by GABRIEL MORENCY

You've got questions. We've got answers. The NFL is back. And in a league where teams routinely go from worst to first then back to worst again, there are no guarantees - though it's probably safe to assume that after last year's "wardrobe malfunction," Janet Jackson will not be given the chance to show the world her other breast during this year's Super Bowl halftime show. The road to Jacksonville begins Thursday night in Foxboro, with the Patriots as three-and-a-half-point favourites over the Colts in an AFC championship rematch. As the season begins, Peyton won't be the only Manning with something to prove, as the New York Giants believe his brother Eli can do something that neither last year's league MVP nor their father Archie ever have: win a big game. Let the carnage begin!

Eight Things Enquiring Minds Need To Know

8. Is Carolina for real or just another one-hit wonder?

The Panthers' offensive line has taken some major hits this past off-season but that won't slow down the team that lost last year's Super Bowl by just three points. Look for Jake Delhomme to light it up with arguably the league's best WR corps and a bust-out year from DE Julius Peppers. The South is theirs to lose.

7. How long before Eli Manning plays?

Brenda Warner has a better chance of being asked to appear in Playboy than husband Kurt does of surviving the season as the Giants' starting quarterback. With a season opener in Philly against a blitz-happy Eagles defence, expect to see Manning by the end of the first quarter.

6. Can the Chiefs' "D" stop anyone?

After last year's playoff thrashing in which the Colts scored on six of eight possessions, the Chiefs have turned to former head coach and defensive guru Gunther Cunningham to rebuild a defence that finished ranked 29th in a 32-team league. With Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez and Dante Hall at head coach Dick Vermeil's disposal, the Chiefs are one of the league's most explosive teams. If anyone can dismantle the Pats in the AFC, it could be the Chiefs.

5. Will Indianapolis take the next step?

After last year's appearance in the conference championship versus the Patriots, anything less than a trip to Jacksonville will be a major disappointment for the Colts this season. Even with the big three and the emergence of Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis seems to be spinning its wheels. Playoffs, yes. Super Bowl, no.

4. How much of an impact will Joe Gibbs' return as Washington's head coach have?

It's been a busy off-season for the Redskins, even by their standards. Steve Spurrier is out and three-time-champion Joe Gibbs is in after a 12-year hiatus in which the Skins made the playoffs just once. Gibbs' first order of business was bringing in Mark Brunell as his starting quarterback. Gibbs is the only coach in league history to win three Super Bowls with three different starting QBs, and Brunell's hoping to be the fourth. Throw in Clinton Portis and the Eagles should be afraid. Very afraid.

3. Will Terrell Owens and the Eagles soar?

A better question would probably be, how long before Owens calls out Donovan McNabb for not getting the ball to him enough? Or worse, as Jeff Garcia found out when Owens implied Garcia was gay in this month's Playboy. Last time I checked, it was Owens who was dancing with pom-poms, while Garcia goes deep on a nightly basis with Internet hottie Carmela DeCesare. But that's another story! With Jevon Kearse's signing and the return of Hugh Douglas and Jeremiah Trotter, anything short of a Super Bowl victory will be deemed a failure.

2. Can New England win again?

Las Vegas seems to think so. The Pats are 5-1 favourites to win their third championship in four years. Tom Brady now has Corey Dillon to hand the rock off to, but becoming the first team to go back-to-back since Denver did it in '98-99 will not be easy. The schedule is a killer and the target on their backs will be bigger than ever before. They may not win it all, but don't expect a repeat of 2003 when they failed to make the playoffs after shocking the Rams.

1. Who will win it all?

Baltimore plays Philadelphia and the Ravens win their second championship in five years. Baltimore 22 Philadelphia 21.

Pigskin Prognosticator
Thursday, Sept. 9
Indy (+3.5) at N.E: Indy
Sunday, Sept. 12
Tennessee (-3) at Miami: Tennessee
T.B. (+1.5) at Washington: Washington
Monday, Sept. 13
G.B. (+3) at Carolina: Carolina

Join Sports Rage and crew for Road Rage 10, Sept. 9, at the Grand Bayou (12 Rachel W.). Sports Rage with Gabriel Morency is vented weeknights 11 p.m.-2 a.m. on TEAM 990 AM. This column appears bi-weekly. Comments: sportsrage@team990.com