The good news, Pittsburgh fans, is that you've won your opener 28-17 over the Miami Dolphins, behind three touchdown passes from Charlie Batch (!!!???) and an interception return for a touchdown from Joey Porter, who celebrated by setting the goalposts on fire and then eating them.

The bad news: As we learned from Nick Saban, if it comes up at all this year, coach Bill Cowher will apparently be unable to use a challenge ... to see whether or not he used a challenge.

We love it when the NFL gets all meta.

Steelers 28, Dolphins 17 [NFL.com] (Photo by Getty Images)

(By the way ... that really was Pink, wasn't it? Right? Heavens: Keep that thing away from Costas.)

The night that Batch has fantasized about since that little motorcycle mishap has arrived, though it was the appendix that took down the Big Ben, not the smashing of brain vs. pavement. It's Steelers vs. Dolphins in the Thursday night opener, and now that they start the season on Thursday, it seems amazing they ever did anything else.

It's also the first night for the all-star monster broadcast team of Al Michaels, John Madden, Andrea Kremer, Jerome Bettis, Bob Costas, Peter King and, jeez, is Oprah part of this? We hope there's enough air in the stadium.

By the way, this is also your last chance to join our NFL Pick 'em Pool. Winner gets all kinds of good prizes, including a free post, which is always nice, because it means you're able to read someone who isn't us.

But yeah: Football is finally here. Excellent.

Dolphins-Steelers Preview [One For The Thumb]