2017 Hall of Fame Game marks the return of football

Now, that’s not to say Thursday night’s preseason opener will be anything special or of high quality. The Cardinals won’t be playing any of their starters and the Cowboys will play theirs sparingly, if at all. But any football is good football after nearly six months without it.

The 2017 season should be filled with plenty of intriguing story lines. Will anyone in the AFC unseat the defending champion New England Patriots? Can Tom Brady keep it up as he turns 40 years old today? Will the Falcons suffer from the ultimate Super Bowl hangover after the ultimate Super Bowl letdown? Can Dak and Zeke lead the Cowboys on another magical campaign? Will the NFL’s rating perk up after viewership concerns emerged during a polarizing election year? Will the Cleveland Browns win three games? Can the AFC South be respectable? Will anyone sign Colin Kaepernick?

These are all questions that will be answered in the coming days, weeks and months. I for one can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. It all begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and the NFL Network.