Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit globally resulting in sport leagues of all levels to postpone or cancel their season entirely, the National Football League is set to start their 2020-2021 season on Thursday, September 10 where the reigning Super Bowl champions, Kansas City Chiefs will host the Houston Texans.

The Thursday night matchup can be watched live on NBC at 8:20PM EST and is a rematch of the 2019 Week 6 game in which the Texans defeated the Chiefs with a final score of 31-24. However, this time, there will be one key player who is missing from the Texans; star wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins was traded during the 2020 offseason to the Arizona Cardinals in return for running back David Johnson, along with a 2020 second round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick. DeAndre Hopkins, a first round pick out of Clemson, was a vital part of the Houston Texans offense since entering the league in 2013, so needless to say it will be interesting to see how quarterback Deshaun Watson performs against the defending Super Bowl champs.

While the Texans were busy shipping away their star wideout, the Chiefs on the other hand were busy retaining their core as they locked up their MVP Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes II to a 10-year, $503 million contract that will keep the young star in Kansas City through 2031.

On the eve of opening night, the Kansas City Chiefs will be trying to avoid the Super Bowl hangover while the Houston Texans will be fighting to prove that trading away their star wideout was not a foolish move by their general manager and head coach, Bill O’Brien.

Regardless of what transpires on opening night, football fans alike should be thrilled that the NFL season is underway and things may feel like normal for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic took over the world.