The NFL is about to embark on its most unique Week 1 in the league's 101-year existence. For the first time
Marquise Brown Jersey since the AFL-NFL 1970 merger, teams will face one another without the luxury of watching film of the preseason. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, teams did not even begin practicing with one another until late July, as virtual Zoom meetings became the new normal this offseason. Most teams will also not play in front of fans, with pumped-in crowd noise replacing the raucous crowds that usually fill stadiums on game day.Despite the changes, fans will still get the chance to watch their favorite teams compete for the opportunity to win the Lombardi Trophy. On Thursday night, and the defending champion Chiefs will begin their title defense against a Houston team that took a 24-0 lead over Kansas City during the divisional round of the 2019 playoffs before the Chiefs rallied to win the game, 51-31. If January's playoff cla sic is any indication of what will happen on Thursday night, NFL fans are certainly in for a treat.With Week 1 officially here, we decided to rank the best Week 1 games in the NFL since 2000, a list that may need to be updated following this weekend's string of games.10. 2007: SpygateThe Patriots' dominating 38-14 victory over theis remembered for two things. It was the start of New England's 16-0 regular season, the only undefeated regular season since the NFL expanded the regular season to 16 games in 1978. While New England's suffocating defense held the Jets to just 227 total yards, Randy Mo s, acquired by the Patriots that offseason, caught nine pa ses or 183 yards and a score that day while offering a preview of the record-setting season that was ahead for him and his teammates.That was also the game that birthed the beginning of Spygate, when the Jets -- who were then coached by former Patriots a sistant coach Eric Mangini -- caught members of New England's staff videotaping their defensive signals during the game. The Patriots were later fined $250,000 and were docked their 2008 first-round pick. New England coach Bill Belichick was also fined $500,000 by the NFL. New England would get to 18-0 before being upset by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.9. 2018: Mahomes dazzles in second career startNot many people were too focused on Patrick Mahomes' second career start, which was played in front of a crowd of just 25,351 fans. While the spotlight wasn't
Deangelo Hardy Jersey on him yet after he made his debut in Week 17 of his rookie year, Mahomes quickly got everyone's attention after throwing four touchdowns in the Chiefs' 38-28 win over the. Mahomes was about to outduel, who threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort.8. 2019: Jackson kicks off MVP season with monster performanceDespite his succe s late in the 2018 season,faced skepticism from critics who weren't sure how effective he could be as a pa ser at the NFL level. Jackson emphatically answered those questions in Week 1 of the 2019 season. Facing an albeit depletedteam, Jackson took full advantage, going 17 of 20 for 324 yards and five touchdowns while posting a perfect pa ser rating. The 59-10 win was the start of an MVP season for Jackson, who led the league in touchdown pa ses while also breaking Michael Vick's record for single season rushing yards by a quarterback.Um, Hollywood Brown not even done with his first NFL quarter and he already has two catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Also, Lamar Jackson's accuracy doesn't appear to be an i sue anymore John Breech (@johnbreech) 7. 2004: Jerome Bettis' crazy stat lineThat was the unbelievably odd stat line produced byrunning back Jerome Bettis during Pittsburgh's Week 1 victory over the Oakland to kick off the 2004 season. Bettis, used exclusively as a short-yardage specialist to start the
Robert Griffin III Jersey '04 season, had three one-yard touchdown runs as the Steelers held off the Raiders' late rally to pull off the 24-21 victory. Bettis would get considerably more playing time during the second half of the season, earning the last of his six Pro Bowl selections while helping Pittsburgh become the first AFC team to win 15 regular-season games.Random highlight: Raiders-Steelers week 1 2004, Jerome Bettis put up one of the weirdest/funniest stat lines you'll see! He had 5 carries for 1 yard & 3 touchdowns!Bettis' runs that day:0 yards1 yard TD1 yard TD1 yard TD-2 yards Here's 's 3 TDs! Four Verts (@FourVerticals_) 6. 