Hi Folks,

Here's our look at the Passing Matchups for this week. Thanks to Footballguy Mark Wimer for the help.

PLEASE NOTE: This does NOT replace the Cheatsheet ranking. The Cheatsheet rankings are the final say on where we see a player for that week. The Matchup Breakdowns are simply one more tool in the box when it comes to helping choose your lineup.

Also note, just because a player has a "bad" matchup, it does NOT mean he's not a starter in your league. If Rich Gannon is playing the toughest pass defense in the league, that just means he's got a tough matchup that week. He's also your starter unless you're loaded at QB. In the same way, if the worst QB on your roster has a "great" matchup that week, it doesn't necessarily mean he's your starter. It means we think he'll fare better than normal that week.

Bottom line is that the cheatsheets are the final say.

Let's jump to it.

Joe

Arizona's Passing Game vs. The Detroit Defense (Good Matchup)

QB Jeff Blake is a veteran - but his receivers are as green as grass on a spring day. Currently, Larry Foster and Brian Gilmore are the Cardinal's starters, but that could be subject to change at any moment if Anquin Boldin or Bryant Johnson starts to develop into a bona-fide NFL caliber WR. TE Freddie Jones caught 44 balls last season, and might be the teams' best target at the moment. At least Blake has a solid offensive line in front of him and decent backs to block for him while he waits for plays to develop.

Detroit's pass defense was awful in 2002, ranking 30th in the NFL allowing 259.4 yards per game. They took a big hit recently when CB Chris Cash was lost for the season with a blown ACL. Dre Bly and Andre Goodman start at CB now, with Corey Harris and Brian Walker in at safety.

Besides Cash, both units are good to go for the game on Sunday.

Ford Field is a dome, so weather is not a factor.

Blake and his crew of wide-outs have a perfect opportunity to show what they can do against the bottom-echelon Lions. The question is, can they cash in on the opportunity?

Buffalo's Passing Game vs. The New England Defense (Good Matchup)

Drew Bledsoe didn't need the Patriots' help in his quest to defeat them as a Bill, but he unexpectedly got some when the Patriots suddenly released S Lawyer Milloy on Tuesday, throwing the Patriots' secondary into confusion. Eric Moulds, Josh Reed and Dave Moore will be sure to try and capitalize on that state of affairs on Sunday.

The Patriots were the 11th ranked pass defense in 2002, allowing 198.7 yards per game on average. Over the off-season they added Rodney Harrison, traded away Tebucky Jones, and now the Patriots have released 4-time Pro Bowler Lawyer Milloy and Otis Smith (who was a team captain, by the way). Ty Law and Asante Samuel man the corners, and perhaps Antwan Harris will step in to Milloys spot next to Harrison.

Both teams are healthy heading into the regular season.

The forecast for Sunday calls for almost-perfect football weather, partly cloudy with 10% chance of precipitation and a temperature range of 57F to 75F.

With the chaos surrounding Milloy's sudden departure, you have to give the nod to Bledsoe and the Bills in this matchup.

Cincinnati's Passing Game vs. The Denver Defense (Good Matchup)

Jon Kitna and company are forging a decent offense in Cincinnati, with Chad Johnson as the go-to guy in the passing game. Peter Warrick and Kelly Washington look like the #2 and #3 wideouts, and TE Reggie Kelly is another target for Kitna to utilize. Johnson had 5 100 yard games in 2002, and is poised to better that mark in 2003.

Denver's pass defense was mediocre last season, ranking 17th with 208.6 yards per game allowed on average. Deltha O'Neal and Lenny Walls will man the corners in 2003, with youngsters Kenoy Kennedy and Sam Brandon holding down the safety spots inside. The backups don't have much experience either, so the whole unit is very young and raw.

Both teams enjoy good health at this point in the season.

The forecast for Cincinnati calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 79F to a low of 60F, with a 10% chance for precipitation. Basically, perfect football weather is forecast.

This matchup looks like an opportunity for the Bengals to get their passing game going early against an inexperienced Bronco's defense.

Denver's Passing Game vs. The Cincinnati Defense (Good Matchup)

Jake Plummer has brought new life to the Bronco's passing attack, with his ability to scramble and throw on the run. He has also formed a strong rapport with 2nd year wide receiver Ashley Lelie, who appears poised to take over the #2 job in Denver from Ed McCaffrey. Rod Smith remains the #1 WR, and TE Shannon Sharpe is the team's best TE. Of course, Clinton Portis is no slouch at catching the ball either. Rod Smith had 7 catches for 110 yards and a TD the last time Denver played Cincinnati, so he could be in for a good game.

