Nobody looked more complete in Week 1. Trevor Lawrence went 18 of 23 for 245 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-10 demolition of Cleveland, the defense sacked Deshaun Watson five times, and Jacksonville outrushed the Browns by nearly 40 yards. That is nine straight regular season wins for Liam Coen's team, and the Jaguars earn the top spot.
The defending champions raised the banner and then won ugly, rallying from a 10-0 hole to beat New England 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch. Mike Macdonald's defense picked off Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter. The worry is Sam Darnold, who left on the opening series with a hip injury, leaving Drew Lock to steer the offense.
Josh Allen finally won in Houston, and he did it in the most Josh Allen way possible: a 96-yard drive in 97 seconds, capped by a 34-yard strike to Joshua Palmer. Allen piled up 357 total yards and four touchdowns in the 36-31 win, and Greg Rousseau forced two fumbles, including the one that ended Houston's last chance.
Fifty-nine points. The Bears hung the highest scoring Week 1 game in NFL history on Carolina, winning 59-37 behind 552 yards of offense. Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two scores and ran for two more, D'Andre Swift found the end zone three times, and Ben Johnson's offense converted 10 of 14 third downs.
Houston played well enough to win and still lost 36-31 to Buffalo. C.J. Stroud's fumble at the Bills' nine-yard line with a one-point lead and 97 seconds left will sting all week, and a second strip sack killed the final drive. David Montgomery ran for three touchdowns, but this defense has to finish games like that.
Jesse Minter's debut could not have gone much better. Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards, Derrick Henry ran for 144 and three touchdowns to move into third place all time in rushing scores, and Baltimore outgained Indianapolis 506 to 251 in a 41-23 rout. Keep an eye on Zay Flowers, who had 150 receiving yards before a hamstring injury.
The Bengals defense was the story in a 33-27 win over Tampa Bay, forcing four turnovers and harassing Baker Mayfield into three lost fumbles. Joe Burrow threw for 254 yards and a score, then closed it out with clutch throws to Samaje Perine and Tee Higgins after the Bucs clawed back late. A healthy Burrow plus a real defense changes everything here.
Patrick Mahomes is back from the torn ACL and Kansas City looked like itself again, crushing Denver 31-10 on Monday night. Mahomes scored on a 15-yard run on the opening drive and threw two touchdowns, but the breakout was Kenneth Walker III with 191 total yards and two scores in his Chiefs debut. The 6-11 season feels far away.
Jalen Hurts threw three touchdowns without an interception in a 24-22 win over Washington, and his scrambles moved the chains when the offense stalled. Dallas Goedert caught two of the scores. It came down to the wire, though, and the Eagles needed Moro Ojomo to stuff a tying two-point try with 1:01 left.
In front of more than 100,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, San Francisco dominated the Rams 27-7 in the NFL's first game in Australia. Brock Purdy threw three touchdowns to three different receivers, including new addition Mike Evans, and the defense held Matthew Stafford to 155 passing yards.
A long trip to Melbourne ended in a 27-7 loss to the 49ers, and the Rams never found a rhythm through the air. Matthew Stafford finished 15 of 25 for just 155 yards. Blake Corum and Kyren Williams ran well, combining for 95 yards on 21 carries, which suggests the offense is closer to fixed than the final score implies.
That was a Monday night to forget. Denver managed 176 yards of offense in a 31-10 loss at Kansas City, its lowest total since Sean Payton arrived in 2023. Bo Nix went 17 of 28 for 131 yards with an interception and three fumbles. The defense is too good for the Broncos to stay down, but the offense needs answers fast.
The Super Bowl rematch turned sour in the fourth quarter. New England led Seattle 10-0 and lost 13-10 after Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the final frame. Losing A.J. Brown to an ankle injury after four targets hurt too. The reigning All-Pro will bounce back, but this was a rough night for the team we had at number one.
Detroit blew a 21-0 lead and still escaped New Orleans 31-30 in overtime when the Saints' two-point try fell incomplete. Jahmyr Gibbs was the engine with a career-high 29 carries for 156 yards and three touchdowns, and Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for the overtime score. A win is a win, but that collapse is a red flag.
