Editor's note: ESPN senior NFL writer John Clayton's weekly "First And 10" column takes you around the league with a look at the best game of the week followed by primers for 10 other games. Here's his look at Week 7.

First ... New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams: The Rams are going for the throats of their opponents.

Once they open a lead, they strive for the blowout. Jets players and fans were furious last week when Rams coach Mike Martz ordered an onside kick despite having a 24-point lead. Off the field, Martz is a nice guy, but he doesn't apologize for using every aggressive tactic to make sure his teams win. It has led to three consecutive 6-0 starts.

	Aaron Brooks threw four TD passes in the Saints' 31-28 wild-card win over the Rams.

Jim Haslett doesn't have the weapons to be a front-running team such as the Rams, but the tortoise caught the hare last year. The Saints won the division and beat the Rams in their wild-card playoff game. The one chance the Saints have in Sunday's game is that they match up well against the Rams because of their offensive and defensive lines.

The Saints' defensive line causes problems for the Rams' offensive line because it thrives on getting to the quarterback. It has 19 sacks in five games. And along with getting to the quarterback, the Saints love to punish the quarterback. So this could be a dangerous game for Kurt Warner. Martz might have to pull in the reigns on some of his aggressiveness.

For example, he might need to keep a tight end at the line of scrimmage to help either wounded right tackle Ryan Tucker or backup Rod Jones to handle Darren Howard, who is one of the better young pass rushers in the league. La'Roi Glover, the lightning quick defensive tackle, gives the Rams plenty of problems in the interior of their offensive line.

And because the Rams have an undersized defensive line, the Saints have an edge in the running attack because they are so big and so strong. Left tackle Willie Roaf, though, might not be able to go because of knee problems, and that would be a setback.

Based on the way these two teams have started this year, this game could be a mismatch. Warner doesn't lose home games. The Rams aren't getting much production from their receivers. Albert Connell hasn't ousted Willie Jackson for a starting job and that means extra coverage on Joe Horn.

Martz might rest halfback Marshall Faulk, who is coming off a deep knee bruise. In his place last week, Trung Canidate came in and put up 195 yards rushing and 37 receiving in his first start.

This game is a rivalry. There is a bunch of hatred on both sides of the ball. Proud Saints players don't take well to being a 12-point underdog despite being the defending NFC West champs. They certainly don't want to fall 3½ games behind the Rams. This will be one of the most intense battles of the season.

And 10. Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Bus is going to hit some speed bumps in the next two weeks. The Titans, Monday's opponent, and the Ravens, the Nov. 4 foe, rank ninth and first, respectively, against the run. Bettis, one of the league's best inside runners, is averaging 5.9 yards a carry. If that average survives the next two weeks, he might drive the bus down to the Hall of Fame in Canton. The Steelers have won four straight because they are playing their type of game. They play with the lead extremely well. Quarterback Kordell Stewart throws safe, short passes and runs for first downs when necessary. That strategy doesn't work well when the Steelers are behind. It has worked because they have trailed for only four minutes of the past four games. When they got behind 21-3 to the Jaguars, the game was over. The Titans will have to try to use their offense to get a lead, which is tough to do against a solid Steelers 3-4 defense. These games are always low-scoring affairs that are decided in the final five minutes.

9. Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Will the real Buccaneers please show up? These imposters have been using the pewter Halloween costumes way too long. For the Bucs, this is a chance to avenge their 20-16 loss in Minneapolis during the third week of the season. In that game, the Bucs' great defense let Daunte Culpepper march through them for 96 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the final five minutes. It's time for the Bucs' defense to step forward. They rank 15th despite having top-five talent. They are the worst third-down defense in football. And where are the sacks? They have 11 in five games, which isn't good enough for a team with Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice and Marcus Jones. On third downs, they are giving up first downs at a 51.6 percent clip. Against the Packers last Sunday, the Vikings found a good, tough formula of running halfback Doug Chapman up the middle for three yards on draw plays and letting Culpepper get the big yards on draws and bootlegs. It works. Randy Moss is noticeably bothered by ankle problems and isn't getting downfield much.

8. San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears: Given that the Packers finished last year with four consecutive victories, you figured that they had a chance to be part of the NFC playoff hierarchy this season. This game should determine which is the next best team and the surprise team in the conference. The Niners haven't had a first-quarter touchdown drive this year, which is unusual for the NFL's third-best offense. Coach Steve Mariucci spent the bye week studying why and still didn't come up with many answers. The Bears have been tough to run against because of the acquisition of run-stopping defensive tackles Keith Traylor and Ted Washington. Brian Urlacher is having a great season in the middle. But the big surprise is how well quarterback Jim Miller is managing the games. He mixes in a lot of big plays in the passing game with some solid running. Miller will have to get adjusted to not having Marcus Robinson, who is their legitimate Pro Bowl threat. He's out for the season with a knee injury. Rookie David Terrell will step into the starting lineup to handle some of the possession routes. Marty Booker needs to handle the deep plays. But if Dez White doesn't do a good job as the third receiver, that would be a problem particularly if the Bears fall behind.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens: The Jaguars are floundering. Their running game has suffered without halfback Fred Taylor, who isn't going to be ready for this game. Replacement Stacey Mack has seemed to make more mental mistakes than plays. The falloff on offense even shows in the numbers. The Jags rank 28th even though Mark Brunell got off to a great start the first couple of weeks. Coach Tom Coughlin is furious at the team's execution. A loss could let the season fall out of control. The Ravens may not have Elvis Grbac at quarterback because of torn cartilage around his ribs and sternum. He was in uniform but did not practice Wednesday, and if he can't go, Randall Cunningham will start. It's funny that the stigma from the Packers loss two weeks ago seems to have people wondering what's wrong with the Ravens' defense. The answer is nothing. The Browns gained only 219 yards against them and went 0-for-10 on third downs. Tim Couch, however, beat them for two touchdown passes totaling 64 yards in the third quarter. Expect an angry defense at PSI Net.

6. Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks: The good news for Matt Hasselbeck is that Mike Holmgren has enough faith in him to let him start now that his groin injury has healed. The bad news is Hasselbeck is starting in front of Seahawks fans who watched Trent Dilfer beat the Jaguars and Broncos. The pressure is on for Hasselbeck, who has struggled against the blitz and getting in sync with his young receiving corps. The good news is that the Dolphins are not much of a blitzing team. The bad news is that they could be because cornerbacks Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain can shut down starting receivers Darrell Jackson and Koren Robinson, leaving Hasselbeck limited options downfield. The Dolphins enter with some uncertainty, too. Jay Fiedler is struggling. His seven interceptions have dropped his quarterback rating to 71.5, 11th best in the AFC. Lamar Smith has to establish a running attack against the most improve run defense in football. The Seahawks' No. 6 ranking against the run is their best since 1994. Defensive tackle John Randle is having one of his best starts. Chad Brown is having another Pro Bowl season at outside linebacker.

5. New England Patriots at Denver Broncos: I'm going to say it. The biggest missing piece in the Broncos slump is Alex Gibbs, who's retired to only two days of work at the team facility. Without Gibbs, the offensive line is a shell of itself. Too many penalties. The holes haven't been as open for the running offense. Brian Griese is getting hit too often and his ailing right shoulder continues to take some of the power off his throws. Gibbs was the Broncos' running conscious. He conceded nothing. He wanted to win every play. That's missing. Griese has thrown eight interceptions and he can't stop the bleeding. And the Patriots are a dangerous team because Bill Belichick does enough things with his schemes to drive young quarterbacks crazy. The Patriots offense has been revitalized by second-year quarterback Tom Brady. No, Brady isn't going to be the long-term answer at quarterback. Drew Bledsoe is still the starter, but no one knows when he will return. The Broncos, though, will need a punishing defensive effort to get back some of the swagger they've lost in the past couple of weeks.

4. Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles got a huge win Monday night against the Giants, but it might have cost them defensive tackle Corey Simon for this game. That was a huge personnel loss because Simon could have caused serious problems for the middle of the Raiders' offensive line. The bye week gave the battered Raiders defensive line the chance to heal, a necessity for playing Donovan McNabb. Eagles coach Andy Reid has been trying to keep McNabb in the pocket more this year, but to beat the aggressive Giants defensive line, he let McNabb run around more. If Reid unleashes him for this game, that would be a major problem for the Raiders, but they are weaker at defensive end since Trace Armstrong's season ending Achilles' tear. This will be an emotional game for Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who was the Eagles' offensive coordinator in the Ray Rhodes days. Gruden takes emotional games seriously.

3. Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers: Owner Ralph Wilson was so bitter about John Butler's departure that he wants this game more than a Super Bowl. So does Butler, the Chargers GM. The hatred hasn't carried much to the field, but the front office pressures should carry down to the field. Doug Flutie wants to do nothing better than to blow out the Bills and show Wilson that new management made a mistake keeping Rob Johnson and letting him go. There are enough former Bills on defense that their emotions will be high in what, on paper, appears to be a meaningless game. The Bills proved they are improving with their victory over the Jaguars in Week 6. Johnson started and finished the game although he exposed himself to a few unnecessary hits late in the contest. Nate Clements looked like a rookie superstar at cornerback in his first start. The defense is getting a little healthier. Still, the Bills enter this game as an undermanned team. Butler had the cap room to make dramatic improvement in personnel. The Bills didn't.

2. Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions: Maybe I'm crazy, but don't you get the feeling that the Lions are starting to come out of their funk. Charlie Batch is playing some pretty good quarterback of late. The defense played with some fire last week, but probably too much. Two defenders were ejected. That's not good. But the Bengals have their own problems. Don't read much into Corey Dillon's little sideline spat with quarterback Jon Kitna. Dillon's biggest problems are the defenses he has faced. He has still produced two 100-yard games and ranks sixth in the AFC with 441 yards. Coach Dick LeBeau is making a gamble in staying with kicker Neil Rackers, who has missed half of his 12 field-goal attempts this year and wasn't that great last year. If it comes down to a close game, Jason Hanson will have a huge edge over Rackers.

1. Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys: Don't you love the Cowboys? They are the ultimate seat-of-the-pants franchise. During bye weeks, most teams stress more fundamentals and go into a little training camp mode. The Cowboys cruised through last week and then decided at the last minute to shake up a defense after a victory. They cut starting linebacker Darren Hamrick and cornerback Kareem Larrimore. In the meantime, they are putting Ryan Leaf in a crash course to eventually take over for Anthony Wright as the starter. Too bad Paul Tagliabue didn't extend the exhibition schedule in November. The Cowboys are in the longest preseason in the NFL. Meanwhile, Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis is getting some things done on offense. Leonard Davis is leading a power rushing attack that is keeping games close and giving Jake Plummer chances to win late. The offensive plan is based around the two of the highest paid guards in football -- Davis and Pete Kendall. They have provided a toughness to the offense. The Cowboys and Cardinals have heavyweight offensive lines, but each team has lightweights on defense.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.