Cincinnati was a middle of the road pass defense in 2002, with 203.9 yards per game allowed. Marvin Lewis, the new HC, is considered a defensive guru, and he has added CB Tory James to the team's secondary. Across from James, Jeff Burris remains CB, and there are currently 5-6 guys in the mix at FS and SS. The situation is still in flux, to say the least.

Both teams come into the game on Sunday in relatively good health.

The forecast for Cincinnati calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 79F to a low of 60F, with a 10% chance for precipitation. Basically, perfect football weather is forecast.

The Denver offense looks to be more polished and in sync than the Bengals' secondary is at this point, so the advantage lies with the Broncos.

Green Bay's Passing Game vs. The Minnesota Defense (Good Matchup)

Brett Favre leads yet another rendition of the Packers towards the playoffs in 2003, with a new starting WR (Robert Ferguson) and a new, red-zone expert TE (Wesley Walls). He also has his favorite target, Donald Driver, back, and Bubba Franks is still in the mix at TE. Let's not forget Ahman Green, who does a good job catching passes out of the backfield. Favre has dominated Minnesota in Lambeau, and is going for his 5th consecutive home win over the Vikings. In the past 4 wins he has thrown 5 TD's and 1 interception.

Minnesota's defense ranked 29th in the NFL last year, with an average of 256.4 passing yards allowed per game. Denard Walker was brought in to help correct this problem, as was CB Ken Irvin - the two are the starters. At safety Corey Chavous and Brian Russell will be the starters. It remains to be seen if this unit has actually been upgraded - time will tell all.

Both teams enter the game healthy and ready to play.

Lambeau field is expecting sunny conditions with a high of 77F to a low of 56F on Sunday.

Brett Favre loves to pick apart secondaries, and the Vikings have a unproven unit that could be vulnerable. That sounds like an opportunity for Favre owners to us.

Indianapolis' Passing Game vs. The Cleveland Defense (Good Matchup)

Peyton Manning has his 2 TE set back, and it makes the whole offense look pretty good. The addition of TE Dallas Clark through the draft has enabled Pollard, WR's Harrison and Wayne, and RB Edgerrin James to flourish in the pre-season. Marvin Harrison is a Brown-killer, with 310 yards and 2 TD's in the 2 games he's faced the Browns.

The Brown's pass defense was mediocre in 2002, ranking 15th in the NFL with 204.3 yards per game allowed. The defense has struggled in the pre-season, and features Anthony Henry and Daylon McCutcheon at CB's, with Robert Griffith and Earl Little in the middle at the safety positions.

Both units enjoy clean bills of health coming into this matchup.

The forecast for Cleveland calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 76F to a low of 59F, with a 10% chance for precipitation.

Manning and the Colts will take advantage of the defense's flaws with a vengeance.

Kansas City's Passing Game vs. The San Diego Defense (Good Matchup)

Trent Green has Priest Holmes back in the game, and he has to be happy about that. Holmes can catch the ball, yes, but he also opens up the passing game with his omnipresent threat to run the ball. Tony Gonzales, Johnnie Morton, Eddie Kennison and Marc Boerigter are the receivers that Green has to select from on any given play - a pretty potent arsenal is at his disposal in 2003.

San Diego's defense was dead last vs. the pass last year, allowing 268.4 yards per game on average. In response, the Chargers dumped their entire starting secondary and started from scratch. Currently starting in the revamped unit: CB's Quentin Jammer and Sammy Davis, and S's Kwamie Lassiter and Jerry Wilson. The game on Sunday will give us our first inkling of how much better this unit is than last year's clunker.

Keep a close eye on TE Tony Gonzalez here as he's struggling with an injured knee and his availability was in question earlier this week.

The forecast for Kansas City calls for sunny skies with a high of 82F to a low of 62F, with a 10% chance for precipitation.

Green and company will test the Chargers and try and find a weakness to exploit. With youngsters like Jammer and Davis in the mix, the Chiefs should get some opportunities to score points.

New Orleans' Passing Game vs. The Seattle Defense (Good Matchup)

One thing that Aaron Brooks, Joe Horn, Donte Stallworth and Deuce McAllister definitely bring to the table is explosiveness. They can put up points, fast. Aaron Brooks 27 TD passes were tied for the NFC lead last season, and his total of 53 over the past 2 seasons ties him for second most in the NFL over that span. Heading into Seattle, Brooks and company are ready to start scoring again in 2003.

The Seahawks were 18th in the NFL last season, allowing 213.2 yards per game on average. Seattle was informed that CB Shawn Springs was lost for 8 weeks this past Monday, which moves rookie Marcus Trufant into the starting lineup at his LCB spot, across from Ken Lucas. You can bet Brooks, Horn and Stallworth will be gunning for the rook on Sunday.

Other than the loss of Springs, both teams are relatively healthy heading into week 1.

