Good morning!
We made it.
NFL Sunday is HERE.
I will see you all inside the Substack app for our first Gameday Chat. Will share all sights ‘n sounds from U.S. Bank Stadium where the Green Bay Packers visit the Minnesota Vikings. As always, we’ll riff on all games around the league. Keep an eye out for the link in your email inbox closer to the 1 o’clock slate.
Figured we’d pass along all links to all season-preview features the past month and a half in case you missed anything. From Jordyn Brooks and the total makeover in Miami to Kyler Murray’s new world to why Tate Ratledge reflects the cutthroat nature of the sport, we explored many themes.
Here’s a reminder of our why, too.
Thank you for fueling our independent journalism.
(Note: For those reading via email, remember to click the link at the bottom to expand in full.)
The Kyler Murray Project, Part I: Liberated
He’s the high-voltage QB capable of electrifying these Vikings. First, Go Long examines the forces that brought Murray to town: a Bidwillian dystopia, Marvin Harrison Jr. and “Nine.” Tread carefully.
The Kyler Murray Project, Part II: The Great Unknown
“It’s now or never. Hopefully he senses the moment.” How will Kyler Murray perform as the new QB1 in Minnesota? Go Long speaks to those who know both the QB and the QB’s game best.
Jordyn Brooks is the captain now
“We become a team? The sky’s the limit.” The Miami Dolphins have been anything but that. It was bad. Now? Jordyn Brooks is the man in change and he views this moment as his football destiny.
Do or Die for C.J. Stroud
This is an all-time defense, one that has cracked the code on the sport’s greatest player. And this is also Year 4 for the Houston Texans quarterback. Will Stroud deliver?
Tony Pollard is the NFL’s hidden warrior
Shattered leg. Father of 4. CJ2K perspective. All Tony Pollard knows is to move one relentless direction. Go Long sits down with the best running back nobody’s talking about into 2026.
The “Big John” Simpson Creed
“Shit’s hard. Shit’s going to be hard. That’s life.” He had every reason to quit on life like everyone around him. Instead? John Simpson is back in Baltimore. He’s the bully this team needs.
Tate Ratledge feels no pain
“Dev’s gone.” Those words changed his life. Meet the Detroit Lions ass-kicker who knows he’s a cold, “numb” product of his Athens, Tenn., upbringing and the night in Athens, Ga., he’ll never forget.
‘We will be the best offensive line in football’
He overcame a cruel stretch of anxiety and panic attacks. Now? Anderson aims to be the bully setting a violent tone on the Bills’ offensive line.
‘Who’s going to take this yard?’ The Arrival of Eric Wilson
An NFL vagabond for a decade, Eric Wilson is suddenly one of the best linebackers in the sport. Here’s why this “modern-day explorer” is finally unleashed and unhinged in all his fury as a Viking.
Dregs to Domination: The Aaron Brewer Blueprint
Backflips. Training until he collapses. Fasting. Defiant self-belief. The Miami Dolphins center became the best at his craft and he’s kicking all asses, from 330-pound nose tackles to 170-pound DBs.
Will share a Gameday Chat thread inside the Substack app right here…
