NFL Watchability Index, Week 2: Seahawks-49ers the big headliner

Geno Smith had a surprisingly-decent performance in his NFL debut. He now faces a team that gave up a surprisingly-decent performance to a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut. What could go wrong here? The Patriots lost Shane Vereen to a broken wrist, and will almost certainly be without Danny Amendola. This game could be closer than people suspect.

Matt Ryan was nearly flawless against the Saints until a late interception ended Atlanta's chances of winning. Roddy White is a concern this week; his ankle sprain may be more severe than the team is letting on.

Tavon Austin got all the hype going into the season, but Jared Cook may end up being Sam Bradford's new favorite toy. He might finally be looking at a breakout year after being underutilized in Tennessee.

Every team in the AFC North is 0-1. Something has to change this week. Baltimore is still looking for answers at tight end after Ed Dickson flopped in last week's loss. They'll also be without Jacoby Jones, so undrafted rookie Marlon Brown gets his big chance to show something. This game's watchability mostly depends on whether the Browns remember that Trent Richardson is on the roster.

The Panthers' front seven made a big statement on Sunday, shutting down Marshawn Lynch and making Russell Wilson run for his life all afternoon. E.J. Manuel looked pretty salty in a losing effort to the Patriots, but I think he'll face his first real test here. Ron Rivera is still trying to figure out how to use Cam Newton, which doesn't bode well for his warming seat.

The Marc Trestman offense got off to a slow start, but they recovered in time to mount a comeback win over the Bengals. One encouraging stat from the game: Jay Cutler was not sacked.

Adrian Peterson got three touchdowns last week. The Vikings still lost, because they're still under the impression that Christian Ponder is a franchise quarterback. He should be on a shorter leash than he is, but the front office remains committed to him. They did sign Matt Cassel in the offseason, so they have a more credible Plan B than Joe Webb if things keep going south for Ponder.

The Packers spent all offseason preparing for the read-option, then watched Colin Kaepernick hang 412 passing yards on them. Now they face Robert Griffin III, who showed signs of rust in Monday's loss. Maybe they'll get it right this time? Eddie Lacy should see better looks against a Washington defense that was gashed by LeSean McCoy. This is the Fox Game of the Week, and those usually don't disappoint, despite Joe Buck's best efforts. Highly recommend this one.

Some people expected the Colts to regress this season, but few predicted them needing a late rally to beat the Raiders. The good news is that Ryan Tannehill isn't a dual threat QB like Terrelle Pryor. One storyline coming into this game is Mike Wallace's usage. He got just five targets against the Browns and later expressed frustration with his decoy role. It's probably a non-story, but the broadcasters will still be talking about it, so there you go.

The Chiefs took care of business against a woeful Jaguars team, but I still don't know exactly how good they'll be this year. Dallas should provide a better litmus test for Andy Reid and company, provided that Dez Bryant isn't slowed by his foot sprain. This is looking like another toss-up game, and I'm not seeing many compelling reasons to recommend it.

These two teams' biggest offseason acquisitions are already paying dividends. Reggie Bush and the Lions look like a match made in heaven. Carson Palmer has already revived Larry Fitzgerald's career. Arizona is going to be airing it out a lot with the running game still a concern, and Palmer has a much better arm than Detroit's Week 1 opposing QB, Christian Ponder. This game could be a shootout.

Josh Freeman had yet another miserable performance, and the Bucs still nearly beat the Jets. That's largely thanks to a defense that the team spent big money on in the offseason. Standard Jets caveats apply, of course, but it's something to build on. However, that defense is now facing Drew Brees instead of Geno Smith. If Freeman doesn't improve on his 48-percent completion rate, the Mike Glennon Experiment might start sooner than later.

The Broncos defense played better than expected last week, a promising sign while they wait for Von Miller to return, assuming he ever stays out of trouble. The Giants still don't trust David Wilson after his Sunday night meltdown, but they may have no choice but to start him now that Da'Rel Scott has a knee injury. Speaking of Scott, I honestly never expected to type the words "Da'Rel Scott" this season. The Giants dearly miss Andre Brown, though they did just re-sign Brandon Jacobs.

This probably won't be that great of a game, especially if Peyton Manning continues rewriting the record books, but hey, it's Manning Bowl III. CBS will make you tune in and you will like it.

Last week's MNF doubleheader was surprisingly watchable, so naturally we have our first big stinker in Week 2. The Steelers' offense is in crisis after losing Maurkice Pouncey for the year, and they may be without Le'Veon Bell for at least another month. The running game is in such bad shape they brought back Jonathan Dwyer after releasing him at final roster cuts. I wasn't too high on Pittsburgh before the season, but things could fly off the rails in a hurry if they start 0-2.

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