Seahawks Stadium is expecting cloudy conditions with a high of 68F to a low of 53F on Sunday, with a 30% chance of precipitation.

The high-octane Saints offense should find plenty of opportunities on Sunday against the depleted Seahawks and their middle-of-the-road pass defense.

New York Giants' Passing Game vs. The St. Louis Defense (Good Matchup)

The Giants return to assault the opposition with their powerful offense largely intact from 2002 - QB Kerry Collins is still throwing to Amani Toomer, Jeremy Shockey and Tiki Barber, with the added bonus that Ike Hilliard is now healthy and ready to be productive again. The team has looked polished in their pre-season outings, and seems poised to make some noise in the NFC this season.

The Rams have overhauled their secondary, bringing in the now-injured Jason Sehorn and Aeneas Williams to provide veteran depth to a very young unit. CB's Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler and S's Adam Archuleta and Shane Walton (a rookie) have all been drafted by St. Louis since 2001. Last season, the unit was 12th in the NFL with 200.6 yards per game allowed, on average.

Jeremy Shockey is battling injured ribs but should be able to go. Both teams are relatively healthy and ready to play (excepting Sehorn).

The forecast for Sunday calls for partly cloudy skies with a 10% chance of rain, with a high of 82F to a low of 64F. Sounds like ideal football weather to us.

With such youth on one side, and a ton of veteran experience coming at them, you have to give the nod to the cagey veterans. Advantage, New York.

Oakland's Passing Game vs. The Tennessee Defense (Good Matchup)

Rich Gannon has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. WR's Jerry Rice, Jerry Porter, Tim Brown; RB's Charlie Garner and Justin Fargas; TE's Doug Jolley and Teyo Johnson. Gannon's only problem will be to choose who he wants to hit with the ball. This may be the most talented offensive unit in the NFL. Even better, Gannon killed the Titans in 2002, with a passer rating of 126.4 (including their playoff game), completing 58 of 80 passes for 667 yards, 7 TD's and 0 interceptions!

The Titan's secondary wasn't too good last year, ranking 25th in the NFL with 221.3 yards per game allowed on average. However, SS Tank Williams was a rookie last season, and has improved dramatically over the course of the 2002 season and in off-season workouts. FS Lance Shulters is solid, as are CB's Samari Rolle and Andre Dyson. The addition of Andre Woolfolk via the draft adds depth (and probably a nickel-package DB) to the secondary.

Both teams are essentially healthy coming into this matchup.

Nashville is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 82F to a low of 63F on Sunday, with a 20% chance of precipitation.

The Titans' secondary may be improving, but Gannon clearly has had their number in the past. This looks like an inviting matchup for Gannon/Oakland WR owners.

San Diego's Passing Game vs. The Kansas City Defense (Good Matchup)

San Diego made a strong move to upgrade their receiver corps in the off-season , signing David Boston away from Arizona. Second year man Reche Caldwell is developing nicely, and TE Stephen Alexander can be a fine pass-catcher for Drew Brees. Drew Brees enjoyed his first career 300 yard game vs. the Chiefs last year, so he could do some good things on Sunday.

The Chiefs were 31st in the league last season, allowing an average of 261.3 passing yards per game. They retain the same pair of CB's from that bottom-feeding unit (William Bartee and Eric Warfield), so not much has changed in the Chief's secondary. FS Jerome Woods returns from a broken leg that kept him off the field all last year, so hopefully he will be able to help SS Greg Wesley and the corners out in coverage in 2003.

Bartee has been battling through a variety of nicks and may not be available to play Sunday. Stephen Alexander's been banged up as well. The #3 CB is Dexter McCleon. The Chargers are in good shape heading into the game.

The forecast for Kansas City calls for sunny skies with a high of 82F to a low of 62F, with a 10% chance for precipitation.

Look for Brees and the Chargers to enjoy a strong outing against the Chiefs' questionable pass defense.

San Francisco's Passing Game vs. The Chicago Defense (Good Matchup)

Now we get to see how much of a difference Dennis Erickson's "vertical" offense makes for the 49'ers passing game. With Jeff Garcia under center, and WRs Terrell Owens and Tai Streets heading up field, will the center of the field open up for TE Jed Weaver and RB's Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow? The last time Garcia played the Bears by the Bay, he threw for 402 yards (2nd highest total in his career).

The 2002 Bears ranked 24th vs. the Pass, allowing an average of 220.6 yards per game last season. Safeties Mike Brown and Mike Green will need to help R.W. McQuarters and Jerry Azumah handle Owens and company on Sunday if the Bears are to come anywhere close to that 220 yard mark.

Garcia's back has been bothering him throughout pre-season, so expect to see him on the injury report heading into this matchup. He has been OK in his game-time appearances during the pre-season, though.

