Tuesday 12 September 2017 12:15, UK
The opening week of NFL action did not produce an array of close games, but there were many story lines that made the league's return as compelling as ever.
Just three games were decided by a single score, compared to the 52 per cent in that category throughout the 2016 campaign.
But the fascinating headlines and surprising performances still came thick and fast in Week One. Here are just six story lines from opening weekend that caught my eye...
Ravens beat down the Bengals
I spoke to several members of the London-bound Baltimore Ravens during the course of the summer and, to a man, they talked about how their defence could be special and the best in the league.
Few will be arguing with those beliefs after Baltimore's 20-0 hammering of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens forced Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton into five turnovers - four interceptions and a lost fumble - and looked impenetrable all afternoon.
Quarterback Joe Flacco does not have an abundance of offensive talent around him this season, but it looks like he will rarely be called upon to partake in a high-scoring shootout thanks to his bulldozing defence.
Defences dominate early
There were a few defences around the NFL who helped to carry their team to victory. The Jacksonville Jaguars overcame the season-ending loss of star wide receiver Allen Robinson through a knee injury to record a comfortable 29-7 win over Houston.
The Jags recorded 10 sacks, four from free-agent signing Calais Campbell, and scored on a defensive touchdown through Dante Fowler Jr as they held the Texans to just 203 yards of total offense. And they were not alone as the stand-out defences of Week One.
Dallas Cowboys were supposed to be in trouble this year after losing seven key defenders to free agency, including all four starters from their secondary. But their defence was instrumental in what proved to be a routine 19-3 win over the Odell Beckham Jr-less New York Giants.
Rodgers and Packers win war of attrition
It was hard going for the offenses for much of Sunday's heavyweight contest between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. It makes it all the more impressive that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers managed to scrape together 311 passing yards and a touchdown while leading his team to a 17-9 victory.
Rodgers was under pressure and was held in check at times, but his struggles paled in comparison to Seattle's Russell Wilson, who could not guide his team to an offensive touchdown on the day.
The Seahawks have most of the pieces in place to make a genuine Super Bowl run. The defence is beastly and Wilson, despite his struggles on Sunday night, is a special talent who deserves better from the men in front of him. And that is where Seattle could come undone this year because their offensive line - an area of the team that has been neglected for too long now - is poor and was not up to the task at Lambeau Field.
Stafford does it again
There is a reason the Detroit Lions made quarterback Matthew Stafford the highest-paid player in NFL history just last month. Time and again, he drags this franchise from a losing position to an unlikely win.
Deep into the second half of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Lions trailed 17-9 at home. Stafford, who produced eight fourth-quarter comeback wins in 2016, went to work. He threw a pair of touchdowns to rookie wide receiver Kenny Golladay in the final period to help Detroit to a 35-23 victory.
A night that started so positively for the Cardinals finished in frustrating and worrying fashion. Quarterback Carson Palmer was intercepted three times and star running back David Johnson went off injured and looks set to miss some extended playing time with a wrist injury.
Young stars shine
Putting the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Brees to one side for a moment, it is often said that the NFL is a young man's business. And there were plenty of young stars who caught the eye on opening weekend.
Kansas City Chiefs third-round rusher Kareem Hunt was a revelation in his team's upset win over the New England Patriots, fellow rookie Leonard Fournette topped 100 yards in Jacksonville's victory at Houston and rookie linebacker TJ Watt - younger brother of Houston's JJ - had two sacks and an interception in Pittsburgh's win over Cleveland.
That 21-18 Steelers win was powered by some hard-hitting on defence and more than 180 receiving yards from Antonio Brown. But I thought Cleveland - who won just a single game a year ago - put up a real fight behind 21-year-old rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer. And it is clear they are going to be much more competitive in 2017.
Finally, a nod to Carson Wentz, who made some big plays in Philadelphia's 30-17 division win over the Washington Redskins. He appears to have grown even further into his role and will be influential in how successful the Eagles can be this term.
Any panic in New England?
Only the most fool-hardy of pundits would write off the defending Super Bowl champions after just a single loss. But the manner of New England's 42-27 home defeat to Kansas City was pretty stunning.
Not only was Bill Belichick's defence shredded to the tune of more than 500 yards, but Tom Brady looked every bit of his 40 years and was out of sorts all night long on Thursday.
It is far too soon to write off Brady at this stage but some questions have been raised about New England's biggest star, who clearly missed injured wide receiver Julian Edelman.
