FLORHAM PARK Mikael Granlund Jersey , N.J. (AP) — All eyes will be on Sam Darnold when the New York Jets open their season against the Detroit Lions.

But the five big guys lined up in front of him will play a major role in the success — or failure — of the rookie quarterback and his offense Monday night.

“It’s super important developing that trust and chemistry with your teammates,” Darnold said. “That’s mostly what football is. We’re on that field together, we’ve got to communicate. We’ve all got to be in sync together, so that’s really what it is, just communicating.”

That has been a point of emphasis all offseason, but is particularly important this week as the 21-year-old quarterback continues to try to build a rapport with an offensive line that struggled with consistency last season.

It’s still a work-in-progress, though. When left tackle Kelvin Beachum, left guard James Carpenter, center Spencer Long, right guard Brian Winters and right tackle Brandon Shell trot onto the field in noisy Ford Field, it’ll mark the first time all five will be together for a snap in a game.

“I’m very optimistic,” offensive line coach Rick Dennison said. “I think they’ve worked hard and done a good job. Obviously, it’s the start of the regular season and there’s a little bit of the unknown, but I feel good about the guys.”

Beachum didn’t play in the preseason because of a sprained right foot that kept him out of team drills for most of training camp. He has been a full participant in practice this week and appears to be a full go.

Same for Winters Youth Chris Wagner Jersey , who dealt with tightness in his back this summer and sat out the second preseason game against Washington.

“We’ve been around each other quite a bit during this whole process, so we can’t get into this excuse-making that people on the outside are trying to bring into the locker room right now,” Beachum said. “For us, we’ve got to go out and perform. We’re professionals. Every one of us across the offensive line has played games in the National Football League. When our number is called upon, we know we’ve got to execute and perform.”

The Jets are facing a tough task off the bat with Ezekiel Ansah roaming the Lions’ defensive front. He had 12 sacks last season and has been lining up on the right side of new coach Matt Patricia’s defense, but is athletic enough to move all around the line.

Beachum is fully expecting to face him quite a bit Monday night. The two last squared off in 2016 when Beachum was with Jacksonville. Ansah had four overall tackles in that game, but no sacks.

“He’s a very disruptive pass rusher,” Beachum said. “I would say one of the best in the league. The NFC North presents a number of different animals on the edge. He’s one of those different animals in the NFC North. I’m excited to play him again. I know it’s going to be a great test to start the year.”

The game will also mark Long’s debut with the Jets after he signed with New York as a free agent in the offseason. He replaces Wesley Johnson, who struggled last year in a full-time role as the center after the Jets released Nick Mangold.

Long, who spent his first four seasons with Washington, has impressed his new teammates with his cerebral approach to the game.

“He’s been great, real good,” Winters said. “He’s a good communicator, a physical player. He’s in the books a lot. He’s a ‘mind’ guy and he kind of reminds me a little bit of Nick. Nick was real smart when it came to the breakdown of the game.”

Added Shell: “He analyzes everything and it’s like he knows what’s going to happen Andrew Shaw Jersey , so he puts us in the right position with calls. I’m just grateful to have him on the line.”

As the center, Long is responsible for calling the signals along the offensive line and making sure the guys on either side of him are seeing the same thing.

Since offseason workouts, he has been working closely with his linemates on the field and in the film room, trying to develop the type of chemistry that will be key on gameday.

“It goes as he goes,” Winters said. “He makes the calls and we’ve got to abide by it and listen to it. Whatever he says, goes. He’s got a lot of weight on his shoulders, but we all trust in him.”

And, Darnold will need to have faith in all five linemen, who’ll be trying to keep him upright while also giving him time to throw or busting open holes for the running backs to run through and get the offense moving consistently.

“He’s done a great job of being able to communicate and understand what the defense is presenting him, and then putting us in a better position to either pick up a blitz or slide a different way,” Beachum said of Darnold. “He’s done things the right way to put us in a better position.

“At the end of the day, we have to make sure that we protect him.”

Nashville forward Filip Forsberg stunned his teammates and the Colorado Avalanche with one dazzling sequence.