3-Com Park is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 72F to a low of 56F on Sunday, with a 10% chance of precipitation.

Terrell Owens is very difficult to defense, and the 49'ers have plenty of other weapons to throw at the Bears' sub-par unit. Look for the 49'ers to enjoy good results on Sunday.

Seattle's Passing Game vs. The New Orleans' Defense (Good Matchup)

Matt Hasselbeck was on fire to end the 2002 season, as he finally absorbed coach Holmgren's system and came to be comfortable in it. Over the final 6 games he led the NFC with a 109.6 passer rating, and set a club record with 2 400 yard games and 4 300 yard games during 2002. Now that's some fantasy potential. Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson are a solid 1-2 punch at WR, and TE Itula Mili has sure hands, as does RB Shaun Alexander. If the Seahawks can pick up where they left off, they'll do great things in 2003.

The Saints bring to town a defense that ranked 27th vs. the pass in 2002, allowing an average of 237.8 yards per game. In addition to that, but the team lost starting safety Mel Mitchell for the season in the pre-season finale. Starting LB Derrick Rodgers has been suspended for four games, so the defensive back-field will be missing some key components on Sunday. Free safety Tebucky Jones will team up with Jay Bellamy in the absence of Mitchell.

The Seahawks come into the game healthy and ready to play football.

Seahawks Stadium is expecting cloudy conditions with a high of 68F to a low of 53F on Sunday, with a 30% chance of precipitation.

Matt Hasselbeck and his team has a good shot at starting the 2003 season out on the right foot against a battered and sub-par Saints squad.

Tennessee's Passing Game vs. The Oakland Defense (Good Matchup)

Tennessee's stable of WR's is now shaping up as the regular season looms. #1 and #2 are now set, with Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett, respectively. The #3 job seems to be Justin McCariens at present. Frank Wycheck has been cleared to play in the opener, but the TE has suffered multiple concussions and seems to be just one nasty hit away from the end of his career (a la Troy Aikman and Bob Christian) -Wycheck estimates he has suffered 10 concussions in his career. Steve McNair comes into this game with a 3-1 record vs. the Raiders, and threw for a career best 398 yards against them last season, on September 29th.

Oakland struggled in this phase of the game last season, and ranked 23rd in the league allowing 220.4 yards per game on average. CB Charles Woodson battled injuries all season (he's healthy now) as did fellow CB Phillip Buchanon (he's not healthy even now). This year, the Raiders have Woodson and Terence Shaw manning the corners, with Rod Woodson and Derrick Gibson currently starting at safety.

CB Phillip Buchanon and Nnamdi Asomugha have both been hurt a lot in pre-season, and may not be available on Sunday. Tennessee is ready to go in this phase of the game.

Nashville is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 82F to a low of 63F on Sunday, with a 20% chance of precipitation.

Look for McNair and company to have some opportunities against a Raiders' unit that is striving to improve.

Atlanta's Passing Game vs. The Dallas Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Doug Johnson can't scramble like Michael Vick (neither can anyone else), but he can throw the ball. He has a good arm, and the weapons to utilize his strength in WR's Peerless Price and Brian Finneran; TE Alge Crumpler and RB Warrick Dunn. The team has not looked polished in Johnson's starts since the Vick injury, but Johnson has been gaining valuable repetitions with the key players in the Atlanta offense - now we get to see how he does for four full quarters.

Dallas has a young and talented secondary, led by the IDP monster FS Roy Williams. Rookie Terence Newman figures to start at LCB across from Mario Edwards, while venerable SS Darren Woodson continues to be a playmaker for the Cowboys. This unit was 19th in the NFL last year with an average of 215.6 passing yards allowed - but they could be much better, depending on how quickly Newman develops.

Both teams enjoy relative health heading into the season opener, with no serious complaints to note.

Texas Stadium is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 89F to a low of 70F on Sunday, with a 10% chance of precipitation.

Johnson and the Falcons are talented, but haven't had a full training camp's worth of work together. Dallas has great potential, but hasn't proven they've elevated their game just yet. Sounds like a neutral matchup to us.

Carolina's Passing Game vs. The Jacksonville Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Carolina does not ask its quarterback to throw for 300 yards on a weekly basis. The team has a run-first, run-second and play good defense type of mentality, where the quarterback needs to be, above all, careful with the ball and to avoid mistakes. Enter venerable Rodney Peete, who is the starter for the Panthers' opener on Sunday. In fact, Peete's 2,630 yards of passing in 2002 were a career high for him. Muhsin Muhammed and Steve Smith are the starting wide receivers, and Kris Mangum is the starting TE (mainly because of his blocking skills, not his pass-catching prowess).

