SI:AM | The NFL Is Back

Plus, another historic win for Frances Tiafoe.

Good morning, I’m Kevin Sweeney. We get our first Collinsworth Slide of the season tonight.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏈 NFL returns with Rams vs. Bills

🎾 Frances Tiafoe’s U.S. Open run continues

🐏 Is Aaron Donald the GOAT?

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Rams vs. Bills kicks off NFL Week 1

The season opener in the NFL is always a treat, but this year’s showdown feels extra sweet. The defending Super Bowl champion Rams take on the team that Sports Illustrated Sportsbook considers the favorite to win it all this season: the Buffalo Bills. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Why Buy into the Bills?

Four of SI’s six NFL staffers have the Bills at least making it to the Super Bowl this season, and Buffalo is Albert Breer’s pick to win it. A huge reason for that, of course, is the presence of Josh Allen, our writers’ most popular choice to win this year’s MVP award. Allen has thrown for more than 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons and has all the weapons he could need on the outside, with receiving threats such as Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and newly extended tight end Dawson Knox all being tough covers.

Plus, the Bills had the best defense based on points allowed in the NFL last season. Buffalo has an elite defensive line and pass rush that presumably got better with the offseason addition of Von Miller, who is on a mission to get Buffalo to the Super Bowl after winning it in 2022 with the Rams. There are just very few holes to speak of on this Bills roster, which feels built to win a championship.

Can the Rams repeat?

Things change for an organization whenever you win a Super Bowl. Think about how much the Seahawks’ elite young Legion of Boom defense changed over the years as talent became too expensive to retain. But the Rams have done well to keep their organizational centerpieces on team-friendly contracts that provide some flexibility to keep improving the roster while also keeping stars such as Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp happy.

The Stafford-Kupp connection was money last season, putting up eye-popping numbers as consistently as any QB-WR duo in recent memory. That carried into the postseason, during which Kupp scored touchdowns in all four games (six in total) and racked up big yardage totals, including 183 yards in the divisional round against the Buccaneers.

The Rams also still have not just one of the best defensive players in the NFL currently in Aaron Donald, but one of the best defensive players of all time, as Conor Orr argues. Donald pondered retirement this spring but is back with the Rams for another year and is a terrifying presence on the defensive line for the other 31 teams in the league.

Plus, Sean McVay is, at this point, arguably the best coach in the sport. His presence on the sideline is a game-changer for the Rams and gives them a big edge in the biggest games. It’s incredibly difficult to repeat as champs, but the Rams won’t be an easy out.

Other Week 1 games to watch:

• Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET: It’s Baker Mayfield’s first game with the Panthers, and he hasn’t been shy trash-talking his former team. There might be some fireworks.
• Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET: Justin Herbert and the Chargers have huge expectations in 2022, but Derek Carr has a new weapon to work with in Davante Adams.
• Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET: Patrick Mahomes vs. Kyler Murray. Need I say more?
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET: I’m fascinated to see how Tom Brady looks after retiring briefly this offseason. Can he outduel Dak Prescott and the Cowboys?

Ticket trends

Fans have waited all offseason to be able to get into stadiums to see their favorite teams play competitive games again. And they’re willing to pay some serious cash to do so. According to SI Tickets, here are the five Week 1 games with the highest-priced ticket:

1. Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals
2. Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
3. New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
4. Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
5. Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings 

The best of Sports Illustrated

John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated

Ahead of tonight’s NFL opener, Conor Orr presents the case for Aaron Donald as the best defensive player in the sport’s history.

Like most modern sports fans, we have become accustomed to greatness, with Donald’s highlights ultimately bringing the kind of numbing sensation you get from years of moderate drinking. It takes more to surprise us, to knock us on our rear ends, even if we should be surprised by almost everything Donald does. Meanwhile, we fold in arguments with older generations, who tend to describe their players and their era more colorfully and bullishly.

Michael Fabiano gets you ready for Week 1 of the fantasy football season with Start ’Em, Sit ’Em for every position group. Here are his thoughts on the quarterbacks. … Jonathan Wilson recaps a disastrous Champions League start for Liverpool and breaks down whether this is a blip or a sign of things to come. … Ross Dellenger highlights the remaining issues that need working out before a 12-team College Football Playoff can take effect. … Plus, Richard Johnson breaks down what makes the marriage between Kentucky and QB Will Levis a perfect match.

Around the sports world

Frances Tiafoe won in straight sets at the U.S. Open to become the first African American man since Arthur Ashe in 1972 to go to the tournament’s semifinals. … And, 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz defeated 21-year-old Jannik Sinner in an epic five-set battle, which finished just before 3 a.m. in New York. … Lamar Jackson set tomorrow as the deadline to finalize a contract extension with the Ravens ahead of the new season. … Jets QB Zach Wilson’s preseason knee injury will keep him out until at least Week 4. … And fresh off a huge performance to punch the Aces’ ticket to the WNBA Finals, A’ja Wilson was named the league’s MVP over Breanna Stewart. 

The top five...

… things I saw yesterday:

5. Jerry Seinfeld’s thoughts on the struggling Mets.

4. College volleyball’s new attendance record.

3. Aaron Judge’s 55th homer.

2. A’ja Wilson’s MVP reaction.

1. Carlos Alcaraz’s behind-the-back shot.

SIQ

On this day in 1998, Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris’s single-season record. He finished the season with a record-setting 70 dingers. But, he didn’t win the National League MVP that season. In fact, it wasn’t even that close. Who won the award, getting 30 of 32 first-place votes?

Check tomorrow’s newsletter for the answer.

Yesterday’s SIQ: As the most recent Super Bowl champs, the Rams have the honor of opening the NFL season tonight. Sean McVay, who took over the franchise as its coach in 2017, has never lost in Week 1. Only one franchise has a longer active win streak in season openers than the Rams. What franchise owns this streak, which dates back to ’15?

Answer: The Chiefs. McVay’s run with the Rams has been impressive, especially considering it coincided with his debut as a 31-year-old head coach in 2017. But Andy Reid has had his team ready to go from the start of each season since ’15.

Kansas City has won those seven consecutive season openers by an average of 10 points per game, with the biggest win coming to kick off the 2017 season: a 42–27 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots in Foxborough.

Reid & Co. open the 2022 season on the road against the Cardinals on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Will they keep the streak alive?

—Josh Rosenblat

From the Vault: Sept. 8, 2008

David Bergman/Sports Illustrated

Alabama as an underdog … what in the world? Back in 2008, to begin Nick Saban’s second season in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide played a Clemson squad with huge expectations in Atlanta.

The subhead on Austin Murphy’s story recounting the game was clear: Alabama shocked the college football world with how well they played. “On an opening weekend that produced a handful of surprises, none was bigger than Alabama’s dominance of Clemson.” Murphy recounted how the Tide’s performance harkened back to their dominance under coach Bear Bryant in the 1960s and ’70s with a physical defense, powerful offensive line and star-studded group of running backs (including some freshman named Mark Ingram, a future Heisman winner).

The 34–10 win was arguably the start of a dynasty that continues today, six national titles later.

—Josh Rosenblat

Check out more of SI’s archives and historic images at vault.si.com.

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