This weekend, every team not named the Steelers or Titans will play in their first game. There are some great story lines. Jay Cutler and the Bears, T.O. in his new home, Brady back on the field.

But let’s not overlook a very important issue. No matter what happens, no matter who wins, the NFC West will be the only division to guarantee two losing teams. The Seattle Seahawks will face off with the St. Louis Rams and the 2008 NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals will line up against the San Francisco 49ers to kick of the season.

These are going to be some good games. Games that will set the tone of how this division will shake out. And there are certainly some things to watch for.

The Rams have been massacred at the line for the past few years. Their first round pick Jason Smith is going to be the guy to keep an eye on. Marc Bulger has spent a lot of time on the sidelines and on his back, Smith may be the savior of this team, but Sunday we'll see exactly what he's got.

One more thing to watch about the Rams is the receiver situation. With the two receivers from the old glory days, Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt gone, the team will need to prove they have more than Donnie Avery to toss it to. And that defense should be better up front than they were last season--one more thing that they can improve upon.

The Rams are playing the Seahawks which means there are loads of eyeball focusing story lines here. Is Matt Hasselbeck going to be good? Will he play without breaking a hip? I hope so.

Seattle has barely been able to keep their heads above water since they lost the Super Bowl in 2005. I think that NFL fans can get behind a healthy QB in the northwest because of his options.
Aaron Curry is interesting, but more fun is T.J. Who's your momma? Let's see just how great he will be against a bad defense with Hasselbeck healthy. This could be the best team in the division and T.J. is the driving force behind them--you watch.

Plus, Deion Branch. Will he show up? I want to see.

The second suicide game comes by two teams that have red on their uniforms. First the 49ers. We want to see how well the team holds up without their first round pick. Also, is Shaun Hill as good as I think he can be? Will Frank Gore return to form with a little more help and will Vernon Davis ever be worth the high draft pick he cost San Francisco?
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I also just want to see how good the defense will be with Dre' Bly there. He stunk last year. So we'll see if he can help out a secondary that is a little shaky.

Arizona. Well, they did better than everyone but Lil' Wayne thought they would. But can they keep that going after a big loss? Will their offense keep it up after a few personnel changes? And the defense, will they be better?

I'm looking to how Warner looks, and how Beanie Wells looks. But really I'm just looking for the same fire that got that little-engine-that-could going last season.

What I really want to see is just how well these guys play. Each has heightened expectations and will need to get this critical win early to remain confident in a division that really is wide open. Each team was questions. Will they all get answered? Each team has goals, will they get accomplished?

Well, two teams have to lose (Donovan McNabb isn't here so there won't be any ties) I just hope each team figures out who they are and more importantly--who they are not. I predict the Rams get sacked but surprise with their skill, still losing to the Hawks' 28-16. Arizona wins in a squeaker, 28-14.