The Jaguars start Fernando Bryant and Jason Craft at the corners, with safeties Donovin Darius and Marlon McCree in support. The team ranked 14th in the NFL last year in passing yardage allowed, averaging 204 per game. They collectively form a solid, middle of the road secondary.

Neither team is suffering from the injury bug at the moment.

The forecast for Ericsson stadium on Sunday is for partly cloudy skies (a 20% chance of precipitation) and a temperature range of 64F to 84F.

Look for Peete and company to take what the Jaguars will give them in the passing game, and let Stephen Davis do the rest on Sunday. This looks like a neutral matchup from where we sit.

Detroit's Passing Game vs. The Arizona Defense (Neutral Matchup)

2nd year quarterback Joey Harrington is progressing nicely in Steve Mariucci's version of the West Coast offense by all accounts. He has a talented young target in WR Charles Rogers, who is complemented by fellow WR's Bill Schroeder and Az-Zahir Hakim. TE Mikhael Ricks has potential as well. The problem that the Lions have right now is that they lost their starting RB, James Stewart, for the season. His replacements are either very young or very new to the team, so they won't scare the Arizona defense very much - which means they will concentrate on shutting down the passing game and dare Detroit to beat them running the ball.

The Cardinals were the 28th ranked pass defense in the NFL during 2002, allowing an average of 242.1 yards per game. To address the problem, the team imported Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson to play safety. He joins Adrian Wilson in the middle, with Renaldo Hill and David Barrett at the corners.

Both teams bring relatively healthy units to this phase of the game.

Ford Field is a dome, so weather is not a factor.

Harrington will have a hard time surprising anybody with play action on Sunday, but the Cardinals aren't exactly a dominating defense, either. This looks like a neutral matchup to us.

Miami's Passing Game vs. The Houston Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Miami's top three wideouts - Chris Chambers, Derrius Thompson and James McKnight - are fervently hoping that Jay Fiedler stays healthy in 2003, with backup Brian Griese sidelined with an injured toe tendon, the only other QB on the roster is inexperienced Sage Rosenfels. TE Randy McMichael is also looking to make a statement in 2003, and Norv Turners' system is very TE friendly. The Dolphins have won 8 home openers in a row.

Houston ranked 10th in the NFL in passing yards allowed to the opposition (196.3). A big part of that high ranking is due to Aaron Glenn's Pro-Bowl caliber play - he's so good teams are afraid to challenge him, and will go after CB Marcus Coleman instead. SS Eric Brown hits hard, and FS Matt Stevens once again gets the starting nod. This is probably the best unit on the Texans' team.

Both teams are healthy coming into week one.

The forecast for Sunday calls for thunderstorms with a 40% chance of rain, with a high of 86F to a low of 77F.

The Texans have a secondary to be respected - the Dolphins are evenly matched in this phase of the game.

Minnesota's Passing Game vs. The Green Bay Defense (Neutral Matchup)

The Minnesota Vikings love to throw the ball around - specifically, Dante Culpepper throws it, and Randy Moss goes up and catches it. Moss has six 100 yard games vs. the Packers in 11 tries, and would love to notch his 7th on Sunday. D'Wayne Bates and Nate Burleson are the #2 and #3 WR's on the depth chart, and figure to snag a few balls themselves. TE Jim Kleinsasser also plays FB, and isn't much of a deep threat.

Green Bay has been trying to find a secondary that can contain Moss and the Vikings for some time now. This year, CB Al Harris will give it a try across from Mike McKenzie. Darren Sharper is expected back from injury in time for the game on Sunday, good news because the Packers need him to help out the corners and SS Antuan Edwards.

Besides Sharper, the teams enjoy good health coming into this game.

Lambeau field is expecting sunny conditions with a high of 77F to a low of 56F on Sunday.

Minnesota has an explosive offense that seems to have Green Bay's number. With Lambeau field behind them, though, the Packers are very tough - the home field levels the playing field and make this a neutral matchup.

New England's Passing Game vs. The Buffalo Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Tom Brady and the Patriots have done very well against the Bills in the recent past - in fact, Brady is 4-0 against them and has thrown for 792 yards, 6 TD's and 1 interception in those four victories. WRs Troy Brown and David Patten will try to keep that rolling.

The Bills defense was 6th ranked vs. the pass last season, allowing only 191.7 yards per game on average to the opposition. Pierson Prioleau and Coy Wire were pushed in the pre-season by Izell Reese, and one may be replaced if the Bills manage to land S Lawyer Milloy, a surprise cut by the Patriots on Tuesday. The CB tandem of Antoine Winfield and Nate Clements is one of the best around.

Both teams are in good shape heading into the matchup.

The forecast for Sunday calls for almost-perfect football weather, partly cloudy with 10% chance of precipitation and a temperature range of 57F to 75F.

How Brady tears up the Bills' secondary is a mystery, but they may have the chance to put an end to that dominance in this game. The matchup looks even to us.