Forsberg passed the puck to himself through his own legs and rookie defenseman Samuel Girard’s legs on his way to his second goal of the third period, helping Nashville beat Colorado 5-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the first-round Western Conference series.

”That was unbelievable,” Predators forward Austin Watson said. ”I don’t know if you guys panned over to the bench Antti Niemi Jersey , but all of our jaws dropped. He thinks of doing things out there that wouldn’t even happen in my dreams.”

Pekka Rinne made 25 saves as Nashville put together a strong finish to its playoff opener after winning Presidents’ Trophy for the first time this season. The Predators are hoping to take the next step this year after losing to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final.

Colorado was looking for a big win on a stage the franchise hasn’t seen since 2014, and the young Avalanche outplayed the defending Western Conference champs early.

Austin Watson had a goal and an assist for Nashville, which has won 11 straight over Colorado. Craig Smith and Colton Sissons also scored, and Ryan Johansen and captain Roman Josi each had two assists.

Nikita Zadorov and Blake Comeau scored for Colorado. Jonathan Bernier made 26 stops.

Forsberg, who had a team-high 64 points in the regular season, gave Nashville its first lead of the game at 3-2 when he redirected a shot by Josi past Bernier 6:08 into the third. Then Forsberg delivered again with a breathtaking move in the middle of Colorado’s zone with 7:50 left.

”It was just one of those that come us up I guess when you skate, and it worked,” Forsberg said.

Nashville coach Peter Laviolette was impressed.

”What I really liked about it, it was a power move,” Laviolette said. ”It was not just a standing-still move, like he really picked up speed and did his best to drive. And I always feel like he’s best when he’s a power forward first and then he brings a skill element into it, and that’s exactly what he did on that goal.”

Game 2 is Saturday afternoon in Nashville.

The series features a team that won 53 games during the regular season and Colorado, which had to win its regular-season finale to squeak into the postseason ahead of St. Louis. The Avalanche came in with only 14 players with playoff experience, and their most seasoned player Patrick Roy Jersey , Colin Wilson, was on Nashville’s roster a year ago.

”I’m happy with the way we played,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. ”I felt like we did enough to almost earn a better result but now we’re going to have to go and dig in even harder to make sure we do earn a better result. We’re capable.”

Fans filled the arena more than 30 minutes before the puck dropped, waiting for a pregame video that included a giant curtain that dropped down over the ice for a giant videoboard. Rascal Flatts handled the anthem as the Predators continued their tradition of big stars stepping in for the postseason, and two catfish hit the ice almost as soon as the last note ended.

Colorado scored on its first official shot. Rinne didn’t appear to see Zadorov’s wrister, with the puck going over his glove at 6:36.

The Predators were a bit sloppy early.

The team that led the NHL in penalties took two late in the first, giving Colorado 19 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage. Rinne seemed to settle the Predators down with a big save with 20 seconds left in the period, stopping Tyson Jost’s shot from the slot before sticking his right skate to the post with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog trying to pounce on the puck.

In the second, Rinne got help from Matt Irwin clearing J.T. Compher’s shot, and the Predators tied it on a wrist shot from Watson that squeezed over Bernier’s left shoulder at 3:14. The goal was being announced when Comeau got a stick on Carl Soderberg’s shot from the point to give Colorado a 2-1 lead at 4:51.

”It shows us we’re right with them,” Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie said.

Rinne came up with his best save with 2:24 left in the second with Mikko Rantanen on a breakaway. The goalie spread out and stuck his right leg out, stopping the puck with his pad.

Sissons capped the scoring with an empty-netter with 1:57 left.

NOTES: Forsberg had his third career multigoal game in the postseason. He is averaging more than a point-per-game for his career against Colorado. … Nashville had been 12-14-5 after giving up the first goal and 8-10-2 when trailing after the first period in the regular season. But the Preds were 11-1-2 when tied after two periods. … Watson and Smith each had their fifth career goals of the playoffs.

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Game 2 is Saturday in Nashville.

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