It will be hard to top the opening weekend for competitive games, but the second stanza of the 2000 NFL season offers some intriguing matchups.
The seventh edition of "The Tuna Bowl" on Monday night at Giants Stadium marks the fourth time in the past four seasons that the New England Patriots and New York Jets will meet in prime time.
A cute nickname for a game can only go so far, but this matchup has been highly competitive in the three years since Parcells left the Patriots for the Jets. Five of the six games have been decided by 10 points or less, with the only blowout being the Jets' 31-10 win in the 1998 season finale.
The Jets triumphed in the second meeting last season, winning 24-17 in Foxboro behind Curtis Martin's 149-yard rushing performance. The Patriots have won four of the last five, though, and lead the overall series 43-35-1.
| Week 2 NFL Preview |
| Chiefs (0-1) at Titans (0-1), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
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34: Streak of consecutive games with at least one catch for Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Chiefs offensive line against the pass rush of Tennessee's front seven. Jevon Kearse was held without a sack against Buffalo, but linebacker Greg Favors recorded two of the Titans' five sacks. |
| Player to Watch |
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Eddie George: The Bills held him to 37 yards on 17 carries, but he will be facing a Chiefs defense that surrendered 124 yards rushing to Edgerrin James in Week 1. |
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Dolphins (1-0) at Vikings (1-0), 1 p.m. |
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49: Games since a Dolphins running back totaled as many yards as Lamar Smith's 145 yards against Seattle. Karim Abdul-Jabbar ran for 152 yards on Dec. 22, 1996 in a 31-28 win against the Jets in New York.
Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Dolphins cornerbacks Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain against Vikings wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss. |
| Player to Watch |
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Daunte Culpepper: His scrambling ability will be needed against a Dolphins defense that recorded four sacks and four interceptions against the Seahawks in the opener.
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Raiders (1-0) at Colts (1-0), 1 p.m. |
Key Stat |
| .515: Peyton Manning's winning percentage as a starter (17-16) -- but he has won 14 of his last 17 starts.
Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Raiders linebackers Greg Biekert , William Thomas and Elijah Alexander against versatile Colts running back Edgerrin James. |
| Player to Watch |
| Andre Rison: Former Colts first-round pick caught five passes for 49 yards and the game-winning touchdown against the Chargers. Rison had 52 catches for 820 yards and four touchdowns with Indianapolis in 1989 before being traded to Atlanta prior to the 1990 season. |
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| Giants (1-0) at Eagles (1-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 16,998: Career combined yards for Eagles running back Brian Mitchell, ranking him sixth in league history. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Eagles defensive line against Giants' mix-it-up rushing attack of speedy Tiki Barber and powerful Ron Dayne. |
| Player to Watch |
| Donovan McNabb: Second-year quarterback will need to repeat his poised performance from the Eagles' victory over Dallas if Philadelphia is to break its six-game losing skid against the Giants. |
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| Browns (0-1) at Bengals (0-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 18: Points separating the teams in their 53 lifetime meetings. The Browns hold a 27-26 edge in games won, but the Bengals have scored 1,115 points to the Browns' 1,097. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Cincinnati's young offense (with second-year quarterback Akili Smith and rookie wide receiver Peter Warrick ) against Browns defense that racked up four sacks against Jacksonville in the opener. |
| Player to Watch |
| Kevin Johnson: Second-year receiver has 12 catches for 208 yards in two career games against Cincinnati, but opened the season with only three catches for 32 yards against the Jaguars on Sunday. |
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| Bears (0-1) at Buccaneers (1-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| .682: Bears' winning percentage (30-14) in 44 games against the Buccaneers, though Tampa Bay has won the last five. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Buccaneers cornerbacks Donnie Abraham , Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly against Bears wide receivers Marcus Robinson (31 catches for 433 yards and four touchdowns in past four games) and Bobby Engram (34 straight games with a reception). |
| Player to Watch |
| Cade McNown: Coming off a 290-yard season debut against the Vikings, he will now face the league's best front seven. Tampa Bay has not allowed an offensive touchdown to the Bears in the last 10 quarters, and McNown will need to play smart to change that. |
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| Jaguars (1-0) at Ravens (1-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| .698: Jaguars' record in division games (30-13) under head coach Tom Coughlin. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Banged-up offensive line of the Jaguars (four sacks allowed against Browns) against talented pass-rushing front seven of the Ravens, featuring defensive ends Michael McCrary (11 1/2 sacks last season) and Rob Burnett (one sack in opener against Steelers), and linebacker Peter Boulware (eight sacks in six career games against Jacksonville). |
| Player to Watch |
| Priest Holmes: Averaged 4.4 yards per carry (27 rushes for 119 yards) in opener against Steelers, but will likely find the going much tougher against Jaguars defense that allowed only 90.3 rushing yards per game last season, the sixth-lowest average in the league.
