Final thoughts
Well, forget everything I said early on about how the first NFL game of the year was usually something of a disappointment. That might end up being one of the most dramatic games of the year. It’s gotta be a painful loss for the Panthers who have to feel like the Broncos had no business winning this game.
And that’s the second straight game they probably feel that way.
It was a great game and if it’s a harbinger for what’s about to come, it’s going to be a highly entertaining NFL season. This will end our live NFL coverage here at the Guardian but stick with us throughout the season for in-depth coverage of the 2016-17 season. Thanks to everybody who followed along with the liveblog today. Ciao!
Updated
Denver wins!
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, FINAL
The Denver Broncos go into victory formation. Trevor Siemian has won his first game as a starting NFL quarterback!
Updated
Missed field goal!
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, :04, 4th quarter
Denver calls a timeout. Gano kicks… AND IT’S WIDE LEFT! IT’S NO GOOD! IT’S NO GOOD!
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, :12, 4th quarter
2nd and 10. Carolina are at their 47. Newton’s pass is incomplete. 3rd & 10, Newton passes to Benjamin who picks up 16 yards. It’s 1st & 10 at the Denver 37. Newton throws a pass to Ginn on 2nd and 10, he picks up 5 yards but the officials want to check to make sure it’s a catch.
And the call is confirmed. Gano is on the field for a 50 yard field goal attempt.
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, :42, 4th quarter
Newton’s pass is incomplete, but the Broncos are called for a late hit on Newton, who’s briefly down in pain. But it’s offset by an intentional grounding play on Newton. Huge break for Denver there.
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, :51, 4th quarter
Newton throws to Olsen, a gain of 8 and a first down. The Panthers are at their own 47 yard line. The clock is ticking down. Newton throws to Benjamin and it’s incomplete.
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 1:19, 4th quarter
It’s 1st & 10 for the Panthers, at their own 34. Tolbert runs up the middle for a five yard gain. Panthers go no huddle. Newton throws… incomplete to Funchess. And Newton has to use his team’s final timeout. That could be huge.
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 1:54, 4th quarter
4th and 21 for the Panthers. Newton throws long to Benjamin. There’s a flag on the play! Illegal use of hands on the defense, Harris to be specific. That’s a five yard penalty and an automatic first down.
Oh wow. That’s the worst possible thing that could have happened there for Denver.
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 2:00, 4th quarter
We’re at the two minute warning. So far the Broncos have gotten just enough out of the quarterback position and are relying on some spectacular defensive efforts in clutch time situations.
That sounds exactly like how they were winning games last season, doesn’t it?
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 2:15, 4th quarter
It’s 2nd and 20 and Newton goes scrambling, ultimately just picking up 5 yards. It’s 3rd and 15 and VON MILLER BRINGS DOWN NEWTON FOR A LOSS OF SIX YARDS! WOW!
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 3:06, 4th quarter
And Carolina is charged with a false start. That’s a 5 yard penalty. On 2nd & 15, Newton gets sacked and taken back to the Carolina 30.
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 3:17, 4th quarter
Riley Dixon’s punt is… not ideal. It goes 42 yards, giving the Panthers the ball back at their own 40.
Updated
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 3:17, 4th quarter
Gano’s kickoff results in a, what else, touchback. Broncos start at their own 25. On 1st and 10, Simeian… is throwing. That seems odd. He misses Thomas.
2nd and 10, Anderson goes for 3 yards. On 3rd and 7, Tre Boston sacks Siemian for a 10 yard loss! The Broncos have to punt, giving the Panthers the ball back with plenty of time to put together a game-winning drive.
The Panthers take a timeout.
Updated
Field goal (Carolina)
Panthers 20-21 Broncos, 4:25, 4th quarter
Newton picks up 4 yards, getting the Panthers to the 1 yard line. 2nd & 6, Stewart picks up a yard. 3rd & 5, Newton throws a pass intended for Funchess which is KNOCKED AWAY by Aqib Talib. The Denver crowd explodes in cheers, that defensive play could very well end up saving the game for Denver.
It’s 4th and 5 and the Panthers bring on the field goal unit. Gano’s 36 harder makes this a one-point game but the outcome could have been way worse for Denver.
