NFL Week 1: Storylines to watch

The first game of the 2017 NFL season has come and gone, and it was a stunner. While most believed the New England Patriots would cover their large nine-point spread over the Kansas City Chiefs, it was the visitors who came into Gillette Stadium and ran amok, scoring 42 points in a decisive 42-27 victory.

For the AFC, things already look a bit different. Perhaps the Patriots are still the team to beat, but the Chiefs now seem poised to legitimately challenge them, while the Pittsburgh Steelers also lay in the weeds.

Meanwhile, there are 14 other games to be played this weekend, and there are plenty of storylines to follow.

For starters, who is going to be the team who gets upset? We already talked about the aforementioned Patriots, but they at least lost to another very good team. Who is the contender that gets beat by a couple of touchdowns, losing to a team most expect to lose 12 games? There is always one, especially this early in the season. Could it be the Atlanta Falcons, who are still trying to mentally get over losing a 28-3 lead to New England in Super Bowl LI? They take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

In addition, which quarterback is going to step up and surprise us with a big game? Again, we saw some of that on Thursday night with Alex Smith completing 80 percent of his throws for 368 yards and four touchdowns, but who joins him? Can we get a big performance out of Carson Wentz, a youngster that some believe is ready to take the next step? How about Tom Savage? Can Savage help the Houston Texans go from good team to real contender?

Finally, who sustains the big injuries? This is never the most pleasant part of the NFL conversation, but it has to be included. Kansas City lost Eric Berry for the season du e to a ruptured Achilles tendon, putting a pall on its upset win. Without Berry, the Chiefs are still an excellent team, but they aren’t the same.

Which team sustains a blow or two of that magnitude? Unfortunately, there will be a couple of big names that go down, whether it be for a few weeks, a few months or the season. While preseason predictions are fun, they never can account for attrition, something that hits some teams harder than others on an annual basis.

Regardless, football is back, and that’s reason enough to grab a drink, order a pizza and relax for the first football Sunday of the fall.