Philadelphia's Passing Game vs. The Tampa Bay Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Donovan McNabb has looked very sharp in his pre-season appearances, slinging the football with ease, on target and in-tempo. Todd Pinkston and James Thrash (who should be back from that scary neck injury by Monday night) are the starters, along with tight end Chad Lewis. Freddie Mitchell will see action in 3-wide sets. Last year, Pinkston moved into the top spot among all receivers with 60 grabs for 798 yards and 7 TD's.

Tampa Bay's defense has hardly skipped a beat since their dominating performance vs. the Raiders in the 2002 Super Bowl. Former CB Dwight Smith moved over to FS when Dexter Jackson bolted for Arizona, but otherwise the LB and DB corps is essentially unchanged from the championship team. LB Al Singleton is replaced this year by Ryan Nece, Ronnie Lott's son. In 2002, the Buccaneers ranked 1st in pass defense, allowing a mere 155.6 yards per game on average.

Both squads are healthy heading into the game Monday Night.

Lincoln Financial Field is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 78F to a low of 60F on Monday, with a 10% chance of precipitation.

Two top squads will duke it out on Monday night. It looks like a neutral matchup from here.

Pittsburgh's Passing Game vs. The Baltimore Defense (Neutral Matchup)

QB Tommy Maddox has his hands on the throttle in Pittsburgh, and is looking to air it out with Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward and TE Jay Riemersma on Sunday. Maddox enjoyed good success vs. Baltimore last year, completing 38 of 54 passes for 366 yards, 4 TD's and 3 interceptions, a 90.5 passer rating. Burress has snagged 4 TD's in the past 5 games vs. Baltimore.

Baltimore has Ray Lewis back in 2003, and that should be kept in mind when you read that the Ravens' defense was ranked 26th in 2002 in passing yards allowed per game at 224.4. This season, Corey Fuller will play at CB across from Chris McAllister, with Gary Baxter and Ed Reed in at the safety positions. It looks like a much improved unit.

Both teams enjoy relatively good health coming into this game.

The weather forecast for Sunday says partly cloudy skies with a 10% chance of rain, with a high of 76F to a low of 58F. Sounds like ideal football weather to us.

Pittsburgh's high octane offense will clash with a solid defense in this matchup - neither has a clear advantage from where we sit.

St. Louis Passing Game vs. The New York Giants Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Warner, Holt, Bruce, Faulk - all back to top form in 2003? It looks like that's possible. A scary thought, isn't it? However, one thing that the Rams don't have in 2003 is a proven #3 wide receiver (like Hakim used to be), and the rookie who looked like he might fill that role, Kevin Curtis, is nursing a broken leg and is out for several more weeks. Also, Ricky Proehl is a Panther now - the cagey vet provided a steady stream of first downs in the Rams' heyday. But, you can't have everything in the era of free agency - and a healthy Warner throwing to Holt, Bruce and Faulk can ring up a ton of fantasy points.

The Giants were a top-ten defense vs. the pass in 2002 (9th, allowing 194.9 yards per game), and they return CB's Will Allen and Will Peterson with S's Omar Stoutmire and Shaun Williams in 2003 (Jason Sehorn is in St. Louis with a broken foot this year). The Giants didn't try and mess with success.

The starting units of both teams are in good shape and ready to play on Sunday.

The forecast for Sunday calls for partly cloudy skies with a 10% chance of rain, with a high of 82F to a low of 64F. Sounds like ideal football weather to us.

Two top units clash in this game - with neither side enjoying a clear advantage.

Tampa Bay's Passing Game vs. The Philadelphia Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Brad Johnson begins his 2003 campaign with the same solid supporting talent that he ended 2002 with - WR's Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicius are there, and TE Ken Dilger is ready for another season of action. One new twist that coach Gruden added in the pre-season was to split FB Mike Alstott out into the passing pattern in an attempt to get the ball into Alstott's hands more frequently - watch and see if that experiment continues into the regular season.

Philadelphia throws down a stiff challenge to all comers with standout CB's Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, with help over the top coming from incomparable Brian Dawkins. This unit helped the Eagles' D to a #7 ranking vs. the pass in 2002, with 193.4 yards per game allowed on average.

Both starting units have enjoyed good health so far and are ready to lock horns.

Lincoln Financial Field is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 78F to a low of 60F on Monday, with a 10% chance of precipitation.

This matchup pits two strong units against one another. The home field nudges the tables toward the Eagles, but just barely. We'll call it a neutral matchup.

Washington's Passing Game vs. The New York Jets Defense (Neutral Matchup)

Patrick Ramsey came out and said this week that he doesn't feel in sync with his team-mates yet - just days before the season opener. Coach Spurrier said that Ramsey probably should have played more in the pre-season, but that the team didn't want to lose him to injury. Anyway, Ramsey doesn't seem totally comfortable for the opener, and that can't be a good thing for Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner owners.

