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Favorite season-opening game in your memory?


notthatbluestuff

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1 hour ago, TecmoSuperJoe said:

Off the top of my head: 

-2004 Colts at Patriots on MNF

-2013 Packers at 49ers

-2000 Broncos at Rams

-1994 Patriots at Dolphins

-1998 Jets at 49ers

-2008 Panthers at Chargers

-2017 Chiefs at Patriots

-2001 Rams at Eagles

That wasn’t MNF. And I meant literal first game of the season, not just any Week 1 matchup. 

Edited by notthatbluestuff
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37 minutes ago, notthatbluestuff said:

That wasn’t MNF. And I meant literal first game of the season, not just any Week 1 matchup. 

You're right, it wasn't, but it essentially was in my mind since it was the same production just on Thursday. Whoops. 

Also, "season opening game" is pretty open-ended to me, which is why I selected any week 1 game. Doesn't the TNF opening game only go back to 2002 anyway? 

Edited by TecmoSuperJoe
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12 minutes ago, TecmoSuperJoe said:

You're right, it wasn't, but it essentially was in my mind since it was the same production just on Thursday. Whoops. 

Also, "season opening game" is pretty open-ended to me, which is why I selected any week 1 game. Doesn't the TNF opening game only go back to 2002 anyway? 

Only? That’s almost 20 years ago. Hardly a small pool of games to choose from? 

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Ravens vs Steelers I think 2011. We’d heard the narrative all offseason that Flacco couldn’t beat Roethlisberger and we beat the dog **** out of them like 37-7 or something like that.

Edit: oh did op mean Thursday? Well I did always like seeing Brady’s Patriots lose so I guess that KC game.

Edited by DontTazeMeBro
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Yes I meant the Thursday openers, folks; otherwise I would just say Week One. 

Here's a list of the "season openers" as I mean them -

2002: 49ers 16-13 Giants
2003: Redskins 16-13 Jets
2004: Patriots 27-24 Colts
2005: Patriots 30-20 Raiders
2006: Steelers 28-17 Dolphins
2007: Colts 41-10 Saints
2008: Giants 16-7 Redskins
2009: Steelers 13-10 Titans
2010: Saints 14-9 Vikings
2011: Packers 42-34 Saints
2012: Cowboys 24-17 Giants
2013: Broncos 49-27 Ravens
2014: Seahawks 36-16 Packers
2015: Patriots 28-21 Steelers
2016: Broncos 21-20 Panthers
2017: Chiefs 42-27 Patriots
2018: Eagles 18-12 Falcons
2019: Packers 10-3 Bears
2020: Chiefs 34-20 Texans

As you can see, the 2012 Giants, 2013 Ravens, and 2017 Patriots are the only defending champs to lose the opener (with the exception of 2002, 2003, 2019 where the defending champs didn't play). 

Edited by notthatbluestuff
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1972 Dolphins at Chiefs, the first game of the Perfect Season

This is the best example of the stupidity of the strength of schedule simpletons. They backfit decades before they were born and think they have all the answers. Meanwhile the big picture flies comfortably over their head. Kansas City was a 4 point favorite in this game but the vast majority of talking heads had the Chiefs winning by many multiples that margin. I remember projections of a 3 to 5 touchdown rout by the Chiefs. And this was throughout the entire offseason, after the schedule had been released. 

It was instant revenge for the famous double overtime Christmas Day playoff loss from 1971. The Chiefs were back at home and christening a new stadium. Arrowhead was famous before one game was ever played in the facility. Despite the 1971 playoff loss, the Chiefs were still considered, "The Team of the '70s," a label bestowed on them after the thrashing of the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. They were ultra talented and played a futuristic brand of football with the unique huddling and creative play designs.

The Dolphins had been thrashed by Dallas in the Super Bowl, 24-3. That lasting image caused fans to dismiss the Dolphins as phonies. They expected Kansas City to take out the frustration and romp by similar margin. If there had been message boards or social media at the time it would have been lopsided consensus of a Chiefs win.

Meanwhile the Dolphins methodically controlled the game throughout, to such extent the home crowd mostly sat in stunned silence. As Dolphin fans watching in Miami we were likewise stunned at how thorough it was. The final of 20-10 could not be more misleading. Kansas City scored its only touchdown as time expired, with the majority of the crowd long gone.

 

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