Updated
Panthers 17-21 Broncos, 6:36, 4th quarter
Newton passes to Olsen once again, this time for a 12 yard gain. They’re at the Denver 23, close to the red zone.
Panthers 17-21 Broncos, 7:04, 4th quarter
Stewart picks up 3 yards on 1st & 10. 2nd & 7, Newton throws to Olsen who gets pushed out of bounds on the Denver 45.
AND there’s a penalty on Denver. Holding. An 18 yard penalty. Panthers will have 1st & 10 on Devner’s 35. This is starting to get dicey for Denver.
Panthers 17-21 Broncos, 8:08, 4th quarter
So. The Panthers have some work to do here. To say the least. They start their own 25 after another kickoff touchback. Newton gets 5 yards on 1st down. On 2nd & 5, Stewart picks up 3 yards. It’s 3rd & 2 for the Panthers at their own 30 yard line.
Newton passes to Corey Brown who then picks up 11 yards. It looks like the Panthers are going to be charged with pass interference, but the officials come together and determine there was no penalty.
So, the Panthers have the first down at their own 44.
Touchdown (Denver)
Panthers 17-21 Broncos, 9:26, 4th quarter
C.J. Anderson sneaks between the tackles and finds the end zone. The Broncos take the lead! McManus makes the extra point.
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 9:30, 4th quarter
1st & goal for the Broncos. Siemian’s would-be touchdown pass is knocked away by Kony Ealy. 2nd & goal, Anderson tries to run it in. He gets snuffed.
Siemian calls a timeout to get on the same page as Sanders.
You can forget what I said about the first game of the NFL season usually being disappointing.
Call overturned!
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 10:46, 4th quarter
The officials rule that the ball was down just before the first down. It’s 4th & 1/2, and the Broncos keep their offense on the field. It looks like Anderson just gets the first down. The chains come out and, yep, that’s a first down. So the successful challenge goes for naught for Carolina.
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 11:29, 4th quarter
And, in fact, the Panthers do change the call. They may have a point here, it might be just short, but there also may not be enough evidence to overturn the initial call.
A big moment this.
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 11:29, 4th quarter
Anderson picks up 3 yards on 1st down. Broncos at the Carolina 8. Siemian’s pass is a bit scary, but ends up just being an incomplete pass. On 3rd & 7, Siemian finds Sanders who just… *just* gets the first down. The Panthers take a timeout… they may want to challenge this call.
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 12:41, 4th quarter
So the Broncos start at Carolina’s 23 yard line. My has this game turned. Anderson runs for 19 yards and gets to the Carolina 14. 2nd & 1, Anderson runs for no gain. Denver in shotgun now. Siemian scrambles and gets to the Carolina 11. That’s good for a few first down.
Interception (Denver)
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 14:15, 4th quarter
On 1st down, Stewart picks up 6 yards. On 2nd down…
Oh dear. Oh dear. Newton throws the ball late, Chris Harris Jr deflects it AND comes up with the ball. There’s a penalty on Carolina too, unnecessary roughness. That’s 15 yards.
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 14:50, 4th quarter
The Panthers will start at their 25 after a touch back. It’s crunch time for Cam Newton, but luckily he spent that break getting ready right?
i've seen it all pic.twitter.com/Aus6p3SSxE
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) September 9, 2016
Oh.
Touchdown (Denver)
Panthers 17-14 Broncos, 15:00, 4th quarter
And THAT’S how you start a quarter if you’re Denver. Siemian throws a pass to Anderson in a catch-and-run situation. Anderson takes it 25 yards into the end zone! Gano’s extra point attempt is good and the Panthers’ lead is down to a field goal!
This is going to be fun.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, end of the 3rd quarter
Siemian passes to Kapri Bibbs, I think this is our first look at Bibbs, who gets to the Carolina 34. 2nd and 4. Siemian finds Sanders, who picks up 9 yards. There’s a holding call on the play, but Denver is going to decline that, obvi.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 1:38, 3rd quarter
Siemian passes to Green who gets pushed back for a two yard loss. They try it again on second down, as Green takes the ball to the 50 yard line. 13 yard gain and a first down.
