NFL swings into high gear this weekend

Brian Westbrook of the Eagles could give Carolina's defense trouble this weekend. (Photo by Tomasso DeRosa)

By Ken Cross

Here is a look at the first weekend of NFL action.

@Atlanta (-4) 21, Miami 17 - Matt Ryan will be out to prove there is no sophomore jinx and should get the best of his quarterback matchup with Chad Pennington. However, the Falcons have an untested secondary as Brent Grimes, Thomas DeCoud, and Chris Houston are new starters.

@Baltimore (-13) 27, Kansas City 10 - Todd Haley's coaching debut against a Baltimore team with its fast and aggressive defense could make for a long afternoon. The Chiefs do not list quarterback Matt Cassel on their injury list, so he could start despite a knee injury that shelved him in Week Three of the preseason. Joe Flacco had a coming out party in his first season and should be able to control this game with his multi-faceted running attack.

Philadelphia (-2) 23, @Carolina 17 - The Panthers' line play on both sides of the football and their secondary are huge question marks. That doesn't bode well against Philly as a combo of Brian Westbrook and rookie LeSean McCoy in the backfield could pose Carolina a lot of problems. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson should be able to get deep against corners Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble.

@Cincinnati (-4) 24, Denver 17 - Josh McDaniel finally gets his debut after living through a tumultuous offseason in Denver. Keeping Carson Palmer upright with a rebuilt offensive line will be a major point of emphasis for the Bengals.

Minnesota (-4) 30, @Cleveland 20 - The Brett Favre soap opera takes off in Cleveland where Favre meets his coach of a year ago, Eric Mangini, who opens his tenure with the Browns. Having Adrian Peterson in the backfield should help cushion Favre's sore throwing shoulder. Brady Quinn starts for the Browns under center and will try to find wideout Braylon Edwards and isolate him on Vikings corners Cedric Griffin and Antoine Winfield.

@Houston (-5) 28, NY Jets 20 - Rex Ryan comes into his first game as Jets coach having rebuilt the defense.; but what a place to start — in Reliant Stadium against a Houston team with a lot of offensive weaponry. The key for Gary Kubiak is to keep Matt Schaub healthy. The Texans have been picked to make their first playoff appearance and have the offensive tools, led by Steve Slaton and Andre Johnson, to win 10 games. Mark Sanchez debuts for the Jets at quarterback after a solid rookie preseason.

@Indianapolis (-7) 31, Jacksonville 17 - The Jaguars need a healthy Maurice Jones-Drew to carry the football and control the clock. The key will be for the Jags' offensive line to get physical up front with Indy and take the crowd out of the game. Jim Caldwell takes over for Tony Dungy as the Colts' head coach. Although Peyton Manning still calls the signals, it will be interesting to see how much the Indianapolis offense misses wide receiver Marvin Harrison. Anthony Gonzalez takes his spot as the X-receiver.

@New Orleans (-13) 27, Detroit 13 - Like the Jets and Sanchez, the Lions go with a rookie quarterback in Matt Stafford. Look for New Orleans to get after him early with its defensive scheme employed by new coordinator Gregg Williams. Jonathan Vilma can make his presence felt right away as the new middle linebacker in the New Orleans scheme. The Saints should be able to throw consistently and they hope Reggie Bush is 100 percent healthy at running back. Pierre Thomas is a more than capable backup. Lions coach Jim Schwartz is yet another first-year coach entering his season opener.

Dallas (-6) 31, @Tampa Bay 19 - No distractions for the Cowboys now as Terrell Owens is in Buffalo and Jessica Simpson no longer shares a Dallas address with Tony Romo. The key here is the first quarter. Dallas has a lot of pressure from owner Jerry Jones to succeed quickly. Meanwhile, Raheem Morris continues the parade of new coaches debuting in Week One. It's a rebuilding season for the Buccaneers and yards and points may be accrued against this defense as they were before the Monte Kiffin era.

@Arizona (- 6½) 28, San Francisco 17, - The Cardinals are out to prove that last season's Super Bowl appearance was not a fluke. Defensively, they will have to stand up against 49ers running backs Frank Gore and rookie Glen Coffee. If Arizona's front seven stops the run, pressure will fall on starting quarterback Shaun Hill to use Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan to win the game. The Cards still have too many weapons, especially at home.

@NY Giants  (-6½) 24, Washington 16 - The running game will be key for the Giants as coach Tom Coughlin breaks in new receivers in Dominick Hixon and rookie Hakeem Nicks into action with Eli Manning. Brandon Jacobs will have a big game, although eyes will be on Albert Haynesworth and how he plays on the defensive line in his new Washington digs.

@Seattle (-8½) 27, St. Louis 14 - Jim Mora and Steve Spagnuolo are two more new coaches opening seasons although Mora did well as coach of the Falcons. Rams quarterback Marc Bulger has a broken pinky and it is of the utmost importance for the Rams offensive line to keep the Seahawks pass rush away from him. With Lofa Tatupu at middle linebacker and ends Cory Redding and Patrick Kearney, Seattle has the potential to have a top NFL defense.

@Green Bay (-3½) 24, Chicago 20 - Jay Cutler debuts as the Bears quarterback at Lambeau Field. It will be interesting to see if a new setting has any bearing on his performance and attitude. Dom Capers is the new Packers defensive coordinator and has two of the best inside linebackers in the league in A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett.

@New England (-10½) 34, Buffalo 23 - The Bills will try to move Tom Brady around just to see how well his knee has healed. Maximum protection could be an order for the Patriots if Brady is hurried too much by new defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. Terrell Owens is already questioning the Bills' no-huddle offense, so it could be a long year and the final year of the Dick Jauron regime.

San Diego 28, @Oakland (+9) 20 - The Raiders have plenty of offensive talent. Now, it is time for it to get on the same page and perform. With new safeties Hiram Eugene and Tyvon Branch deep for Oakland, chargers quarterback Philip rivers could be in for a big evening, hitting Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson down the middle of the field.