That defense, as talented as it may be, will get a brutal test facing quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the league’s reigning M.V.P. The running back situation is still not entirely clear in Kansas City, and a bad defense lost multiple good players over the off-season, so a win on the road is hardly guaranteed. But after Mahomes threw 50 touchdown passes in his first year as a starter, the expectations for him are truly outrageous. Pick: Jaguars +3.5

Steelers at Patriots, 8:20 p.m., NBC

Line: Patriots -5.5. Total: 49.5.

In 2010, a 33-year-old Tom Brady, bolstered by the addition of a dynamic rookie tight end named Rob Gronkowski, went 14-2 and erased any doubts that had arisen over the previous two seasons, one in which he missed all but one game and the other in which he went 10-6.

Gronkowski played an entire Hall of Fame career over the last nine seasons, retiring after his third Super Bowl win because his body simply couldn’t recover from the abuse any longer. Brady, at 42, is still in the midst of that renaissance that began 10 years ago.

The Steelers are good enough to make the spread a bit insulting, but betting against Brady and the Patriots in prime time is a fool’s errand. Pick: Patriots -5.5

Giants at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., Fox

Line: Cowboys -7.5. Total: 45.5.

Daniel Jones opened a lot of eyes during the preseason, likely persuading more than a few people to delete their social media posts that mocked him on draft night. Is he the real deal? Can he replace Eli Manning as the Giants’ starting quarterback this season? Would the Giants be better off simply transitioning to him now?

Those are the big questions for Big Blue, and Jones would be wise to seek advice from Dak Prescott in terms of how to gracefully take the reins from a superstar in decline. Manning might want to reach out to Tony Romo to better understand the other half of the equation, as well. Pick: Cowboys -7.5