And C.J. Anderson goes off for a 10 yard run for another first down. The Broncos are threatening again, let’s see if they can do a better job at ball security here.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 3:19, 3rd quarter
Siemian passes to Anderson, who picks up 6 yards. The Carolina defense swarms Siemian but the rookie QB manages to scramble and pick up 11 yards for a 1st down at the Denver 39. It wash’t quite Newton-esque, but a fairly impressive job by Siemian there.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 4:10, 3rd quarter
A second straight penalty on Carolina. False start this time. That’s a 5 yard penalty. It’s 3rd and 30 now and not even Newton can make something happen here. His pass to Benjamin results in 13 yards, which isn’t gonna cut it. Here comes the punting unit again.
Lee uncorks a 61 yard punt that Norwood receives at the 7 yard line and takes to the Denver 22.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 5:27, 3rd quarter
Newton looked hurt at the end of the last drive, but he’s back out for the Panthers. He’s swamped again by the Broncos defense on first down and has to throw it away, just missing an intentional grounding call.
Newton’s next pass is incomplete as well. The crowd, booing just minutes ago, is now as loud as it has been all game.
On 3rd down, Newton scrambles and gets the ball to Stewart for a 22 yard gain… BUT there’s a flag on the play. Face mask on Carolina. 15 yard penalty, no play.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 5:51, 3rd quarter
So, the punt and the holding penalty puts the Broncos at their 15 yard. That could have gone worse for Carolina. Anderson picks up a yard on 1st down. On 2nd down, Sieman passes to Anderson, who actually loses five yards this time. This has gone sour pretty swiftly.
And Siemian passes to Virgil Green who can only get the ball back to the Denver 15. Here come the punting team. Ginn takes the punt 8 yards to the Carolina 39.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 7:48, 3rd quarter
Lee’s punt goes 17 yards. Jordan Norwood catches it and takes it to the Denver 24. However the Broncos are hit with a holding penalty, to be enforced at the 24.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 8:27, 3rd quarter
Yeah I’m going to officially say that the experience difference between the two quarterbacks is probably the difference in this game.
Panthers are at their own 10 yard line. Stewart picks up 8 yards. On 2nd & 2, the Broncos defense swarms Newton, whose deep pass to Funchess is incomplete. And on 3rd and 2, the Broncos get their first sack of the game and it’s potentially a game saving one. T.J. Ward knocks back Newton for a loss of 7 yards and here comes the Carolina punting team.
Interception
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 9:17, 3rd quarter
The Broncos are now in Panthers territory. On the Carolina 40, C.J. Anderson goes off for 10 yards. The Broncos are at the Carolina 30 with a fresh set of downs and are threatening…
And yet again in this situation, they turn the ball over. Siemian throws his second interception as Bene Benwikere makes the grab at the Carolina 10.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 10:05, 3rd quarter
Anderson picks up 2 yards on 1st down. Broncos are at their 45, Siemian’s 2nd down pass is incomplete BUT the Panthers defense gets hit for pass interference. That’s 15 yards for the Broncos.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 11:24, 3rd quarter
The Broncos start at their own 20. Siemian makes a short pass to Thomas who picks up 23 yards and gets the ball to the Denver 43.
Not a bad second half start for Denver.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 11:33, 3rd quarter
Panthers in shotgun once again. Newton picks up 4 yards on 1st down. They’re at their own 39. Stewart picks up 5 yards. 3rd & 1 and THERE is the Denver defense with a third down stop. Shane Ray and Aqib Talib stifle Newton and force the Panthers punting team to take the field.
Lee’s punt goes into the end zone.
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 14:22, 3rd quarter
Stewart runs for 3 yards on 1st & 10. On 2nd & 7, Stewart *just* makes the first down.
2nd half begins
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, 15:00, 3rd quarter
Panthers will start the second half at their 25 yard line after Denver’s kickoff goes into the end zone. Carolina has a chance for back-to-back scoring drives here which is (clears throat) WHY YOU ALWAYS DEFER.
I will never ever ever stop preaching this.
And I’m pretty sure nobody had this guy scoring Denver’s first (and so far only) TD:
The Broncos remind you that fullbacks are football players, too. https://t.co/MQBiSfvWrh pic.twitter.com/afFTFSZTkB
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) September 9, 2016
@HunterFelt i see the receptions on denvers side, but what are the targets so far. Emmanuel vs Demaryius? #fantasy
— Jason (@paauwe_ranger) September 9, 2016
Not surprisingly for a team with a very green QB, the Broncos are mostly running the ball. C.J. Anderson is getting the most action here, he’ had 9 carries for 52 yards. Thomas and Sanders both have only three receptions apiece.
Halftime thoughts
I’ll be honest. This has been a better game than I had expected. At least in this first half. The Broncos have put together several really good drives, unfortunately for them, two of them ended in brutal turnovers. The Panthers didn’t play a perfectly clean first half, ideally they wouldn’t have to burn through timeouts that quickly, but still look like the team they were for 95% of last year’s season.
Your thoughts on the game so far? Feel free to send us your thoughts and we’ll include them here. You can email them to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt.
End of the first half
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, end of the 1st half
Gano’s kickoff is a touchback. Denver has the ball, but only have three seconds. They take a knee. That’s the end of the first half.
Field goal (Panthers)
Panthers 17-7 Broncos, :3, 2nd quarter
Denver gets hit with a 5 yard penalty for having 12 men on the field. Panthers at the Denver 45. Newton runs for 12 yards. Panthers in no-huddle mode now. Newton spikes the ball on 1st & 10.
2nd & 10, Newton passes to Olsen who gets to the Denver 26. The Panthers get the field goal unit on the field with three seconds left. Gano’s 44 yard field goal is good! There’s a flag, but it’s a penalty on Denver which is declined.
Panthers 14-7 Broncos, :35, 2nd quarter
This is where Carolina really, really, really would like some of those timeouts back, I imagine. Newton shakes off tackles and manages to pick up 9 yards.
2nd & 1 at the Carolina 31… Whittaker picks up 3 yards for a first down.
And then Newton throws a one yard pass to Benjamin, who runs 16 yards to the 50 yard line. On 1st & 10, Newton spikes the ball to stop the clock.
Panthers 14-7 Broncos, 1:55, 2nd quarter
And there’s nothing doing for the Broncos on third down, Siemian’s pass is incomplete. Here comes the punting team. Riley Dixon’s punt is received by Ginn who takes it 4 yards to the Carolina 32.
…but there’s a holding penalty on Carolina. So that’s a 10 yard penalty.
(Checks Twitter to see if incredibly awful human beings are celebrating Brandon Marshall’s injury. Oh yes, oh my stars are they.)
Panthers 14-7 Broncos, 2:00, 2nd quarter
C.J. Anderson gets to the 27 yard line. That’s a two yard gain, math tells me. Next time around, he gets to the… 28 yard line it looks like. And we reach the two minute warning.
Panthers 14-7 Broncos, 3:01, 2nd quarter
Gano’s kick goes in the end zone. There’s another touchback. The Broncos will start at their 25 one again.
Oh and on that last touchdown, Cam Newton has already passed Steve Young for all-time rushing TDs by a quarterback. I have a feeling he’s going to shatter that record by a whole, whole bunch.
Touchdown (Panthers)
Panthers 14-7 Broncos, 3:07, 2nd quarter
And Cam Newton runs it in!
Gano’s extra point is good! Panthers retake the lead!
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 3:29, 2nd quarter
Newton is pushed out of bounds at the Denver 19. Panthers are in the red zone now. On 2nd and &, Newton targets Olsen again, but there’s no gain.
3rd & 7. Denver need a stop here to force the Panthers into taking a field goal. They, uh, do not get one. Newton finds Olsen once again and this time he gets to the 4 yard line.
And this time around Denver can’t get a timeout in before being whistled for having 12 men on the field. That penalty puts Carolina on their 2.
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 5:55, 2nd quarter
Whittaker picks up 6 yards on 2nd & 6. Hey that works.
On 3rd and 6, Newton finds Devin Funchess for the first time this game. That’s good for 9 yards and a new sets of downs. On 1st and 10, Stewart gets the ball but can’t make any gains. 2nd & 10, Newton’s pass is incomplete. 3rd & 10, NEWTON FINDS OLSEN who gets the ball to the Broncos 22. Carolina is threatening.
Denver injury news: Marshall is being evaluated for a concussion. Meanwhile, Norwood has been cleared to return.
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 6:50, 2nd quarter
Whittaker picks up 6 yards on 2nd & 6. Hey that works.
It’s 1st and 10 at the Denver 48. Whittaker picks up 4 yards. Newton’s 2nd down pass is incomplete, good pressure by the Denver defense there. The Broncos take their second timeout to prevent a “too many men on the field” situation.
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 8:48, 2nd quarter
Newton with a pass to Fozzy Whittaker, the Panthers pick up four yards.
And there’s an injury for the Broncos. It’s Marshall and he’s shaken up, possibly through the collective praying of everybody’s Fox News loving uncles. We have an injury timeout.
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 9:25, 2nd quarter
Newton picks up six yards, he’s been showing off his passing and running skills this first half. 2nd & 4 at the Carolina 36, Stewart picks up another 5 yards.
So, a key 3rd & 1 situation here. Newtons hands it off to Stewart, who picks up three yards before being taken down by Brandon Marshall.
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 10:42, 2nd quarter
Well, you can argue that Newton’s been blowing through these timeouts, and he has, but the Panthers have taken advantage of them. Out of the timeout, Newton throws to Benjamin who picks up 15 yards and gets to the Carolina 30.
And now it’s Denver’s time to take their first timeout.
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 11:20, 2nd quarter
Newton takes the ball himself and gets to his own 15. On 2nd and 6, Newton scrambles, can’t find a target and has to throw the ball away. 3rd and 6.
Newton uses his third and final timeout of the half! It’s loud here in Denver, but has it really been that loud?
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 12:23, 2nd quarter
McManus’s kickoff goes to the 2 yards where Ginn manages to take it to the Carolina 11, where they’ll start.
oh god, the Packers are gonna sign that white running back who just scored for Denver, aren't they
— Bic Pentameter (@AnthraxJones) September 9, 2016
Touchdown (Broncos)
Panthers 7-7 Broncos, 12:23, 2nd quarter
Siemian throws to Sanders, that’s a 15 yard gain.
Siemian scrambles and somehow picks up 8 yards before the Panthers are able to stop him. On 2nd & 2, Anderson picks up a yard. 3rd and 1…. rookie running back Andy Janovich picks up the yard and WAY more, blasting past the Panthers defense all the way into the end zone for a touchdown.
Brandon McManus’s extra point attempt is good and we’re all tied up here!
Updated
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 14:14, 2nd quarter
Siemian throws to Sanders, that’s a 15 yard gain.
And oh wow, Anderson goes for 28 yards all the way to the Panthers 37. Holy heck, I forgot how good he could be.
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 15:00, 2nd quarter
Denver WR Jordan Norwood is being evaluated for a possible concussion. So that’s not great news for Denver.
Andy Lee’s punt goes into the end zone, so Denver will start at the 20 yard line.
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, end of the 1st quarter
So far, the Broncos have shown an ability to put together impressive drives but also have ended both of them in turnovers. It feels like… well, like they have a potentially talented quarterback who hasn’t ever played a NFL game before. Imagine that.
1st and 10 for Carolina at their own 36. Newton’s pass to Benjamin is incomplete. 2nd and 10. Stewart runs for 4 yards to the 40. 3rd & 8, Newton throws to Tolbert, who is immediately taken down by Darian Stewart.
Carolina has to punt. Great performance by the Denver defense right there to make the interception mostly meaningless.
Interception!
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 1:09, 1st quarter
Anderson goes nowhere on his first down run. On 2nd and 10, Vernon Butler sacks Siemian for 9 yards. This promising drive is in danger of stalling…
Or worse. Siemian’s pass is intercepted by Thomas Davis at the Carolina 32! Davis takes it to the 36 before be taken down.
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 3:00, 1st quarter
Booker does a bit better this time around, picking up 6 yards on a first down run and 2 more on his second down run. At 3rd & 2, Siemian connects with Thomas again and they’re at Carolina’s 16 yard line.
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 4:58, 1st quarter
Anderson actually loses a yard on his first down run. No matter, he picks up 30 yards on second down. Denver are already at the Carolina 31.