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| Packers (0-1) at Bills (1-0), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 2: Touchdown passes needed by Brett Favre to pass former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly (237) for 13th on all-time list. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Brett Favre against Bills' second-year defensive backs Antoine Winfield and Keion Carpenter. |
| Player to Watch |
| Peerless Price: With Antuan Edwards and Tod McBride filling in for the injured Mike McKenzie, Price could find himself open often while the Packers concentrate on the speedier Eric Moulds. |
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| Panthers (0-1) at 49ers (0-1), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
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1,565: Combined yards by the Panthers and 49ers in two meetings in 1999, an average of 391.3 yards per game by each team. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Panthers' defensive line against San Francisco's short-yardage offense. Running back Fred Beasley scored three touchdowns in the opener against the Falcons, after scoring only four touchdowns in 29 career games prior to last week. |
| Player to Watch |
| Steve Beuerlein: Looking to bounce back from a subpar 183-yard game in opener. Beuerlein threw for 668 yards and eight touchdowns in Carolina's two games with San Francisco last season. |
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| Rams (0-1) at Seahawks (0-1), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 2,848: Total yards Marshall Faulk is on pace for after gaining 178 yards in the opener, which would shatter his league-record of 2,429 yards set last season. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback Shawn Springs (five interceptions last season) against Rams wide receivers Isaac Bruce (four catches for 60 yards against Broncos), Torry Holt (6 catches for 103 yards against Broncos) and Az-Zahir Hakim (202 total yards and two touchdowns against Broncos). |
| Player to Watch |
| Kurt Warner: Regular season and Super Bowl MVP picked up where he left off last season with 441 yards and three touchdowns against Denver. Seattle's pash rush of Michael Sinclair , Cortez Kennedy and Lamar King will offer a stiffer test than the Broncos did on Monday night. |
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| Saints (0-1) at Chargers (0-1), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 5: Points needed by Chargers kicker John Carney to become first player in franchise history with 1,000 career points. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Ricky Williams against the Chargers' solid run defense. San Diego allowed only 82.6 yards per game last season, and held Oakland to 67 yards rushing in the opener. |
| Player to Watch |
| Ryan Leaf: Needs to bounce back from awful three-interception start to regain confidence and get Chargers in the win column. |
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| Falcons (1-0) at Broncos (0-0), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 0-2: Reeves' record against his former team as coach of the Falcons, as Denver downed Atlanta 29-21 in 1997 at the Georgia Dome, and won Super Bowl XXXIII 34-19 in Miami. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Broncos' hobbled rushing offense against Falcons' undersized defensive front of Brady Smith , Travis Hall , Shane Dronett and Patrick Kerney. |
| Player to Watch |
| Rod Smith: Caught three passes for 88 yards and a touchdown against the Rams, and torched Atlanta's secondary for five catches for 152 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIII. |
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| Redskins (1-0) at Lions (1-0), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 38:28: Time of possession by the Redskins in their 27-13 win over the Lions in the NFL wild-card game in January. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Lions offensive line against Redskins pash rush that sacked Panthers quarterback Steve Beuerlein six times in Week 1. |
| Player to Watch |
| Stephen Davis: The (potential) $100 million man ran for 133 yards and a touchdown in the opener, and burned the Lions for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries in the playoffs last season. |
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| Cowboys (0-1) at Cardinals (0-1), 8:35 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 24: Career rushing touchdowns for Emmitt Smith against the Cardinals, his highest total against any team. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Cowboys receivers Wane McGarrity and James McKnight (tag-teaming to replace the injured Joey Galloway ) against All-Pro cornerback Aeneas Williams. |
| Player to Watch |
| Jake Plummer: Threw three interceptions against Giants in season opener, but had his career day against the Cowboys on Nov. 15, 1998, throwing for 465 yards. |
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| Patriots (0-1) at Jets (1-0), 9 p.m. Monday |
| Key Stat |
| 931: Passing yards for Drew Bledsoe in his last three games at Giants Stadium. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Patriots coaching staff against Jets coaching staff. Bill Belichick and Al Groh were on the same defensive staff for the previous four seasons (1996 in New England, 1997-99 in New York) and should have a pretty good idea of each other's tendencies. |
| Player to Watch |
| Curtis Martin: Ran for 110 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay, and has three 100-yard games in his four meetings with his former team. Martin has also gained 645 yards in seven appearances on Monday Night Football. |
