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Tonight, the 2015 NFL season finally gets underway as the league continues its tradition of kicking off on the first Thursday evening of the season. Tonight, the Steelers will be the nation's favorite team for the first time in a long time. Tonight, we are all football fans. Tonight, football is officially back.
After yet another tumultuous offseason in which the league and Roger Goodell were once again in the headlines for the wrong reasons, the road to Super Bowl 50 finally begins with a certain embattled quarterback on the field, instead of being suspended.
Here's your primer on what's going on this evening.
WHO?
The franchises who lost in the Green Bay Packers' last two Super Bowl victories.
If you want actual team names, that would be the Pittsburgh Steelers (minus Le'Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant) vs. New England Patriots (minus Legarrette Blount but with Tom Brady).
Oh, and here's a fun fact: Bell's and Blount's suspensions stem from a 2014 traffic stop when both players were together in Pittsburgh - Bell was originally charged with Driving Under the Influence of marijuana while Blount was hit with a possession charge before all charges were dropped.
WHEN?
Thursday, September 10th
8:30 PM ET (7:30 CT)
(aka FINALLY.)
WHERE?
Gilette Stadium
Foxborough, Massachusetts
HOW?
TV Broadcast
NBC
Play-by-play: Al Michaels (related: the Patriots are favored by 7 points)
Color: Cris Collinsworth