2006: Peyton beats Eli in the 'Manning Bowl'The Indianapolis Colts' championship season began with their highly anticipated Week 1 matchup with the. The game was dubbed the "Manning Bowl" as it was the first game that pitted brothers Peyton andagainst one another. Neither quarterback played great, however, combining to complete 60.8 percent of their pa ses for 523 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The game's real star was kicker Adam Vinatieri, who booted four field goals in the Colts' 26-21 victory.5. 2009:pull off an incredible last-minute TD pa sThere have been several memorable game-winning touchdown pa ses in Week 1, but Brandon Stokley's incredible game-winning play in Week 1 of the 2009 season takes the cake. With Denver trailing by a point with 28 seconds left, the veteran wideout caught Kyle Orton's deflected pa s and turned it into an 87-yard touchdown.Top-5 Denver Broncos season openers this century:#5 - 2009 @ Bengals13 of the game's 19 points were scored in the final 38 seconds, including "Stokley down the sideline!" Broncos Outsider (@BroncosOutside) 4. 2002: Thrown helmet ruins' season-openerThe Cleveland Browns appeared to get a season-opening win over the visitingbefore the officials penalized Browns linebacker Dwayne Rudd for throwing off his helmet in celebration before the Chiefs' last offensive play was over. Instead of a turnover on downs, Rudd's penalty put Kansas City -- trailing 39-37 -- in field-goal range with no time left. Since NFL games cannot end in a penalty, Morten Andersen was given an opportunity to try a 40-yard kick while giving the Chiefs the improbable victory. Anderson, one of the most reliable kickers in league history, came through while sending the Chiefs home with a win while leaving Browns fans sick to their stomachs in the proce s.Cleveland would bounce back following its Week 1 fiasco, winning nine games that season while earning its first and only playoff appearance since returning to the NFL in 1999.On this date in 2002, Chiefs tackle John Tait's 28-yard run, the 2nd-longest ever by an offensive lineman, helped lead to the game-winning field goal.Browns LB Dwayne Rudd's helmet to s, which extended the game by one untimed down, was a slightly bigger contributor to the win. Quirky Research (@QuirkyResearch) 3. 2013: Manning throws seven touchdowns against
Mark Andrews Jersey After a succe sful first season in Denver, Peyton Manning enjoyed an historic 2013 season that saw him throw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, both NFL records. Manning's record-setting season started in Week 1, as he threw a career-high seven touchdowns in Denver's 40-27 win over Baltimore. Manning had enormous succe s throwing to and , who combined to catch 10 pa ses for 271 yards and four touchdowns.2. 2009: Eli crashes the Cowboys' partyIt's official name may be AT&T Stadium, but the' home over the last 11 years is usually referred to as "Jerry's World,, a tribute to team owner Jerry Jones. Jones, however, couldn't have been happy with what he saw on Sept.20, 2009, when Eli Manning led the Giants to a come-from-behind win over the Cowboys in their first game inside their new digs.Manning, adding insult to injury, signed his name on the visitor's locker room wall after
Corey Bullock Jersey the game while including the score and the significance of the win.An important reminder: Eli Manning signed the locker room wall after beating the Cowboys in the first game at their new stadium in 2009. CBS Sports (@CBSSports) 1. 2004: Brady edges Manning in cla sic duelWhileandhave had a slew of cla sic matchups over the years, there weren't many better than their Week 1 matchup in the first game of the 2004 season. After Marvin Harrison's touchdown catch from Manning gave thea halftime lead, two Brady touchdowns and anfield goal gave New England a 27-17 lead entering the fourth quarter.Manning, who got the Colts to within three points on a touchdown pa s to Brandon Stokley with just over 11 minutes left, had Indianapolis threatening to tie the score on their final po se sion. But following Manning's 45-yard pa s to Stokley that got the ball to New England's 19 with 1:13 left, a sack and two incomplete pa ses set the stage for Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who mi sed his 48-yard, game-tying attempt with 24 seconds remaining.While Manning would go on to have an MVP season that included breaking Dan Marino's 20-year-old record for touchdown pa ses in a single season, Brady and thewould beat the Colts for a second straight year in the postseason en route to their third Super Bowl win in a four-year span.
