two teams expected to bounce back into the playoff race are the Colts and the Titans, who were each considered Super Bowl contenders before slipping last year. The Titans finished 31st in pass defense last year. The Colts finished 31st in defense. Each of the two units has significantly improved, and by November, the teams should be playing at a high pitch. Now that Jeff Fisher has allowed Steve McNair to air out the football, the Titans can score with the best of teams. He was one of the league's highest rated quarterbacks last season and had his healthiest offseason. Eddie George looks like the George of old. There is a good chance that the Titans could be competing for the conference championship, but they have to go through Indianapolis to do so. The key for the Colts is keeping Edgerrin James healthy through November. If he's healthy and Peyton Manning is throwing the ball well, this could be a classic. The rematch is Dec. 8 in Nashville.

3. Sept. 15: New England Patriots at New York Jets; Oct. 6: Pats at Miami Dolphins:
Last year, the Patriots took the long road to the Super Bowl by getting hot at the end of the season and winning the championship. Like most Super Bowl teams, the Patriots have to pay a price in their schedule. One of the prices is having their two of their most important division games on the road, against the Jets and the Dolphins. Obviously, the Patriots have to just split these two games to gain an edge in the division. Last year, the Patriots took control of the division by winning a Dec. 2 game at the Jets, 17-16, and came back three weeks later and beat the Dolphins, 20-13, at home. The Patriots dug themselves out of an 0-2 hole last year to win the Super Bowl. They don't want to start the season with two losses in the division in the first five games.

2. Dec. 8: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
I'm sure Drew Bledsoe circled this day. I'm sure Patriots fans did the same. This is Bledsoe's return. His biggest mission is staying healthy until then. Bledsoe's offensive line is more talented, and he has a great group of receivers, featuring Eric Moulds, Peerless Price and talented rookie Josh Reed. The Bledsoe-Tom Brady showdown should be a classic. Bledsoe loves to throw the ball, and coach Bill Belichick has had success in the past drawing up schemes to stop Bledsoe.

1. Sept. 22: Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers
A Steve Spurrier revenge game might be the highlight of every week. Spurrier loves to stir up the controversy. Although it was overblown about 49ers coach Steve Mariucci complaining that Spurrier ran up the score against the 49ers in an exhibition game in Japan, this game should make for good theater. Certainly the 49ers players, particularly on defense, would love to hand it to the "ol' ball coach." Remember the scene on the field in which Mariucci supposedly said that he'll see Spurrier in about six weeks. Well, Mariucci was saying that to a Redskins assistant who is a friend. Hey, but rivalries are rivalries and this one should be interesting. The Redskins will be coming off a physical Monday night game against the Eagles and will have to go across the country to play and might be a little tired. This should be fun.

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