We made it! Seven months after the confetti settled in Minneapolis at Super Bowl 52, meaningful NFL games are upon us once again. Get ready for a whole new crop of surprises and disappointments, of rising sensations and falling stars. It's a time when all 32 teams can delude themselves into thinking they have a chance to hoist the Lombardi, and for fans worldwide to delude themselves into thinking this is finally their year to win their fantasy league. As the nation drifts from summer into fall and people put away the bathing suits and the tank tops to pull out heavy pants and jackets, the most American of all traditions returns — kickoff.
 
It all starts tonight with the defending champion Eagles facing the Atlanta Falcons, who they beat in the playoffs last year en route to their first ever Super Bowl win. With star quarterback Carson Wentz still on the mend following the ACL tear that sidelined him for the Eagles' playoff run, backup Nick Foles will get the chance to prove his Super Bowl MVP run was no fluke. But the Falcons will be determined to avenge their last-second January loss that changed everything for Foles and the Eagles. Quarterback Matt Ryan is hoping year two with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian proves far more fruitful than the last. If not, Falcon fans won't be the only ones drinking heavy on Sunday nights.
 
In Cleveland, it's a bit of a role reversal. Division rivals that find themselves in the news for completely opposite reasons will match up to open their season. The Browns, for once, have had nothing but positive vibes coming out of training camp, with a successful Hard Knocks appearance behind them and a steady quarterback in Tyrod Taylor to lead a team far more talented than their 0-16 record from a season ago belies. Meanwhile, the Steelers have as much drama as we've ever seen from them in the Mike Tomlin-era, with teammate after teammate taking shots in the media at no-show running back Le'Veon Bell. Bell is holding out for a new contract, and it doesn't appear one is on the horizon.   
 
Another team under the crosshairs this past week is the Oakland Raiders and new head honcho Jon Gruden. The Raiders traded away superstar defensive end and undisputed best player Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears after a protracted holdout of his own, rather than pay him what he deserved. With a defense that nobody expected to do much even with Mack, Gruden is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on Derek Carr and the rest of the offense as they take on the LA Rams. Meanwhile, Mack becomes the first player traded for multiple first-round picks in nearly a decade, when the very same Bears made the move to acquire Jay Cutler. The Bears probably hope it works out better for them this time. 
 
Perhaps the most interesting matchup in Week 1 takes place in Minnesota, where the league's number one defense of a season ago faces off against hotshot Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers, a team many are predicting to be massively improved. 49ers head man Kyle Shanahan, considered one of the brightest offensive coaches in the league, gets a chance to prove his mettle against Vikings skipper Mike Zimmer, one of the league's preeminent defensive masterminds. It also marks the Vikings debut of QB Kirk Cousins, signed to a record deal in the offseason and, incidentally, Shanahan's former star pupil in Washington. If there's anyone in the league who knows Cousins best, it's him.
 
But there's drama abound throughout the league's opening week. Andrew Luck will finally return under center for the Indianapolis Colts after missing all of last season with shoulder problems, as they take on the Bengals at home. In New York, one of the game's best and most talkative corners in Jacksonville's Jalen Ramsey will go head-to-head with the newly-minted 95 million dollar man himself, Odell Beckham Jr. and his Giants. The Big Apple's other team, the Jets, will be playing in Detroit on Monday Night in the career debut of one Sam Darnold. It's time for some football!
 
Stay tuned to WhoReps' as we recap and preview NFL action all season long.