Every game during the NFL season tells a story. GIFs -- pronounced "gifs", "jifs" or "gee-oafs" -- can do the same thing. In this weekly feature, we tell the story of Week 1 through GIFs.
So, here's how Jon Gruden's night began:
And here's how it finished:
That's a man chewing off his own lips while thinking to himself, "Maybe I shouldn't have traded that generational talent a week before the season started." The Raiders were outclassed by the Rams and suddenly Week 2's road trip to Denver feels like a hugely important game for an Oakland team that needs to show its (incredibly loyal) fanbase they know what the hell they're doing.
This man right there is an assassin. All professional athletes make the effort to project confidence in times of stress and pressure, but there's no one in the world who does it more believably than Aaron Rodgers. He knows there is no one in the world who can stop him from getting what he wants. And it totally wrecked the Bears on Sunday night.
Mitch Trubisky wasn't quite ready for that moment, was he? Overall, Trubisky comported himself well on Sunday night and there remains plenty of positivity around the idea that the Bears will be a much-improved offense under Matt Nagy in 2018. But after the madness that was the Rodgers-to-Randall Cobb connection late in the fourth quarter, Trubisky looked tight and tentative -- aka everything that Rodgers isn't. Those are the situations you can't recreate in training camp.
Why does it feel like we're going to see a lot of Danica Patrick looking nervous and/or jubilant in luxury boxes across the country this season? Patrick is retired, after all. Plenty of free time.
Let's take a look at Week 1's Good Fans:
Dressing up as 1980s Mike Ditka will never not be a good idea.
Man, there are few fan experiences more deflating than your favorite team taking it on the chin at home in Week 1. The Cardinals were brutally outclassed by the Redskins in Glendale. How bad was it? At one point, Washington outgained Arizona 26-3 in first downs.
Ah, the return of Chucky to the Black Hole. We could see a mass bonfire with these little guys as kindling if Oakland isn't more competitive than it was in the second half against the Rams.
Hey there! Hop on into my dreams and haunt me forever!
The Jets' stunning blowout of the Lions became such a non-competitive affair by the end of the third quarter that ESPN had nothing left to do besides repeatedly show us angry Lions fans and floating Jets supporters.
Fireman Ed was feeling himself ...
Sam Darnold's Anointed One status is at an all-time high ...
And here was every bro in Long Island last night. Jets fans deserve good things every once in a while ... even that guy in the middle who got left hanging. Let's move on.
Yep, we are about six days away from the first "T.J. is the best Watt in the NFL" hot take. The only question is which morning show will spout it first.
Cam Newton can get a little carried away with himself at times -- his delay of game penalty as the Panthers were running the clock out against the Cowboys is an example of the behavior that led colleague Chris Wesseling to label Newton the NFL's preeminent "preening schmo" -- and that's saying something! But I've always had a soft spot for Newton's post-touchdown practice of handing the football to an adoring fan. Look at that kid! An unforgettable memory for the boy and let's not forget to give dad major credit for putting his son in that position. That's the good stuff, people.
Tyreek Hill is the closest thing we've had to a real-life video-game player since peak Michael Vick. He makes world-class athletes look like the cleanup hitter in your Sunday morning beer league. And, please, do not try his patented end-zone flip at home. You will either end up in the hospital or on the hammer end of a viral video.
You know we're now watching football games that count when we see Jason Garrett breaking out his signature Everything Is Fine Guys We're Going To Be OK Clap. Garrett has been a Teflon figure in Cowboys Land since taking over the big chair almost eight years ago, but you have to wonder how much patience Jerry Jones will retain if Dallas delivers a few more stinkers on the level of Sunday's loss to the Panthers. Remember, Garrett replaced Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season.
Until next week.
Dan Hanzus writes two columns a week for NFL.com and hosts the award-winning Around The NFL Podcast. Follow him on Twitter if you want.