The first week of the NFL season is finally here.  Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who can hardly contain yourself.  Let’s go over a big matchup for this week while you iron your “good luck” jersey, break out your foam finger, and maybe put on some war paint, because we all know we have our superstitions.

Last season was a strong one for Adrian Peterson.  The Viking’s running back rushed for 2,097 yards which is just nine shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record.

On the opposite side of the field you will have Calvin Johnson, who broke Jerry Rice’s single-season record by finishing with 1,974 yards on a career-best 122 receptions.

These two going against each other is one of the highest anticipated matchups of the season, and we get to witness it in the first week.  So what do these two individuals have to do to get the edge on the other?

Mr. Orange Peanut has Christian Ponder in the pocket for him, and hopefully like Ponder has been saying, he has only improved since last season.  However, Peterson did play the major role in sending his team to playoffs, which cannot be said for Megatron.

Johnson has Matthew Stafford who last season threw for 4,967 yards, and 20 touchdowns, which is less than half of his career-best. Detroit also signed Reggie Bush to add to the running game, that should not take too much light away from Johnson who will remain the main focus.

Both players make it difficult for the defense to control, which means both make it difficult to come up with a plan to beat one another number-wise.  At the end of the day, Peterson can probably come out on top even though quarterback-wise Megatron has the stronger option. 

Don't expect a blow out by AP however, maybe one or two points ahead of Johnson.