NFL Week 2

New England, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis are rolling. Oakland, Cleveland and Kansas City are limping along. But in the ultra- balanced NFL, all that could change in a week. Times staff writer Sam Farmer looks at 10 things in the NFL to watch for heading into Week 2:

Tennessee two-step

1. Indianapolis couldn’t stop the run for most of last season, although -- with four new defensive starters -- the Colts now appear far more stout. Another test comes Sunday at Tennessee, and the Colts have struggled in the past to keep the Titans’ ground attack in check. Indianapolis gave up at least 200 yards rushing last season four times -- twice against Tennessee. The Titans gained 214 yards at the RCA Dome, then 219 yards in a rematch at home. And there’s no indication their ground game is slowing down; they ran for a franchise-record 282 yards in 49 carries in a 13-10 victory at Jacksonville.

Still super?

2. A lot of pundits picked New Orleans as a Super Bowl team. But the Saints were less than impressive in their season opener at Indianapolis, scoring just three points on offense and getting torched by Peyton Manning in the second half. Things should be a bit easier Sunday at Tampa Bay, seeing as the Saints will be coming off nine days’ rest and swept the Buccaneers last season. If New Orleans loses, it will take a lot of steam out of its Monday night game against Tennessee the following week.

Dangling Chad

3. New York Jets fans cheered when their quarterback, Chad Pennington, hobbled off the field and was replaced by backup Kellen Clemens in the loss to New England. Pennington later limped back into the game, injured right leg and all, and attempted a quarterback sneak near the goal line. It failed, and it was painful to watch. Clemens, a second-year pro who hadn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game until Sunday, could get the starting nod at Baltimore. Rumor has it they play a little defense down there.

Options, options

4. Not only does he have a cannon arm, but Denver quarterback Jay Cutler did a nice job of mixing in option runs. That included a gutsy pitch back into the end zone to Travis Henry, bailing the Broncos out of trouble, and later a successful keeper on fourth and two to keep the winning drive alive. Oakland defenders will be studying that tape for their matchup Sunday at Denver.

Nothing special

5. Philadelphia special teamers Greg Lewis and J.R. Reed absolutely gagged at Green Bay, each muffing a punt for bookend blunders in a 16-13 loss. In an early entry for headline of the year, a Philadelphia newspaper deemed them the “Muffin’ Men.” Eagles Coach Andy Reid has to shoulder some of the blame. He cut Jeremy Bloom, who had been fielding punts all summer, gave the job to Lewis, then hastily switched to Reed after the first gaffe.

Giant problem

6. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning suffered a shoulder injury Sunday when he was thrown to the ground on a failed two-point conversion attempt. Reports Monday varied from Manning not missing any time at all to him being out for a month. If he’s out for an extended period, the Giants could have a big decision to make. Among options: promoting 285-pound backup “Hefty Lefty” Jared Lorenzen; re-signing Tim Hasselbeck (who is being pursued by Atlanta); signing Jacksonville castoff Byron Leftwich; striking a deal with a quarterback-heavy team such as Tampa Bay.

Road test

7. There’s no question San Diego’s defense played a fabulous game against Chicago, holding the Bears to three points. But remember, that team is quarterbacked by Rex Grossman and no longer has running back Thomas Jones, its most reliable offensive threat last season. Now, the Chargers go to New England, where they will face Tom Brady and his revamped offense, one juiced up with the addition of receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker, who combined for 15 catches, 244 yards and two touchdowns in their debut.

Trying to keep Pace

8. It’s hard enough to find and groom a tackle when you have years to do so, let alone what the St. Louis Rams are facing. The team announced Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace, who sustained a shoulder injury in Sunday’s game against Carolina, is done for the season. That leaves Adam Goldberg, who was spotty when he stepped in for an injured Pace last season. Not only does that make quarterback Marc Bulger more vulnerable to blind-side rushers, but it’s a blow to Stephen Jackson, who fumbled twice against the Panthers.

Curtain call

9. OK, so it was playing wobbly Cleveland, but Pittsburgh looked fantastic in its opener. With four touchdown passes by Ben Roethlisberger, 109 yards rushing by Willie Parker, and a defense that had six sacks and two interceptions, it was a back-to-the-future debut for Coach Mike Tomlin. With Buffalo, San Francisco and Arizona next on the docket, the Steelers could be 4-0 heading into their Oct. 7 home game against Seattle.

Run, rookie, run!

10. First-year Minnesota Vikings back Adrian Peterson looked terrific against Atlanta, rushing for 103 yards in 19 carries and taking a swing pass 60 yards for a touchdown. Next up: Detroit, which gave up 375 yards to a bad Raiders offense. Another rookie back to watch is Buffalo’s Marshawn Lynch, who had 90 yards in 19 carries against Denver, including an impressive 23-yard touchdown. His next challenge comes at Pittsburgh. Gulp.