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 5:38, 1st quarter
Broncos start from their own 25 once again. Siemian throws to Emmanuel Sanders who makes a diving catch on the Broncos 39. The Broncos are in shotgun formation now. C.J. Anderson picks up three yards on a first down run and Siemian connects with Thomas for 8 yards. Just like that, Denver is midfield with a fresh set of downs.
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 7:13, 1st quarter
Gano kicks it into the end zone for a touchback.
If you believe in omens, this is probably a good one for the Panthers: Serena just got bounced by… wait for it… Karolina.
Touchdown!
Panthers 7-0 Broncos, 7:20, 1st quarter
Well, the bad thing is they just used up two timeouts but the good news was that they didn’t use them in vain. Newton throws to Benjamin in the end zone. That’s a 14 yard touchdown reception!
There’s a flag, but it’s after the play. A 15 yard penalty on Trai Turner for taunting. Graham Gano comes in for the extra point, which he drills. The Panthers have scored the first points of the NFL season, which sounds about right.
Updated
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 7:20, 1st quarter
Ted Ginn Jr picks up 20 yards, putting the Panthers into the red zone. They’re on the Denver 16. Stewart picks up another 2 yards on 1st & 10.
And the Panthers again struggle to figure out their plan and (bafflingly) need to take their second timeout of the game, which they barely manage to do before time runs out.
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 9:35, 1st quarter
Newton throws a long pass, 17 yards, to Kelvin Benjamin. The Panthers get a first down, keep their drive alive and now in Denver territory. Welcome back Cam Newton.
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 9:35, 1st quarter
Stewart runs for 11 yards, getting to Carolina’s 46 yard line. That’s good for a first down. Panthers are in shotgun now, Mike Tolbert picks up about a yard on his run. Cam Newton’s second down throw to Greg Olsen is incomplete.
So it’s 3rd & 9. Panthers can’t get on the same page and have to take a timeout.
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 11:37, 1st quarter
Panthers will start at their own 29 after Shaq Thompson’s fumble recovery. Jonathan Stewart rushes for 6 yards on 1st down.
Fumble!
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 11:47, 1st quarter
Anderson picks up 5 yards on a productive first down run.
But then Devontae Booker fumbles the ball away on his first NFL carry, the Panthers recover and that promising opening drive fizzles out.
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 13:01, 1st quarter
And C.J. Anderson takes off for 13 yards, the Broncos are now at the Panthers 34. Carolina’s defense is clearly a bit rusty here.
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 13:42, 1st quarter
3rd and 10, Siemian makes a short pass to Virgil Green who gets to the Denver 48. They have a fresh set of downs.
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 14:13, 1st quarter
Siemian passes to Demaryius Thomas for a gain of 11 yards and a first down. On 1st and 10 on their 36, Siemian throws two incomplete pass.
Kickoff
Panthers 0-0 Broncos, 15:00, 1st quarter
The kickoff goes into the endzone for a touchback. The Broncos will start at their own 25.
Updated
Coin toss
Carolina wins the coin toss, they defer. Which is the right move always.
Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall was on his knee during the anthem which is going to become a Thing almost certainly.
Updated
Here comes the National Anthem. Hey, it’s Andra Day! And I think she does an amazing job which, if past experience tells me anything, means that literally everybody else on the planet probably hated it.
Oh hey there’s Peyton Manning. We couldn’t even get a minute into this without seeing his face.
We’re minutes away from kickoff. Here’s hoping that the teams don’t suddenly remember that this is technically a Thursday Night Football game and proceed to play like garbage.
NFL games are mostly commercials and replays. https://t.co/uNO3IeAirQ pic.twitter.com/BZYMRLMFd2
— Vox (@voxdotcom) September 9, 2016
Personal observation: on games you happen to be liveblogging the breakdown feels like 70% gameplay, 29% gameplay you miss while attempting to recap earlier gameplay and 1% Brief moment to breathe before yet more gameplay.
I think beyond just football continuing, at this point I would just be happy with some new stupid controversies. I never thought I would say this, but I’m yearning for the days of the “my daughter saw Cam Newton dancing” being the most ridiculously overblown story in the league.
