Aaron Rodgers’ matchup against Seattle’s ‘Legion of Boom’ headlines Week 1
Rejoice! The glorious first Sunday of the NFL regular season has finally arrived.
Sit back and relax, football fans, and try not to get so angry if your favorite team is down 14 in the first quarter because it’s only the first game. This isn’t college football. It’s not that big of a deal.
Wait, that was a lie. The opening games are actually very important. Since 1990, 24.9 percent of teams who lost in Week 1 made the playoffs, according NFL Media Research.
OK, take a deep breath. Still try to enjoy the Sunday slate because it’s a doozy.
There are three potential playoff game previews starting with the Seattle Seahawks traveling to Aaron Rodgers’ house to take on the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers going up against Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” is sort of like Saturday’s megabout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin at T-Mobile Arena. Yes, the boxing writer needed to get that comparison in. It’s really that good of a fight, just like this football matchup.
The two-time MVP Rodgers has carved up the Seahawks in their two meetings since the Packers blew a 12-point lead in Seattle with five minutes left in the NFC championship game three seasons ago.
Rodgers is 2-0 against Seattle with five passing touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 132.7. But A-Rod did that against a Seahawks defense that had injuries at safety.
Earl Thomas, the heart of the Seattle defense, is back with his partner in crime, Kam Chancellor.
Losing actress Olivia Munn might not have been Rodgers’ biggest departure this offseason. The Packers said goodbye to two key starters on the offensive line, and that could be a major problem with Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson and Cliff Avril coming for Rodgers’ head.
The Dallas Cowboys received good news this past week when they found out Ezekiel Elliott would be allowed to play against the New York Giants in the Sunday Night Football game and possibly the rest of the season.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and the wide receivers struggled versus the Giants’ secondary last season in two losses. Look for a motivated Prescott to seek revenge against his NFC East rival.
The Giants might be without their best player, Odell Beckham Jr., who’s still not 100 percent healthy after suffering an ankle injury during the preseason. He was listed as questionable on the Giants’ latest injury report.
Enjoy watching up-and-coming quarterbacks sling the football? The game between Derek Carr’s Raiders and Marcus Mariota’s Titans is must-watch.
Rookie RBs
Pat yourself on the back if you started Chiefs rookie running back Kareem Hunt in your fantasy leagues.
Hunt went ballistic on the defending champion Patriots with 246 scrimmage yards, the most for any player in his NFL debut.
The Toledo product most likely won’t be the only rookie running back turning heads this week.
The Vikings’ Dalvin Cook is facing the poor Saints defense Monday night. The Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey is facing the lowly 49ers.
Joe Mixon is third on the Bengals’ depth chart, but could show flashes against the Ravens to earn the starting gig. The Saints’ Alvin Kamara could be Drew Brees’ new favorite target, and the Jaguars’ Leonard Fournette will be tough to stop.
Hopefully one of these rookies is on your fantasy squad.
AP’s revenge
Adrian Peterson is now in New Orleans, and his first game with the Saints will be against his old friends in Minnesota for a Monday Night Football matchup.
Peterson is on the decline, but expect the future Hall of Famer to punish the Vikings for letting him walk. Pencil in Peterson for three 1-yard touchdowns.
Browns’ young QB
DeShone Kizer will be the Cleveland Browns’ 27th starting quarterback since the team returned to the NFL in 1999.
The 21-year-old rookie from Notre Dame must be playing the New York Jets, right? Nope. He’ll be facing a fast Pittsburgh Steelers defense that plans on hitting him early.
Welcome to the NFL.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
