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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 9.

First … Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers: Timing is everything. Last Friday, when the Patriots downgraded halfback Corey Dillon from probable to questionable because of a thigh injury, the possibility of a Steelers upset loomed.

No team is invincible, not the Patriots, not the Eagles. That's why the '72 Dolphins celebrate the first loss of the last surviving unbeaten team with champagne every season. The 16-game season is one of attrition. Injuries happen, and the more they happen, the more those injuries pull down the NFL's elite.

The Patriots weren't the same team without Dillon, wide receiver Deion Branch, right tackle Tom Ashworth, cornerbacks Tyrone Poole and Ty Law and fullback Patrick Pass. The same can be said for Sunday's game between the Eagles and Steelers, the featured game of the week.

The Eagles might not have the same offense that's been averaging 26.6 points a game. Halfback Brian Westbrook will play but could be limited by his rib injury. Wide receiver Todd Pinkston and guard Jermane Mayberry are both listed as questionable. Minus Westbrook, the Eagles scored 15 points against a great Ravens defense. While he'll play against the Steelers, it's unclear how effective he'll be.

Like the Patriots last week, the Eagles could in trouble against the Steelers. In a normal matchup, the Eagles would be favored. On a neutral site, they'd probably win. But this isn't neutral. Steelers fans are excited. Their team has emerged as the AFC's top seed after beating the Patriots a week ago. Ben Roethlisberger is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year and has been given the starting job for the remainder of the season.

Because the Eagles are more vulnerable against the run than the pass, Bill Cowher will work a conservative yet effective game plan.

For the Eagles to win, they need to score more than 15 points. For one, the Steelers run the ball well with former Eagles starter Duce Staley. The Eagles will counter with a banged up Westbrook and Reno Mahe after Dorsey Levens didn't generate much of a running attack last week.

Not having Pinkston would hurt because there is a little bit of a dropoff from having Freddie Mitchell as the second receiver and Greg Lewis as the third.

Mayberry's calf injury could force the Eagles to make their second change at guard this season. Artis Hicks is playing for Shawn Andrews, the rookie star guard who is out for the season. Steve Sciullo has to take over this week at left guard for Mayberry, but he's new to the offense after being claimed on waivers earlier this season. Guards have to be on guard for the inside blitzes of Steelers linebackers.

The Eagles seem to be destined for another trip to the NFC title game because they are so much better than everybody else in their conference. But for this week, they are vulnerable, and they are on the road.

Their unbeaten streak is on the line just like the Patriots' was last Sunday.

	Peyton Manning Quarterback Indianapolis Colts Profile
	2004 SEASON STATISTICS Att Comp PaTD RuTD Int Rat 240 156 22 0 4 117.4

And 10. Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts: Mike Tice has to convince his offense that it can play well without Randy Moss. Moss has been on the field for only nine plays in the past two games because of a hamstring pull. While Moss may be available, the offense has to develop a personality without him -- even if he talks his way into the lineup for this potential high-scoring Monday night game. Don't be surprised to see the Vikings to go to more of a ball-control running offense. The Colts are quick but light along the defensive line. The Vikings are big and powerful along the offensive line. Tice's biggest decision will be whether to use Onterrio Smith, Mewelde Moore or Michael Bennett as the featured back this week. Tice knows he can't keep his defense on the field long because Peyton Manning will pick it apart. He has 22 touchdown passes and if teams try to blitz him he'll just pick them apart. Manning has generated 28 touchdowns in 75 offensive possessions this season. If this is a 10-possession game, the Colts figure to score three or four touchdowns so the Vikings have to wear down their defense.

9. New England Patriots at St. Louis Rams: Ty Law's injury comes at a horrible time. He's down more than a month with a broken bone in his foot and it is forcing Bill Belichick to make concessions in the secondary. Eugene Wilson has to move from free safety to cornerback, losing coverage ability in the middle of the field. And who knows how long Tyrone Poole's knee injury will keep bothering him. Where the timing is bad is that the Rams' four-receiver set is one of the most potent in football. Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald are formidable because of their speed and the Patriots don't have the depth at cornerback to match up against them on the road. Where Marc Bulger needs to succeed is producing three touchdown drives. Bulger has the accuracy to pick zone defenses apart, and the Patriots might give the Rams a 300-yard game. But yards mean little. Touchdowns are the most important goal for the Rams if they want to win this game. The Patriots formula is to stay close in the game until the final minutes and then make big plays to win. The Rams can't just make drives and settle for field goals. If the Rams score touchdowns, the Patriots' losing streak might reach two games.

	David Carr Quarterback Houston Texans Profile
	2004 SEASON STATISTICS Att Comp PaTD RuTD Int Rat 209 138 9 0 5 99.7

8. Houston Texans at Denver Broncos: For whatever reason, the Broncos defense is in a slump. It's giving up too many big pass plays. In the past two games, the Broncos have surrendered a dozen 20-yard plays on defense. That's not what Mike Shanahan had in mind when he traded for cornerback Champ Bailey. While Bailey isn't the problem, he has given up a few big plays. He will fix that. He's the best cornerback in the league. But if the Broncos don't do a better job of pressuring the quarterback, they may have the same problem this week. Texans quarterback David Carr comes to town with one of the league's best big-play offenses. Andre Johnson is a big, fast target. Carr is playing on a sore ankle, which could hurt him, but he will try to test the Broncos deep. The Texans have a lot of confidence coming off beating the Jaguars and they are confident finally on the road. They are 2-1 in road games. The Broncos are on a two-game losing streak and they will need a good defensive effort to turn their season back around.

7. Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are looking to avenge a 20-3 Week 1 loss to the Browns. There will be a lot of revenge on their minds. Jamal Lewis is back from a two-game suspension and needs to do better than the 57 yards on 20 carries he produced in the first week. He had 500 yards in two games against the Browns last year. The Ravens offense needs Lewis because they are more vulnerable on the left side of their offensive line with left tackle Jonathan Ogden out for one month. It will be interesting to see how well Lewis runs to his left, but he's good enough that he should be able to figure it out. The Ravens need Lewis to make the job easier on quarterback Kyle Boller. Boller had a very good game last week but didn't get any credit for it because the Ravens scored only 10 points against the Eagles. Boller doesn't have big-time receivers. Lewis will allow Boller to throw less passes and hopefully higher percentage passes to his pedestrian receiving corps.

	Priest Holmes Running Back Kansas City Chiefs Profile
	2004 SEASON STATISTICS Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD 180 833 13 15 184 1

6. Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This is a good matchup that is slipping under the radar screen. The Chiefs are the league's hottest offense. They scored 101 points in the past two weeks. Trent Green has had consecutive games with a quarterback rating around 100. Tony Gonzalez is having his best season. Priest Holmes is carrying the running offense and lighting it up in the passing game. What makes this game interesting is that the Bucs do well against the Chiefs offense. And face it, the Bucs have spent the past month building game plans against this type of an offense. They played the Rams and Bears -- which have the same type of motion offenses -- and had a bye week to prepare for the Chiefs. Plus, this is a different type of Bucs defense. They still use the Cover 2 scheme as a base but they are using more man-to-man schemes. The Chiefs are hot, but this is the type of defense that will be tough to blow out.

5. New Orleans Saints at San Diego Chargers: The Saints come in rested and they are a dangerous team. They have the receivers to exploit the holes in the Chargers secondary. They also have a quarterback Aaron Brooks, who can put 30 points on the board against any defense. Then, there is halfback Deuce McAllister, who has had the bye week to rest an ankle that was probably letting him run at only 60 percent. The Chargers have their own bye week issues. If the Chargers can win before hitting their bye week, they could be a tough team for the rest of the season. LaDainian Tomlinson has been playing at 80 percent because of a groin injury. Given two weeks to rest, Tomlinson should be unstoppable during the final seven weeks of the season. The key, though, is getting to 6-3 before the bye. What makes Drew Brees' job easier is his two main receiving targets -- tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Keenan McCardell.

	Rudi Johnson Running Back Cincinnati Bengals Profile
	2004 SEASON STATISTICS Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD 149 588 4 4 8 0

4. Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals: Bill Parcells is thin at wide receiver and at defensive tackle and at cornerback. That's a dangerous combination in this particular game. Rudi Johnson can hit them for inside runs, and Chad Johnson can burn the cornerbacks for good plays. To win, the Cowboys need the best game of the year from struggling cornerback Terence Newman. Newman draws Johnson, Carson Palmer's favorite target. Palmer's style is similar to Ben Roethlisberger, a big, strong-armed quarterback who can move. In their game against the Steelers three weeks ago, the Cowboys didn't blitz much against Roethlisberger. They must learn from this lesson and be more aggressive against Palmer. This is a critical game for the Cowboys. If they win, they are 4-4 and have a chance. But if they lose, they may start to look at moving Drew Henson into the starting lineup in two weeks.

3. New York Jets at Buffalo Bills: The Jets struggled to a 16-14 victory over Bills Oct. 10 at home, but this will be tougher on the road. Weather could be a problem and impact Chad Pennington and the Jets' passing attack. And the Bills are pretty good on defense, so you figure it's going to be tough for the Jets to score more than 17 points. The pressure will also be on Drew Bledsoe. The Jets defense is flying to the ball and driving quarterbacks crazy. Defensive end John Abraham should get a few sacks against Bledsoe. Shaun Ellis may do the same. But if Bledsoe can keep his feet and come up with some big completions to Eric Moulds and Lee Evans, they might be able to pull an upset. AFC East games are usually low-scoring, and this is one that figures to follow that script. That gives the Bills a chance.

	Roy Williams Wide Receiver Detroit Lions Profile
	2004 SEASON STATISTICS Rec Yds TD Avg Long YAC 24 362 5 15.1 37 85

2. Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions: This game is simple to figure out. If Roy Williams' ankle is healthy enough for him to play, the Lions have a good chance to win. Joey Harrington's success or failure is determined by what weapons he has available. The running game hasn't gotten going yet, and figures to be stalled against the Redskins. So, Harrington needs Williams. The Redskins defense is one of the best in the league because of their aggressive blitzing scheme. The Redskins have been getting great cornerback play from Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs, but if the Lions don't have a 100-yard receiver available, Harrington will be in trouble. The Redskins blitz right from the coin toss. Harrington needs a good running game to counter that blitz, but if he can survive without committing turnovers, the Redskins may have a hard time winning the game. Face it, the Redskins offense isn't generating much.

1. Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers: A week ago, Mike Holmgren cut down on his passing scheme to simplify things. The strategy worked and Shaun Alexander rushed for 195 yards against the Panthers. Wide receivers Jerry Rice, Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram all have bad ankles so Holmgren will put even more on Alexander's shoulders. Matt Hasselbeck will also have to get tight ends Jerramy Stevens and Itula Mili more involved. Instead of three- and four-receiver sets, the Seahawks will probably have to work more in two tight end approaches. The 49ers will be looking for revenge after losing to the Seahawks, 34-0 in Week 3. But to win, they need a healthy Tim Rattay, which they haven't had much this season.

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