It's just one contest in a long, winding campaign, but the San Francisco 49ers' 30-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers had the feel of a game that will loom large on the mind deep into the season.
Last year we saw the Packers turn a season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints into a carnivalesque 15-1 ride that bordered on the surreal. That win set the tone; Green Bay better hope Sunday's loss won't do the same for 2012.
Bashing the ball into Green Bay's defense, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh showed that in an increasingly pass-happy league, old-world football still lives in Northern California. Much of the chatter this offseason was about San Francisco stocking up on shiny new toys at wide receiver and in the backfield to help take the load off Frank Gore.
Nothing new on Sunday. Gore's 112 yards on 16 carries tells us he's not being marginalized. Not by Harbaugh, at least, who will continue to play his style of football until the earth folds in on itself.
It worked last year and it worked Sunday, and this coach doesn't change for anyone.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
