Back In Action

At last. At long, long last. The NFL as we remember it.

Not preseason games. Not glorified scrimmages that are essentially job tryouts. Real games. Games that count.

And the first is a rematch of the last – Super Bowl 50.

The Carolina Panthers visit the Denver Broncos on Thursday night (NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET), looking to salve the wounds from their 24-10 loss in the NFL title game in February. This is the first time since 1970 that the two Super Bowl opponents meet to open the season.

“A lot of people are going to make it a rematch, but it’s not a rematch,” says Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. “This is not the Super Bowl. This is not revenge for the Super Bowl. That’s not our focus. We’re just trying to win a game. It just happens to be the same team.”

You may not recognize the Broncos. Peyton Manning retired after winning the a second Super Bowl to cap his stellar career. His would-be successor at quarterback, Brock Osweiler, took off for the Houston Texans as a free agent. The well-traveled Mark Sanchez, acquired in a trade, didn’t even make the team. No. 1 pick Paxton Lynch will need time to develop.

So the Broncos will open the defense of their crown with Trevor Siemian taking the snaps. His experience in games that count amounts to one snap last year – taking a knee. He was a seventh-round draft pick in 2015. This should be interesting against a hungry, solid Panthers defense.

Count down the minutes until kickoff. Then revel in the season. Welcome back, NFL.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman