So, along comes Week Two of the 2006 NFL Regular Season for our Bay Area teams. Here's what to look for, and when.

* St. Louis vs. San Francisco
Sunday, September 17, 2006. 1:15 PM, PST.
Week 02
The Battle Of The Incompletes

And no, we're not referring to a glance at our college transcript. These two franchises are both struggling to get back off the ground. Our Niners have a head start with Coach Nolan II in his second year. The Rams have a new head coach and more players with proven talent. Both franchises have golden pants. Yet much like their current coaching change, our Niners have had the golden pants first

With new Head Coach Scott Linehan coming in from Miami, the Rams will be in some state of disarray after the ouster of the Mad Mike Martz regime. They've still got more than enough functional parts on offense to knock out mid-level NFL teams. Steven Jackson has tons of breakout potential as their bruising running back, and the duo of Torry Holt and Issac Bruce are still a match-up annoyance for the 49ers' defensive secondary.

The Niners swept the series from the Rams last year, a feat they had no business accomplishing. Their game this Sunday looks to be haphazard and competitive.

By SFist Christopher Rogers for "American Football Spectacular," contributing

* Oakland vs. Baltimore
Sunday, September 17, 2006. 10:00 AM, PST.
Week 02
The Battle Of The Slavering Maw

After last week's disheartening performance, sending our Raiders to the East Coast for Baltimore's home opener seems a grim proposition. The Ravens have a powerful defense that loves to attack. Uh-oh.

Watch for whether the Raiders' coaching staff changes their offensive scheme from Week One's total forfeiture of the running game against the Chargers. If Head Coach Art Shell tries the same classic Raiders' vertical passing strategy against the Baltimore defense, there is no chance that Oakland will score above ten points. Sadly, we can be rather certain that Shell's marching orders from The Al are to stay the course on the vertical passing philosophy.

Please note that here at American Football Spectacular, we want to be optimistic about our Raiders' chances -- but a stubbornly outdated offensive system running headlong into a merciless defense does not bode well for The Raider Nation.

Next up on your American Football Spectacular: Now that we've told you what to look for, we'll tell you the tale of what happened after it does happen. With authority!