NFL Season Opener 2015: Kickoff Time and Odds for Steelers vs. Patriots

No, you're not dreaming. Football is finally back, and the 2015 NFL season will officially get underway in style Thursday night when the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers for what promises to be an epic clash.  

With Tom Brady's four-game suspension lifted, Pittsburgh's offense primed to put up big points and a cacophonous New England crowd ready to roar, the atmosphere should be terrific for the first game of a fresh slate.

However, oddsmakers have the Patriots listed as a heavy favorite entering the Week 1 duel.

According to Odds Shark, the Patriots are favored by a touchdown over the Steelers, which is tied for the biggest spread of the NFL's opening weekend. The Green Bay Packers, who are traveling to Soldier Field for a meeting with the Chicago Bears, are also seven-point favorites.   

But before breaking down the AFC showdown, here's a quick look at when and where you can catch Thursday's action. 

When: 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts 

TV: NBC

Live Steam: NBC Sports Live Extra

Line: New England (-7)

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Pittsburgh's operating as a heavy underdog for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, defending Super Bowl champions own a pristine record ever since the NFL started trotting them out for Thursday night openers. 

Dating back to 2004, Lombardi Trophy defenders have rattled off a 9-2 record. However, it should be noted that the Baltimore Ravens' loss to open the 2013 season came in enemy territory after a scheduling conflict with the Baltimore Orioles forced them to move the meeting to the Mile High City. 

The second reason centers around Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell. Although the multidimensional threat had his suspension reduced over the summer, he's still slated to miss the team's first two games. 

Without the NFL's second-leading rusher from a year ago, the Steelers will need to hope their defense is able to apply consistent pressure on Brady in order to force the Patriots into a few mistakes. 

"It’s hard man, you just have to continue to work the pass rush," outside linebacker Jarvis Jones said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette. "Our DBs have to do a great job on the back end and make him hold it a little longer. We just have to get him on the ground, disrupt him up front, push the pocket, try to get him out of his [comfort zone] a little bit."

A front seven that includes defensive end Cameron Heyward and outside linebackers James Harrison and Jarvis Jones can make Brady sweat at times, but a secondary that floundered last season may actually be worse. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Steelers ranked 26th in pass coverage last season, and that mark could plummet with a secondary shuffle underway.

"The cornerback position is in crisis," the MMQB's Peter King wrote. "It should have been William Gay and Cortez Allen, with Golson in the slot. But Cortez Allen has struggled in camp and could be replaced against New England by a waiver pickup from Jacksonville, Antwon Blake. The secondary could be target practice for Brady and, also in the first six weeks, for Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer."  

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However, the Patriots are in a similar position. 

Shutdown corner Darrelle Revis is gone. Ditto for Brandon Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington. With those three in tow last season, the Patriots finished as the league's third-best coverage unit, per Pro Football Focus. 

Now their responsibilities have shifted to the shoulders of Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler, free-agent signee Bradley Fletcher, Tarell Brown and Logan Ryan. 

Free safety Devin McCourty provides stability on the back end, but matched up against a receiving corps that boasts Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton on the outside, the Patriots' shaky secondary figures to be targeted early and often by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. 

"They have guys who understand what’s going on, and know how to get open," McCourty said, according to the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian. "It’s going to be a tough challenge. We’ll definitely have to be ready to go in the secondary to be able to stop him."

Defensive deficiencies have the potential to envelop either side, so don't be surprised to see aerial assaults rule the night as Brady and Roethlisberger seek to expose the opposition downfield in a potential shootout.