Von Miller wearing the first ever Yeezy cleats tonight. (via NFL/Snapchat) pic.twitter.com/Kg54P49xby
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 8, 2016
Obviously, Von Miller’s gameplan is to blind opposing players with the overwhelming whiteness of these hideous shoes. Provided that Captain Ahab doesn’t attempt to harpoon them.
Predictions
It feels like this is the Panthers game to win. Okay, that’s partly because they have Cam Newton, the best player in the sport last year, who should be coming in with a massive chip on his shoulder after the humiliating way last season ended. Meanwhile, the Broncos are handing the ball to Trevor Siemian, who has never started a NFL game.
Of course, maybe just a league-average effort from their QB will be enough for the Broncos’ highly vaunted defense. It was last year. Feel free to send us your predictions, about this gene or just for the NFL season in general, either through email (Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com) or Twitter (@HunterFelt).
Panthers inactives
Panthers in actives; RB Cameron Artis-Payne, DB Dean Marlowe, WR Damiere Byrd, DE Lavar Edwars, OL Tyler Larsen, WR Brenton Bersin, LB Jared Norris.
Broncos inactives
For Denver, wide receiver Bennie Fowler has been ruled out with a right elbow injury. Joining him on the Broncos’ inactive list is tight end Jeff Heuerman, guard/tackle Ty Sambarallo, quarterback Austin Davis, guard Connor McGovern and DT Kyle Peko.
Preamble
So, uh, does anybody remember what happened the last time these two teams faced off each other?
That’s kind of a joke, of course these were the two teams that played in the Super Bowl, but this was a long, long time ago in sports terms. When the Broncos defeated the Panthers, Peyton Manning was an active player, Brock Osweiler was still in Denver and Cam Newton, and not Colin Kaepernick, was the most divisive player in the league.
It was a different world. The biggest stain on Ryan Lochte’s career was merely being a failed reality TV star, the Cleveland sports curse was still in effect and people still had hopes that the DC superhero movies would at least be vaguely watchable. Heck, since the last time we had meaningful football, even Deflategate was actually resolved (see you in Week 5, Tom Brady).
It feels like a small eternity, in other words. The first game of the season symbolizes the long-awaited resumption of actual football action, giving the whole event a ceremonial feel. Even the NFL’s decision to kick off the season with this Super Bowl re-match doesn’t necessarily ensure that we’re about to witness an instant classic, as both teams might be starting the season rather tentatively. The Broncos, after all, are basically just trying to figure out what they have, if anything, at the quarterback position. Meanwhile, the Panthers disappointing “effort” in the Super Bowl has all but obliterated memories of their 15-1 regular season.
But it doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t matter if this was a typical Thursday Night Football snoozefest between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s just great to have the NFL back in our lives. Want to join in on the fun? Feel free to send out your NFL comments, questions, predictions and jokes to us, either via email (to hunter.felt@theguardian.com) or via Twitter (to @HunterFelt), and we’ll post them here throughout this liveblog. It’s the Carolina Panthers vs the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field, kicking off the new NFL season at 8:30pm EST!
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, read why Roger Goodell is missing the point:
America must have a comprehension crisis. Because it is a mystery how many are misconstruing Kaepernick’s actions. NHL coach John Tortorella and NWSL Washington Spirit’s owner Bill Lynch became the latest sports figures failing miserably to think deeply about this topic. It would be one thing if Kaepernick advocated uncontrolled, incorrigible messages such as “The cops are always wrong” or “The American people should be ashamed of their military.”
But Kaepernick has not done or said any of those things. He is simply requesting that there be proper punishment for unjustified police killings of black and brown people in this nation.
All of the bile from those who loathe towards Kaepernick is unhealthy. That hatred will only increase throughout the NFL season, especially if Kaepernick wins back the Niners’ starting quarterback job from the pedestrian Blaine Gabbert. All the public support and encouragement Kaepernick has received from high profile athletes and celebrities will remain juxtaposed with those desperate for him to fail.
And most of those disgusted with Kaepernick will continue to confuse or deny the message he is advocating for: that black and brown people don’t deserved to be killed unjustly by those supposed to protect us. For some though, that simple message is too complicated or, rather, too real for them to accept.
