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Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 1:

1. With national discussion centering so squarely on the Green Bay Packers' postseason chances, we've probably failed to address adequately their far-from-a-gimmee regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers have opened on the road only four times in the past 25 years, and their recent history in Philadelphia hasn't been great. In fact, the Packers have lost nine consecutive games there. But that type of history is irrelevant to this game. In reality, the Eagles are a team in flux as they transition from Donovan McNabb to Kevin Kolb at quarterback. And as we discussed earlier this week, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is equipped to nullify the Eagles' pressure defense. We should always account for the inevitable surprises of Week 1, but the fact remains that the Packers will have the better team at kickoff.

2. The Packers should find out whether their pass defense made any progress this offseason. They have made some personnel moves, among them moving B.J. Raji to nose tackle, inserting rookie safety Morgan Burnett into the starting lineup and shifting Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews to the other side of the line of scrimmage. But depth at cornerback remains an issue with Al Harris (knee) and Brandon Underwood (shoulder) sidelined by injury. Rookie Sam Shields could be the Packers' nickel back against an offense that attempted the fourth-most pass attempts of 15 yards or longer last season, according to research by ESPN's Stats & Information. With or without McNabb, the Eagles will try pushing the ball downfield. We'll find out if the Packers can handle it.

3. It's been a while since the Detroit Lions' defense had a notable advantage in any type of matchup. But it's hard to ignore the intensity and production with which their defensive line played this preseason, and if nothing else they'll carry a newfound confidence into Soldier Field. More than anything, I'm interested in seeing whether left end Cliff Avril is able capitalize on the presence of better-known teammates Kyle Vanden Bosch, Ndamukong Suh and Corey Williams. As we've discussed, the Bears' offensive line didn't inspire much confidence during the preseason. We'll find out if Avril is capable of capitalizing against Bears right tackle Frank Omiyale. I'm also interested in whether Bears left tackle Chris Williams can match Lions right end Vanden Bosch's intensity.

4. It will be interesting to see how heavily the Chicago Bears rely on a passing game that struggled all preseason. It doesn't fit the history of offensive coordinator Mike Martz, but the best way to slow a pass rush is to establish your running game. Tailback Matt Forte appeared to have regained his burst during the preseason, most notably on an 89-yard touchdown run, and backup Chester Taylor had a nice 34-yard burst during the preseason as well. Running the ball straight at the Lions doesn't sound exciting or even a long-term answer, but it might be a good way to eat up yardage, control the clock and keep the Lions' explosive offense off the field while the passing game gets settled.

5. Credit goes to Chris Burke of NFLFanHouse for this one. Technically, the Minnesota Vikings' loss to the New Orleans Saints lifted the Lions out of last place in the NFC North for the first time since December 2007. Let's take it one step further. A win against the Bears would give the Lions a share of first place for the first time since September 2007. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Lions should have as much pause about their linebackers and secondary as they do excitement about their offense. Middle linebacker DeAndre Levy is struggling with a groin injury and might not play. Safety C.C. Brown and cornerback Jonathan Wade are both playing with bone fractures, and safety Louis Delmas has been limited by a groin injury. That's a lot of limitations to overcome.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 9:

	Gene Lower/Getty Images
	Arizona's offense is not as prolific as it was last season, but Larry Fitzgerald is still a force to be dealt with.

There has been plenty of discussion about the state of Arizona’s passing game, but let’s be clear: The Bears will face a significant challenge regardless. Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin’s sprained ankle has made him a question, and quarterback Kurt Warner hasn’t maintained his MVP-caliber pace of a year ago. But both deficiencies are relative. Even if Boldin sits, the Bears would face tough receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston. And even though Warner’s production has decreased somewhat, he’s still on pace to throw for 4,375 yards over 16 games. You figure that cornerback Charles Tillman will shadow Fitzgerald on Sunday, but that would leave Zack Bowman to face Boldin or Breaston when and if the Bears use man-to-man coverage. The Cardinals would like that matchup. Finally, safety Danieal Manning’s back injury could throw the Bears’ secondary rotation out of whack. Would that mean more time for cornerback-turned-safety Nathan Vasher?

The Bears won a legendary game at Arizona when the teams met in 2006. Ultimately, the difference was Devin Hester’s 83-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. Three years later, the Cardinals’ special teams aren’t quite as vulnerable. Football Outsiders ranks them in the upper half of NFL special teams, but for some reason this still seems like the kind of game where Hester could make a significant impact. Defensively, the Cardinals have given up 21 passes of at least 20 yards.

