Something wonderful happened this weekend. Can you guess what it is? No, it doesn't have anything to do with those two foreign guys swinging threaded sticks at a rubber ball for a couple of hours, resulting in an outcome everyone had predicted. It also wasn't the multiple busts of Major League Baseball players for the use and shipment of performance-enhancing drugs. It wasn't the first ever 0-2 start for both Michigan and Notre Dame. It certainly wasn't the VMA's and Britney Spears'...energetic…return. After a summer of horrifying dog-abuse stories, ridiculously early and embarrassing presidential debates (I wish YouTube was never invented), and more steroid talk than Congress could shake a subpoena at, the NFL is finally back. In celebration of opening weekend, I submit for your approval a week-late preview for the upcoming NFL season. The best news I can give anyone who is preparing themselves to read this is that after only week one of the NFL season, nobody is out of it yet. That is, of course, nobody but the Kansas City Chiefs, who this week certainly did not "play to win the game." Actually, let's throw in the Browns and Falcons too. Sorry to the Dog Pound in Cleveland and the Dog Fighters in Atlanta. In the NFC, this year's miracle pick is the New Orleans Saints. Saints fans: do not panic. A loss to the Super Bowl champions isn't the most terrible thing in the world, especially when that team also happens to know your best cornerback better than you do. Yes, they got abused by a dominant Colts team on Thursday, but take a quick peek ahead. Not counting division opponent Carolina, the Saints only face one defense that was ranked in the top ten in 2006, when they go to Chicago to close out the season. Shootouts are what the Saints do best, and when they can work out some of the offensive kinks, they'll be able to roll again. In the AFC, the Patriots seem to be the most popular Super Bowl pick since the Washington Redskins in the 2000 season. While that didn't work out for Washington, don't expect such a disappointing performance from the Patriots. The Patriots didn't add players to be superstars, they added players to fill holes and play roles. Forget the "Randy Ratio" in New England, Randy Moss didn't even play 80% of the offensive snaps against the Jets. The other players who were brought in, such as Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas, contributed with 61 yards and five tackles respectively, but did not try to take over their new team. Everyone knows who is in charge up in Foxboro. This year's sleeper pick you ask? The Detroit Lions are a scrappy team with more talent than people recognize, and in that division nobody knows what can happen. Jon Kitna claimed that the Lions will have 10 wins, and while I'm not that bold, I really don't see 8-8 as out of the question with the NFC North facing off against a the mediocre NFC East and AFC West this season. The game against Oakland was a step in the right direction, as the Lions showed resilience in the face of adversity by coming away with a win despite losing the lead late on the road. The team that takes a step back this year is the San Diego Chargers. I'm not just saying this because Shaun Merriman actually has to play clean now (Hey look Ma, no sacks!), but because the team got to beat up on lackluster opponents last season and then disappeared in the playoffs. The Chargers dominated such powerhouses last season as the Titans before Vince Young was named the starter, the Buffalo Bills, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Cleveland Browns. That isn't even counting their four games against the Chiefs and Raiders. Look for them to drop at least four wins from last season, and to be swept by the Broncos this season.