The Detroit Lions opened each of the last two seasons with a victory at home before going on the road and losing the next week.
This time, they're working on a short week as they head to face the Carolina Panthers Sunday, coming off a Monday night rout of the New York Giants.
Here are three storylines to follow plus a prediction:
--- It's a matchup between the No. 1 pick overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, and the No. 1 pick overall in 2011, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Stafford shined in the opener when he passed for 346 yards and two touchdowns, along with running for another score. His receivers, who have been among the leaders in dropped passes each of the last two years, dropped none against the Giants.
What's more, the Lions never turned the ball over.
"He got rid of the ball quickly," offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said of Stafford. "There was one sack, but it was really a run that he just ate because he realized we had run into a bad look.
"So no (true) sacks, no turnovers. Other than be available, the second most important thing for a quarterback to do is make sure nothing bad happens. He made sure nothing bad happened."
Newton, meanwhile, missed the opening game because of a rib injury but he's been practicing this week and is expected to start Sunday.
At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Newton is the quintessential dual-threat. In his first three years in the league, he passed for 11,289 yards and rushed for 2,032.
"He's an athlete," Lions defensive tackle C.J. Mosley said. "He runs fast and he's a big body. Sometimes you might think you have him down but he just shakes guys off if you try to tackle him high.
"Got to get all helmets to the ball."
--- The Lions' secondary held its own against the Giants, even without starting strong safety James Ihedigbo (neck injury) and after losing nickel back Bill Bentley early in the game with a season-ending knee injury.
Isa Abdul-Quddus, who played in 42 games the last three seasons for New Orleans, took over for Ihedigbo.
"He stepped right in and we didn't miss a beat," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.
Rookie Nevin Lawson, a fourth-round draft pick from Utah State, also impressed Austin as the replacement for Bentley.
"He might not always do it pretty as some of the vets, but he'll figure out a way to get it done," Austin said. "I thought he handled it really well."
But that was against the Giants, who have a woeful offense these days.
Newton and the Panthers are going to create bigger challenges. Much was made about Carolina's revamped secondary after releasing Steve Smith, the best receiver in franchise history.
But the Panthers clearly made a quality pick by taking Kelvin Benjamin, a 6-5, 240-pound receiver from Florida State, with the 28th pick overall. He made six catches for 92 yards, including a spectacular touchdown when he ripped the ball away from a Tampa Bay defensive back, in an opening-game victory.
"Sometimes it is too big," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said of Benjamin's transition to the NFL as a rookie "For him, it hasn't been. He fits the style and fits the NFL. He's a very confident young man. I guess you couldn't ask for a better start."
The Lions plan to be ready. After all, they face Calvin Johnson every day in practice.
"We have a monster that wears blue," cornerback Rashean Mathis said when asked about the difficulty of facing Benjamin's combination of size and athleticism. "We have the best receiver in the league. There's nothing that we haven't seen before."
--- The Panthers have one of the top one-two punches at defensive end in Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson, who combined for 26 sacks a year ago.
Not a good situation for a team like the Lions, who are shorthanded at offensive tackle with Corey Hilliard out for the year with a foot injury and LaAdrian Waddle hampered by a calf injury.
"That's a great front four," Stafford said of Carolina's defensive line. "They're deep. They've got guys coming off the bench that can still get after the passer."
Add in a middle linebacker like Luke Kuechly and it's a front seven that is "as good as we'll see all year probably," Stafford said.
Kuechly was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year last season when he made 156 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions. In 2012, he was the NFL Rookie of the Year after leading the league with 164 tackles.
"The guy is active," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "He's a great quarterback for them. He gets everything set. He's very crafty. He'll hit you and he's got ball skills."
PICK: Carolina -- 2 1/2
(Dye's prediction record: 1-0)