The Jets ranked 21st in the NFL last year, allowing 218.1 yards per game to opposing passers. Donnie Abraham and Aaron Beasley remain as the CB's, but the team replaced Damien Robinson with John McGraw at FS. Sam Garnes is still the SS, but his role in the defense has been redefined to draw on his strengths and limit his weaknesses.

Both sides look ready to play, with good health on both sides of the ball heading into the regular season.

The forecast for Washington calls for scattered thunderstorms (50% chance of precipitation), with temperatures ranging from 82F to 69F.

The Jets aren't a great pass defense, and the Redskins aren't a great passing offense at this point in the season. This looks like a toss up to us.

Chicago's Passing Game vs. The San Francisco Defense (Tough Matchup)

Kordell Stewart leads his new team into the bowels of 3-Com Park on Sunday. The Bears are struggling with their offensive line (most recently, the loss of G Rex Turner), so Stewart may not have as much time to scan the field as he might like. Marty Booker, David Terrell and Dez White are a decent cadre of wide-outs, and TE Desmond Clark knows how to catch the ball - the question is, will Stewart be able to deliver it in the face of San Francisco's pass rush through his decimated and limping line? The problem is magnified by the Bears' anemic rushing attack.

John Engleberger and Andre Carter will bring the pressure for the 49'ers defense, which ranked 22nd in the league last year allowing 219.1 yards of passing on average last year. With CB Jason Webster still out, Rashad Holman and RCB Ahmed Plummer will rely on safeties Tony Parrish and Zack Bronson for some help in the secondary.

Besides Turner and Webster's injuries, the two teams are basically healthy heading into the game.

3-Com Park is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 72F to a low of 56F on Sunday, with a 10% chance of precipitation.

Look for Stewart and company to have their hands full in San Francisco on Sunday.

Baltimore's Passing Game vs. The Pittsburgh Defense (Tough Matchup)

Brian Billick has switched quarterbacks again, this time electing to go with strong-armed rookie Kyle Boller over incumbent Chris Redman. The problem with Baltimore is, they don't have a second WR across from Travis Taylor who can scare opposing defenses. Frank Sanders is slow and (amazingly) seems to have lost another step since he came over from Arizona - it's a step he couldn't afford to lose, by the way - and Marcus Robinson hasn't been the same since his knee and back injuries were surgically repaired. Todd Heap is still an all-world TE, and Jamal Lewis can catch the ball out of the backfield - but what is the use of a strong armed quarterback if the only wide receiver who can go deep and get the ball is draped with DB's?

The Steelers have had a rough pre-season, and bring to the table a pass defense that ranked 20th in the NFL last year allowing 216.3 yards per game on average. The team drafted Troy Polamalu to add a big-hitter to the secondary, and added Mike Logan via free agency - but the same CB's return (DeWayne Washington and Chad Scott), so the secondary doesn't look too much better than last year's edition.

Injuries shouldn't be a factor in this week one matchup, at least not prior to the game.

The weather forecast for Sunday says partly cloudy skies with a 10% chance of rain, with a high of 76F to a low of 58F. Sounds like ideal football weather to us.

Anytime a rookie QB not named Manning starts in the NFL, it's a baptism by fire. Luckily for Boller, the Steelers are soft enough that he may get a chance to build up his confidence a little.

Cleveland's Passing Game vs. The Indianapolis Defense (Tough Matchup)

Kelly Holcomb has taken over as the starting QB in Cleveland, and now it's time for him to show what he can do in the regular season. The Browns start Quincy Morgan and Kevin Johnson with Dennis Northcutt in the #3 slot at WR, and Steve Heiden is the starting TE. Look for Morgan to see lots of action as he and Holcomb seem to be in sync.

Indianapolis has finally settled on a starting secondary -- CB's Walt Harris and Nick Harper will combine with S's Mike Doss (a rookie) and Idrees Bashir. The Colts were 2nd in the NFL in passing yardage allowed last season, with an average of 182.3 yards per game. If Doss has a big impact, the unit could surpass that mark in 2003.

Harris, Harper and Bashir have all battled knee problems in the pre-season, so the Colts don't have a clean bill of health heading into the opener. The Brown's unit is in better shape.

The forecast for Cleveland calls for partly cloudy skies with a high of 76F to a low of 59F, with a 10% chance for precipitation.

The Colts will pose a stiff test for the Browns' new quarterback on Sunday.

