As the season opener draws closer, so too does the whirlwind of emotion that accompanies the return of football in our lives. The excitement, the anticipation, the unfettered optimism — and the existential dread.
The latter is especially potent when one's team happens to be squaring off against an opponent that isn't just the typical Week 1 layup. In that scenario, you don't get the luxury of easing into the season, or granted another week of entertaining the delusion that your team is an unstoppable juggernaut. Instead, the season will be quickly and starkly defined by the very first time your squad takes the field.