Last year, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a significant shoulder injury during a 30-21 loss at Tampa Bay. Sunday, he’ll return to Raymond James Stadium already nursing a couple of injuries. Rodgers sat out two days of practice because of a sore toe on his left foot and a sprain in his right foot. He is fully expected to start and play the entire game Sunday, and to this point the Packers aren’t concerned about the injuries. As of Friday, No. 3 quarterback Brian Brohm remained on the practice squad and thus was ineligible for emergency duty. Nevertheless, a pair of injured feet should be of particular concern for a quarterback who already has been sacked an NFL-high 31 times this season. Luckily for Rodgers and the Packers, Tampa Bay has managed only 11 sacks this season -- the third-worst mark in the NFL.

If Mark Tauscher replaces Allen Barbre at right tackle Sunday, as expected, it will create the Packers’ fifth different combination of starting offensive linemen in eight games. Most of the changes have been unavoidably based on injuries, especially to center Jason Spitz and left tackle Chad Clifton. Barbre, on the other hand, has underperformed. But no matter what the reason, he Packers have been undeniably set back by the constant upheaval. More than any other position, good offensive line play requires cohesion that can be achieved only over time. The Packers are nowhere close to that level. I thought the Packers might try to impose rookie T.J. Lang as their new starter at left tackle, but it appears Clifton will get his job back. No matter who the starters are, however, it’s paramount for the Packers to establish some consistency in this lineup, beginning Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Detroit is hoping to get receiver Calvin Johnson back in time for Sunday’s game at Seattle, and there’s little debate what the Lions have been missing. Johnson has been sidelined for two full games, and a good part of a third, because of a knee injury. In the two full games, where opponents presumably game-planned for his replacements, the Lions have averaged 219 offensive yards, 13.5 first downs and five points per contest. In their other five games, they’ve averaged 322 offensive yards, 20 first downs and 20.6 points per contest. Johnson not only is the Lions’ top offensive weapon, but he clearly changes the way opponents have to approach the Lions' offense.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

Five nuggets of knowledge about Sunday’s games:

Don’t know about you, but I’m not feeling good about Detroit’s matchup with New Orleans’ offense. The Saints were the NFL’s most explosive and efficient offense last season, ranking first in percentage of drives ending in a touchdown (30.0). The Lions, on the other hand, gave up more touchdowns per drive than any other defense last season. It’s true, Detroit will have a new coordinator and eight new defensive starters Sunday. But even if they ultimately improve, such turnover doesn’t bode well for immediate success. One thing I am sure of: The Lions will make a better showing than last year, when the Saints accumulated 32 first downs, converted 11 of 12 third downs and never punted.

	Bruce Kluckhohn/US Presswire
	Brett Favre's performance in Cleveland on Sunday could set the tone for the Vikings' season.

It will be interesting to see what kind of tone new Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre sets for the season at Cleveland. Favre recently related a story from his season debut last year with the New York Jets. On a fourth-and-15 play, Favre got hit as he tried to throw toward Laveranues [Coles.] The ball fluttered in the air, and Chansi Stuckey caught it on the other side of the field. “All of a sudden it’s like, ‘That’s why we got Brett Favre,’” he said. “I’m walking to the sideline thinking, ‘I have no idea how that just happened.’ It just made the rest of the season very difficult.” In short, Favre will either raise or lower expectations for his season based on his performance Sunday.

In four career starts against Cleveland, Favre has averaged 228 passing yards per game. If that’s an over-under mark for Sunday, I’ll take the under. Especially in the early going this season, I expect the Vikings to rely on tailback Adrian Peterson and receiver/runner Percy Harvin for most of their offense. Look out for some trickery when they’re on the field at the same time.

Chicago receiver Devin Hester hasn’t had much success against Green Bay’s cornerbacks. According to research from KC Joyner, Hester didn’t catch another element of the Bears’ still-forming priorities in the passing game. Quarterback Jay Cutler seems to favor tight end Greg Olsen, receiver Earl Bennett and tailback Matt Forte. Where does Hester fit in? Perhaps he’ll have a better chance against the Packers’ new scheme, which won’t call for as much man-to-man coverage.

New Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers brings a reputation for instant success, having raised the profiles of defenses in Miami (2006), Jacksonville (1999) and Pittsburgh (1992) in his first year as those team’s defensive coordinator. But how did his defenses do in their first game under his scheme? But how did they perform in his first game of those seasons? They allowed an average of 16 points per game, winning two of the three.