Thursday night football streaming: How to watch Steelers vs. Patriots online

With DeflateGate (mostly) behind them, the defending champion New England Patriots can ring in the new football season with the customary Thursday night opener. They take on last year's AFC North winners, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a primetime clash.

Nearly the entire offseason revolved around Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the NFL's pursuit of a four-game suspension for his alleged involvement in illegally deflating footballs. Ultimately, the matter ended up in front of U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman, who negated the ban. Though the league has filed an appeal in hopes of getting a suspension reinstated, Brady is clear to play in 2015.

That's optimal news for the Patriots, who have a good chance to repeat as champions if the roster remains relatively healthy. Besides Brady returning, the offense has Rob Gronkowski, perhaps the most dangerous pass catcher in football. The unit also adds Scott Chandler, an athletic tight end to pair with Gronk in certain packages. The offense did lose versatile running back Shane Vereen this offseason, however.

As for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown lead a potent passing attack that few in the NFL can hope to slow. Brown led all receivers last season with 129 receptions for 1,698 yards. He also hauled in 13 touchdowns. While Brown occupies most of the attention, up-and-coming wideout Markus Wheaton should see plenty of single coverage. Pittsburgh's offense will look even scarier in the coming weeks when tailback Le'Veon Bell and receiver Martavis Bryant return from suspension.