Dallas' Passing Game vs. The Atlanta Defense (Tough Matchup)

Quincy Carter has been anointed Bill Parcell's starting QB for 2003. Now comes the really hard part - finding a level of consistency and productivity that has so far eluded Carter. He has some fine targets in WR's Antonio Bryant, Joey Galloway and Terry Glenn. Now, he just needs to deliver them the ball on a consistent basis. In fact, Antonio Bryant led all NFC wide receivers with his 16.7 yards per catch average in 2002, and his 733 yards led all NFC rookies.

Atlanta relies on CB Ray Buchanan to be a linchpin in their secondary, and he loves to make plays on the ball (and to run back interceptions). The team was 16th in the NFL last season, allowing an average of 205.4 yards per game through the air. Buchanan had a sub-par year in 2002 due to a 4-game suspension and injury problems, but he is healthy now and ready to team up with free-agent import Tyrone Williams. SS Cory Hall is another free-agent the team brought in - but right now the problem is with the other S, Keion Carpenter. Carpenter got mugged by Cleveland's WR's consistently in the pre-season finale, and looks like the weak link heading into the regular season.

Both clubs are enjoying good health on their starting units in this phase of the game.

Texas Stadium is expecting partly cloudy conditions with a high of 89F to a low of 70F on Sunday, with a 10% chance of precipitation.

Carter is showing signs of improvement, but the jury is still out on his viability as an NFL quarterback. Atlanta has the personnel to match up with the Cowboys, so this game should be a solid test for Carter and the Cowboys.

New York Jets' Passing Game vs. The Washington Defense (Tough Matchup)

Vinny Testaverde is back in the saddle for the Jets, and he only had a short pre-season in which to prepare for the job. His old favorite Wayne Chrebet is still with the team, and new WR Curtis Conway was playing very well as Pennington's favorite target. Anthony Becht remains the TE. The question that will begin to be answered on Thursday is just how much gas Testaverde has left in his tank.

Washington was the fifth-ranked pass defense in 2002, allowing only 189.6 yards per game on average. The CB tandem of Champ Bailey and Fred Smoot had a lot to do with that - they are one of the best tandems in the business. The S position was upgraded with the off-season addition of Matt Bowen. The weak link in the chain is FS David Terrell.

Both teams are relatively healthy heading into the first game of the season.

The forecast for Washington calls for scattered thunderstorms (50% chance of precipitation), with temperatures ranging from 82F to 69F.

Smoot and Bailey are awfully good corners, and the Jets are still struggling to find their rhythm under Testaverde's leadership. Advantage, Washington.

Houston's Passing Game vs. The Miami Defense (Bad Matchup)

Last season, David Carr showed incredible resolve and resiliency playing behind a horrible offensive line with little talent at the skill positions. While the skill positions are slightly better stocked (Stacey Mack in the backfield and Andre Johnson across from Corey Bradford at WR), the line is still highly questionable heading into the 2003 season. Carr will have to be nimble on his feet this year, once again. And to start off his 2003 campaign, Carr gets to face the top-notch Miami defense, in Miami.

Speaking of the Miami defense, the team ranked 8th in the NFL last season vs. the pass, allowing only 193.9 yards per game on average. In the off-season, the Dolphins added S Sammy Knight to the mix, a move widely regarded as an upgrade over last year's starter Arturo Freeman. Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison return as CB's, with FS Brock Marion to help out everyone else. This may be the best starting lineup at DB in the NFL.

Surtain had been slowed by injury in pre-season, but returned to practice this Monday and is expected to play on Sunday. Otherwise, both units are healthy and ready to kick off regular season.

The forecast for Sunday calls for thunderstorms with a 40% chance of rain, with a high of 86F to a low of 77F.

A limping offense faces a high-flying defense in this matchup. Carr is in for a rough time on Sunday.

Jacksonville's' Passing Game vs. The Carolina Defense (Bad Matchup)

It has been a season of upheaval in Jacksonville, with Mark Brunell being actively shopped on the trading block, and Jimmy Smith serving a 4-game substance abuse suspension. With Smith out of the lineup, the Jaguars turn to 49'ers castoff J.J. Stokes as their #1 WR, with career-journeyman Matthew Hatchette as the other starter. TE Kyle Brady survived through the pre-season, and RB Fred Taylor has a good pair of hands.

Bracing for the matchup are the Carolina Panthers, a club that ranked 4th in the NFL vs. the pass in 2002, allowing just 187.1 yards per game on average. CB's Terry Cousin and Reggie Howard play solid coverage, while S Mike Minter and Deon Grant get the job done in the middle of the field.

Neither team is suffering from significant injuries to their starting units at this time.

The forecast for Ericsson stadium on Sunday is for partly cloudy skies (a 20% chance of precipitation) and a temperature range of 64F to 84F.

Brunell and the Jaguars are a rebuilding franchise, while the Panther's D is at the top of its game. Advantage, Panthers.