Welcome back, NFL. The first of 17 great Sundays is upon us, and this is always one of my favorite days of the year. I’ll even put up with the garbage that is pre-game and post-game shows to watch football from 9 in the morning until after midnight. I’m sure many of you will do the same, so good luck to whomever you’re rooting for today.
In Friday’s post, I noted that Anquan Boldin gained 217 receiving yards in week 1 of the 2003 season, trailing only Frank Clarke (1962) for most receiving yards on opening weekend.
But as you get ready for today’s actions, chew on this trivia question. Which player gained the most rushing yards in week 1 of an NFL season? Like yesterday, I’ve given you a special hint with this mystery photo.
It wasn’t Eddie George, who dominated the Raiders in 1997 to the tune of 216 rushing yards. At the time, that was the second highest mark on opening day since 1960.
O.J. Simpson gained 250 rushing yards in week 1 of the 1973 season. That year he became the first player in history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. You can view the unaltered photo here.
