In the end it was Aaron Rogers and the Green Bay Packers that secured bragging rights on opening day.
More importantly for the NFL the game overshadowed the dreary lockout that threatened the integrity of the season to the core. Had it been a downer game there would have been immediate criticism of the preseason being too short and the lockout would be blamed for destroying a season.
The Green Bay Packers, the current Super Bowl champions were already under fire for not holding private player only sessions, during the lockout. So a loss would have been met with absolute distain from their fans.
The fact that the Packers beat New Orleans by scoring 42 points to 34 was huge. Never in a season opener has two quarter backs both thrown for over 300 yards worth of completions.
After one game fever pitch is back in the land of the American Football landscape, and it couldn't have come sooner for Rodger Goodell the League Commissioner and the NFL.
One positive for the players association in this mess is that players have had an extra couple of months to freshen their bodies up from the rigorous contact involved in a long hot preseason.
Some said this season would never happen and now it's shaping up as one for the ages. What will the Colts do without Manning? How much higher will the Eagles soar with Michael Vick know well and truly back to his pre-jail form? Can Plexico Buress still match it with the best after two years behind bars? What will happen to the Patriots machine after recruiting to outspoken stars possible past their best?
There's so much to look forward to, time to sit on the couch and watch it unfold.