It feels like its been forever since a meaningful NFL game has been played, but that is the case no more.

Football is back with a meaty slate on Sunday and in grand fashion, with headlines galore circling every single team in the league. With more than a fair share of those to claim themselves, both the Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals ready themselves to square up for a Sunday afternoon battle in Week 1. With other teams taking on divisional rivals to open the season, this one is wholly different, matching up the Seahawks and Bengals for an inter-conference fight. 

Before we preview it, let's lay plain everything you need to not miss a moment of the action.

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: CenturyLink Field (Seattle)
TV: CBS | Stream: CBS All Access  
Follow: CBS Sports App  

Preview

This is one of the more intriguing matchups coming up in Week 1, because the Bengals are entering the season without longtime head coach Marvin Lewis for the first time in a long time. After 16 seasons in Cincinnati, Lewis is out and Zac Taylor is in -- the team hoping the young, talented Taylor can come in and immediately help them turn the corner. It's not that the Bengals have been perennially absent from the playoffs because the opposite is much closer to the truth. The problem has been their inability to do anything other than implode in the postseason, and a lot of that onus is placed on the shoulder pads of quarterback Andy Dalton; who is rapidly approaching a crossroads with the organization.

A free agent come 2021, and with the team finally free from massive dead money if they release him in 2020, it's now-or-never for Dalton, who won't have All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Green on the field to that the year; currently out with a foot injury suffered in training camp practice at the University of Dayton.

That will make things easier for the reloaded Seahawks defense, which now boasts Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney at the edges. With those two making life difficult for Dalton, All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner will be free to challenge all comers at the second level. Despite question marks surrounding the Seahawks secondary, the pressure up front combined with the absence of Green could make for a long day if you're a Bengals fan.

The addition of D.K. Metcalf to combine with the speedy Tyler Lockett and a now-proven Chris Carson also gives Russell Wilson all the firepower he needs to push Cincinnati past their breaking point.

Predictions 

All stated, it's no small wonder SportsLine has the Seahawks entering Week 1 as -9.5 point favorites to skin the Bengals. For all the the changes now made in Cincinnati, it simply feels to cumbersome to presume they'll walk into the hostile 12th-man environment against a more experienced head coach and former Super Bowl MVP quarterback -- along with an impressive-looking defensive front -- and expect anything other than a Seattle victory on Sunday. Anything can happen, though, and that's the beauty of the sport.

That said, this feels like too much of an uphill climb for the questionable Bengals. 

Check out more from our experts at CBSSports.com, including Will Brinson and Pete Prisco, to help with your betting chances.