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What to watch for: Tips for Week 3 games

Eli Manning fried the Cowboys for 450 yards before throwing for another 362 against the Broncos in Week 2. He now faces an injury-riddled Panthers secondary that ranks 22nd in the league. We love Carolina's front seven, but this isn't a good matchup.

How about a little love for Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan?

After New Orleans allowed more yardage than any team in NFL history last season, the Saints are giving up a workmanlike 320 yards per game, 11th best in the league.

Houston's long search for a No. 2 receiver is over. DeAndre Hopkins hauled in seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's win over Tennessee. After the game, "Nuk" said he can be better than Andre Johnson. That should sound crazier than it does.

Cincinnati's nasty pass rush has just two sacks on the season.

Then there's Aaron Rodgers, who gets rid of the ball as quickly as any passer in the NFL. Against the Redskins last week, 33 of his 46 dropbacks saw Aa-Rod unleash the ball inside 2.5 seconds.

Rams cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins missed tackles and struggled last week against Atlanta's pass-catchers. Dez Bryant could be in for a big day.

Cleveland's only hope is a talented front seven tasked with keeping Adrian Peterson at bay.

Cleveland's shell of an offense will counter with veteran Willis McGahee and Bobby Rainey, who has zero career carries and has never started.

Don't sleep on Tampa's defense. Linebackers Lavonte David and Mason Foster are bright spots for a team swimming in drama. In the secondary, Darrelle Revis won't allow Julian Edelman to play the hero again on Sunday.

EJ Manuel is playing well for a rookie, but he got away with a lot of mistakes last week against Carolina.

He might continue to get away with them if the Bills' defense keeps up its pace. It is easily one of the most improved units in the league.

Chargers right tackle D.J. Fluker, the team's first-round draft pick, suffered a concussion in practice this week. San Diego's offensive line has been vastly improved this year and tougher than a year ago, but it could struggle to hold against Tennessee's nasty no-name front.

Matthew Stafford is getting the ball out of his hand faster this year. He's only been sacked once and has mostly avoided the mental mistakes that have often plagued him.

This is a tasty matchup against one of the league's worst defensive backfields.

Miami's defense has terrific depth. Brent Grimes is playing at a Pro Bowl level at cornerback. He and Reshad Jones are one of the most fun cornerback-safety duos in the league. The team is also getting great contributions from defensive linemen Randy Starks and Jared Odrick. The Dolphins rotate waves of dangerous defenders.

Seattle's free-agent acquisitions are off to a good start.

Defensive end Michael Bennett fits right in with Pete Carroll's scheme, and Cliff Avril had a nice first game against San Francisco. The Seahawks have a chance for a shutout against the hapless Jaguars.

The Colts' offensive line improved its pass protection performance in Week 2 against the Dolphins, but crumbled late in the game when Miami creatively blitzed it into submission. Look for the 49ers to test Indy's protection, especially when new Colts pickup Trent Richardson is in the game.

Jay Cutler is improvising less, and it's working.

Devin Hester is not on offense, and suddenly is a huge factor again on special teams. Everything new coach Marc Trestman does is turning into gold.

The Raiders are 1-8 on "Monday Night Football" since 2003. To pull off the biggest upset of this season, they'll have to maintain their early success running the football. Denver's defensive tackles have proven surprisingly stout the first two weeks.

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