At last. The NFL, in all its glory, kicks off the 2014 season. No more preseason fooling around, no more starters hanging around on the sidelines. The real deal.

The Thursday night opener matches the defending champion Seattle Seahawks against the Green Bay Packers in Seattle. Good one. Seahawks general manager John Schneider trained for his current role under Ted Thompson in Green Bay, bringing sound management and personnel tactics with him.

Two years ago, the Seahawks stole a game from the Packers during the NFL’s lockout of the field officials. Golden Tate caught a touchdown pass (maybe) on the last play of the game for the win, though Green Bay defensive back M.D. Jennings appeared to have the ball first for an interception. The referee ruled simultaneous possession and the NFL contorted itself to back up the call, though the dispute with the officials ended soon after. The play lives on as the Fail Mary.

Welcome back, real NFL. Here’s what we’ll be watching (though with Red Zone, we’ll be watching at least parts of every game).

SUNDAY

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins start five new offensive linemen after the scourge of their bullying affair last season and have a new offensive coordinator (Bill Lazor) promising an up-tempo style. The Patriots have won the AFC East every year but two since 2001. No reason to assume anything else will happen this time around. This will be a pivotal year for Miami coach Joe Philbin, whose team started 3-0 in 2013 and then lost its last two games to miss the playoffs (again) and finish 8-8.

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons: The Saints are loaded offensively. The Falcons struggle on defense and are trying to rebound from a 4-12 season. Atlanta really needs 31-year-old running back Steve Jackson to bounce back. Generally speaking, 31-year-old running backs don’t bounce back.

San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys: The 49ers struggled offensively early in the preseason. The Cowboys, 31^st (second to last) in defense last season, may have gotten worse in terms of personnel. The 49ers contend annually; the Cowboys have been 8-8 the last three years.

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos: Yeah, Peyton Manning against his old team. Two top AFC contenders. Denver got crushed in the Super Bowl and is still angry.

We’ll look at Monday’s two games on Monday. Happy watching.

Today’s question: Who will make it to the Super Bowl? Answers in the comment box, please.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .