After 221 days, (or 318,240 long minutes but who was counting), the National Football League finally kicked off the eagerly awaited 2015-2016 season on September 10.
The defending Super Bowl Champs, the New England Patriots, took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a highly anticipated match-up. The Pats looked to be in mid-season form, winning 28-21. Tom Brady, showing no lingering effects from DeflateGate, threw 4 touchdowns including three to super tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Now that the remaining 15 games of Week 1 are in the books, many story lines are beginning to take shape.
Here are five key takeaways from the first week of the season:
1. New Team, Same Tricks - Linebacker Ndamukong Suh may have moved to Miami from Detroit in the offseason, but he didn't leave his kicking skills behind. Sunday, Suh appeared to kick Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris. He claimed not to remember the play; looks like the NFL won't either. He won't be fined for it.
2. No QB, No Problem - When former Jets Coach Rex Ryan moved north to Buffalo, he found himself in familiar territory. He had a solid running game, a strong lineup of defensive players, and no franchise quarterback. The team had previously earmarked EJ Manuel to start, after cutting journey-man Matt Cassel in the preseason. However in a surprise move, the Bills decided to re-sign Cassell and give him a shot. It didn't seem to make a difference who the signal-caller was in the Bill's huge upset of the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts. It was the defense that shut down Andrew Luck and co.
3. The Return of AP - Amid much hype, Adrian Peterson returned to run for the Minnesota Vikings for the first time after missing 15 games last season. He had only 10 carries for 31 yards in a disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Certainly disappointing for fantasy football owners who were wishing he returned to form immediately.
4. Foles vs. Bradford - After an unexpected QB swap in the offseason between the Eagles and Rams, round one goes to new St. Louis QB Nick Foles. The signal-caller lit a fuse in St. Louis and sparked a surprising OT victory over the reigning AFC Champs and Super Bowl favorite Seattle Seahawks. Foles looked strong, with nearly 300 yards passing and one touchdown. Sam Bradford, the new signal-caller in Philly, started his first game since 2013. He looked stiff, immobile and threw two interceptions, the last one in the final minute of the game. Week 1 winner: Foles.
5. Is Hard Knocks the New Madden curse? Second-year Houston Texans Coach Bill O'Brien entertained audiences during HBO's Hard Knocks, a behind-the-scenes show. His colorful language plus the engaging JJ Watt and his unreal training regimen made it a must see each week. Sunday, the team lost to the Kansas City Chiefs despite Watts superb play and two sacks. The QB carousel of Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallet that didn't work in preseason, didn't pan out Sunday either. Time will tell if Houston will suffer from the so called 'cover curse' that has plagued other teams and players who have appeared on the front of Sports Illustrated or Madden's NFL game.
As we look to Week 2 and the remainder of this NFL season, here are five questions and situations to pay attention to:
- Will the Jimmy Graham trade hurt New Orleans or help Seattle more?
There are no shortage of intriguing NFL plot lines for rabid pigskin fans to follow for the next five months before the season culminates in Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco on Feb. 7th, 2016. That means there are 240 regular season games left to savor, and 11 playoff games including the big game. For those who are counting.