Here are 10 things that intrigue me about the NFL's opening weekend:
1. Titans QB Marcus Mariota vs. Bucs QB Jameis Winston: Yes, I know they aren’t exactly going against each other, but this is a battle between the two -- even if they don’t want to make it one. With Winston going first overall in the May draft, and Mariota second, they will be forever linked. This is the first meeting between rookie passers taken first and second in the same draft to open a season. It’s special. Just don’t ask either one to say it is. They won’t.
2. What can Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor bring to the offense? Taylor will be making his first NFL start for a team that has talent and a new coach in Rex Ryan. The Bills fans are amped about the direction of the team, but if Taylor doesn’t play well that can all wane quickly. Taylor will run and move around, but the questions are about his ability to stay in the pocket and make throws.
3. The Green Bay Packers without receiver Jordy Nelson: The Packers will be without Nelson for the season after he went down with a torn ACL in the preseason. They brought veteran James Jones back, but Randall Cobb will now be the guy teams focus on with their defense. How does he handle that? With Aaron Rodgers throwing, he will be just fine.
4. Quarterback Sam Bradford in Chip Kelly’s scheme with the Eagles: We got a small look at Bradford in the preseason, and he did some good things when he played. Can that carry over to the regular season, starting against the Falcons? Bradford would seem to be a good fit for Kelly’s passing scheme, but what does it mean for the zone-read runs? He also has to stay on the field, which has been an issue after two knee surgeries.
5. Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills defense vs. Colts QB Andrew Luck: Ryan loves to blitz, even if he has a good down four. So expect him to come after Luck. That can be dangerous against a passer of his talents with the speed he has outside at the receiver spot. It will put pressure on a below-average Colts offensive line to keep Luck upright.
6. Second-year QBs Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr: Big growth is expected from all three after they took their lumps some last season. They all looked much more comfortable in the preseason, but now will have to deal with defensive coordinators who know their strengths and weaknesses.
7. The return of Vikings RB Adrian Peterson: Peterson hasn’t carried the football in a game in a year. What will he look like? Will he be energized from the time off? Will he be rusty? Peterson missed all but one game last season after he was indicted on charges of felony child endangerment for his disciplining of his son. Peterson pled down to a misdemeanor charge and was re-instated last spring. At 30, will we see the same Peterson we saw before his time off this week against the 49ers?
8. The arm of Broncos QB Peyton Manning: There is a feeling -- wrong, I might say -- that Manning is close to being done. He will be fine. Manning threw 39 touchdown passes last season. That’s impressive. But he will face a Ravens defense that can get after the passer, which could be a problem behind his line.
9. The Dallas Cowboys backfield: They let DeMarco Murray leave via free agency, and now it looks like they will run it by committee. They have Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle, Christine Michael and others. The key is the offensive line. It is one of the best in football. The running game should be fine this week against the Giants.
10. How will the Seahawks’ secondary play without Kam Chancellor? They say he’s the leader of the defense -- if that matters to people -- but the big loss will be his play in the run game. With him dropped down as the eighth man a lot, it’s tough to run on the Seahawks. Dion Bailey, his replacement, is a former college linebacker who will be making his first NFL start. That’s a tough task.
