2016 NFL SEASON KICKOFF WEEKEND MUSINGS

The 2016 NFL season begins tonight on primetime NBC when the defending-champion Denver Broncos host the Carolina Panthers in a Super Bowl 50 rematch. It marks the first Super Bowl rematch played on Kickoff Weekend since 1970 (Kansas City-Minnesota). It’s when things start to count.

Some clubs have excelled in openers. Here is a sampling of notable active NFL Kickoff streaks:

• The Super Bowl 50 champion DENVER BRONCOS, who start the season at home against Carolina, have posted a 42-13-1 (.764) record in home openers, the top mark in the NFL. Denver has won 22 of its past 25 home openers

• The NFC champion CAROLINA PANTHERS start the season on the road at Denver on Thursday night of Kickoff Weekend having won their past two openers on the road, tied for the second-longest active streak in the league.

• The AFC East champion NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, who travel to Arizona on Sunday Night Football, have a 16-4 record on the road against NFC teams over the past 10 seasons. The Patriots have the fifth-most Kickoff Weekend wins among AFC teams (31).
• The AFC South champion HOUSTON TEXANS, who open the season hosting Chicago, have won five of their past six home openers.
  
• The NFC West champion ARIZONA CARDINALS, who host New England on Kickoff Weekend, have the third-longest current winning streak among NFC teams in home openers (six).  
• The NFC East champion WASHINGTON REDSKINS and SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS start the season at home against Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, respectively, during a Monday Night Football doubleheader. Washington has 48 wins in home openers – the fifth-most amongst NFC teams – while San Francisco has won 14 of its past 20 home openers.

• The GREEN BAY PACKERS, who travel to Jacksonville on Kickoff Weekend, hold the record for the most wins in road openers (54) and the second-best winning percentage in openers on the road (.581, 54-39-2).
  
• The PITTSBURGH STEELERS, who travel to Washington on Monday night of Kickoff Weekend, have the most wins (41) among AFC teams on Kickoff Weekend.