The New York Jets will host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Weeks 1 of the NFL 2016 regular season. The Bengals have been waiting for months to get back into competitive football so they can start to put their latest nightmare postseason episode behind them. They finally get the chance today against the Jets, who themselves will be desperate to start the season with a home win. Today's game has a scheduled start time of 1 p.m. ET and takes place from the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The game can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream via the link below.

Cincinnati have had to spend all summer pondering on what could have been following their meltdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Playoffs last season.

The Bengals are of course 0-7 in the postseason under coach Marvin Lewis, and that bad run had looked like it was about to finally end last season when they led against the Steelers with just minutes to go. However, a fumble by running back Jeremy Hill, followed by personal fouls by Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones allowed the Steelers to steal the victory and break Bengals' hearts.

Last season's capitulation will have been the most painful yet for the suffering Cincinnati fans, as they had looked very good in the regular season, finishing 12-4, to equal their franchise record for wins in a single season.

Carlos Dunlap has said, "We're definitely anxious to get out there and start the new chapter. For all of us, it's a new chapter because obviously that last chapter we had, y'all know what happened. Now we want to go out there and start something new, a new story."

Earlier this week, on NFL Thursday Night Football, the season opener took place between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. The re-match of last season's Super Bowl was a hard-fought affair, but ultimately the result came out the same as Super Bowl 50, with the Broncos taking the win.

However, Thursday's game was a much closer match up than last season's showcase game, and by the end Denver only won the game by a single point in a 21-20 victory.

Early-on in the game especially, fans could feel the intensity that Carolina entered the re-match with, and if there was any doubt that the Panthers were out for revenge, that was confirmed right away as the Carolina defense began super aggressively, successfully disrupting Trevor Siemian. By half time the Broncos quarterback had only completed 8 of 12 passes for 92 yards, throwing one interception in the process.

The impressive Panthers went in at half time with a healthy 17-7 lead, however, things it proved to be a game of two halves, and the Broncos emerged vastly improved for the second half. In particular, the Broncos' defense showed signs of the form that took them all the way to Super Bowl glory last season.

Although Cam Newton had a strong first half, he was hit hard in the third quarter by DeMarcus Ware as he suffered his first sack of the season. Newton went down injured, and although he returned to the action, he looked a different player after that incident.

The Broncos went on to sack Newton three times in the second half as the Panthers' offense was put under intense and repeated pressure. The Carolina offense was so effectively shut down that they only managed to score three points through the entire second half.

Denver turned the screw in the fourth quarter and went into the final minutes with a 21-20 lead. The Panthers managed one final dramatic sustained drive, but a 50-yard field goal attempt went wide at the death to hand the Broncos an opening day win, and leave the Panthers to ponder what more they must do to defeat Denver.

Fans were left breathless by the final whistle, and many commented that this was the dramatic game they wish they had in last season's Super Bowl.

Week 1 continues Sunday with the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals facing off from 1 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream by clicking here.