The NFL: Opening Day Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

This was true until the 2002 season, which also scheduled a Thursday night game for opening day. This was also on ESPN. It was an overtime road victory for the 49ers over the Giants in New York, 16-13. It would be a preview of a 39-38 wildcard thriller in San Francisco that the 49ers won later in the year. The New York Jets travel to Washington DC, to take on the Redskins in this year's first NFL game.

Answer: 1992 Dallas Cowboys

The only loser in Week 1 in their first game after a Super Bowl victory of the above choices was the 1992 Dallas Cowboys. Emmitt Smith was holding out and they lost a Monday Night game in Washington 35-16. They actually lost their next game as well, in Dallas, to the Buffalo Bills 13-10. This was the same Buffalo Bills team that Dallas had dispensed of 52-17 earlier that January. The Cowboys were the first team to ever start 0-2 and still go to and win the Super Bowl. They finished 12-4 and faced Buffalo again in Super Bowl XXVIII, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Cowboys won 30-13.

Answer: Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys set a record with 17 consecutive opening victories between 1973-1985. The went to the playoffs in 16 out of 17 of those seasons, only missing the 1984-1985 season during that streak.

Answer: Dallas Cowboys

It is starting to get repetitive, isn't it? They have been on Monday Night Football's opening night 11 times since its inception. The Washington Redskins are in second place with eight. The first Monday night game was between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns in Cleveland in 1970.

The Browns left victorious, 31-21. The Cowboys have a memorable performance with an opening night 35-0 win in New York over the Giants in 1995.

Answer: Cleveland Browns

After a commanding 51-0 road win in Pittsburgh, the Browns still only managed to split the season series after losing to the Steelers in a 17-7 home game. The two teams played in the AFC Central at the time and played each other twice a year. Opening day does not always foreshadow how things will turn out. Both the Browns and Steelers made it to the playoffs that year. Cleveland won a 33-30 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, and had to go into Denver, who had knocked off Pittsburgh, 24-23. Pittsbugh had beaten the Houston Oilers in Houston, 23-20, in overtime.

The Broncos ended the Browns' season for the third time in four years during the AFC Championship.

Answer: 16

In 2002, the Houston Texans joined the NFL and were the 32nd team to join the league. Every team had a bye week during the season but none have one opening day, leaving 16 games on the slate.

Answer: False

Offenses usually flourish in the first few weeks of the season as defensive backs try to catch up and make adjustments. There is not that great of a difference but many individual records and team records are usually produced early in the season offensively. "Successful" is a broad term but usually shows up in larger offensive statistical output in the first few weeks in the season.

Answer: St. Louis Rams over the visiting Baltimore Ravens 27-10 in 1999

Interestingly enough, the 4-12 Rams and the 6-10 Ravens of the previous year were playing on opening day. It seems ironic, in retropect, that the Rams would go on to win Super Bowl XXIV that year (1999) in a 23-16 defeat over the Tennesse Titans. The Ravens won Super Bowl XXV (2000) with a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants.

Answer: The Kingdome

The Seattle Seahawks were forced to play their first few home games in Husky Stadium, where the Washington Huskies play until the problem in the Kingdome was fixed. This tragedy did take the life of a few workers there, in 2002. They ended up playing in Husky Stadium for two more years until they opened up in Seattle Stadium in 2002. This tragedy occurred in 2002.

Answer: 1988 San Francisco 49ers

Bill Walsh retired in 1988, leaving George Seifert with a supporting cast that went went on to win Super Bowl XXIV, 55-10 over the Denver Broncos. Several other teams have had a new coach after winning the Super Bowl including the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, the 1968 Green Bay Packers, and the 1999 St. Louis Rams.