Kyler Murray lasted 11 plays before a concussion, and the Vikings still beat Green Bay 39-22. Carson Wentz came off the bench to throw three touchdowns, including a 39-yarder to Justin Jefferson, and Minnesota closed on a 29-0 run. Murray's status for Week 2 is the question that decides how high this team can climb.
John Harbaugh's first game in New York was a statement. Jaxson Dart went 23 of 29 for 230 yards and three touchdowns with 54 rushing yards in a 28-20 Sunday night win over Dallas, and the Giants outrushed the Cowboys 165 to 69. Cam Skattebo looked healthy with 81 yards and a touchdown. This team is no longer an easy out.
The Mike McCarthy era opened with a 20-13 win over Atlanta, and T.J. Watt stole the show with the first pick six of his career, snagging a Cooper Rush pass behind the line and walking into the end zone. Aaron Rodgers was steady at 24 of 40 for 221 yards and a score. The defense carried this one.
The biggest upset of Week 1 belonged to Arizona, which went into SoFi Stadium as an 8.5-point underdog and left with a 26-14 win. Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards, Trey McBride caught nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, and rookie Jeremiyah Love scored his first NFL touchdown. It was the Cardinals' first road win over the Chargers since 2001.
Losing 26-14 at home to Arizona as a big favorite is a bad look. Justin Herbert was sacked three times and threw a costly fourth quarter interception, finishing 17 of 27 for 209 yards. Ladd McConkey had 82 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a chest injury, and his health matters a lot for an offense that already looked shaky.
Green Bay led for most of the afternoon in Minnesota and then gave up 29 straight points in a 39-22 loss, with the Vikings rallying behind a backup quarterback. Jordan Love had a late fumble and interception as the game got away. Blowing a division opener like that is the kind of loss that lingers in the NFC North race.
Kellen Moore went for the win and came up one play short in a 31-30 overtime loss at Detroit. Tyler Shough was up and down, committing three turnovers, but he also threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns and led New Orleans all the way back from a 21-0 hole. There is something real here even in defeat.
Dallas got pushed around in a 28-20 Sunday night loss to the Giants, getting outrushed 165 to 69. Dak Prescott threw for 175 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and drops by CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens did not help. Losing the line of scrimmage to a division rival is not a great sign for this group.
Bryce Young had the best opener of his career with 361 passing yards, three touchdowns and a rushing score, and it did not matter. Carolina's defense allowed 552 yards and 59 points to Chicago, and three turnovers turned a shootout into a blowout. The offense can move the ball. The defense is a five-alarm fire.
Four turnovers sank Tampa Bay in a 33-27 loss at Cincinnati, with Baker Mayfield losing a career-high three fumbles under steady pressure. The Bucs showed fight by rallying within six late, but they spent most of the afternoon digging out of holes they created. Clean up the ball security and this is still a playoff-caliber team.
Daniel Jones returned from a torn Achilles and went 19 of 31 for 166 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but Indianapolis had no answer for Baltimore in a 41-23 loss. Jonathan Taylor ran for 98 yards and two scores. Getting outgained by more than 250 yards shows how much work the defense has ahead of it.
Geno Smith's return to the Jets went about as well as anyone could have hoped. He went 19 of 24 for 215 yards without a turnover, Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a score, and New York controlled the ball for nearly 39 minutes in a 23-10 win over Tennessee. The defense held the Titans to 4 of 12 on third down.
Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns, becoming the 15th quarterback with 300 career touchdown passes, and Las Vegas beat Miami 27-13. Ashton Jeanty was the centerpiece with 102 rushing yards and two touchdown catches. Cousins also threw two second half interceptions, so this is not a finished product, but it is a promising start.
Washington scored twice in the fourth quarter and was one two-point conversion away from tying Philadelphia before falling 24-22. Jayden Daniels struggled under pressure early and found his footing late, hitting Antonio Williams for a touchdown with 1:01 left. The comeback shows the ceiling, but the slow start cost them.
Bijan Robinson did nearly everything for Atlanta in a 20-13 loss at Pittsburgh, and the passing game gave him almost no help. Cooper Rush was under constant pressure, and his fourth quarter throw that T.J. Watt returned for a touchdown decided the game. Until the Falcons get better quarterback play, Robinson is carrying too much.
Robert Saleh's first game in Tennessee came against his old team, and the Jets won 23-10. Cam Ward went 19 of 32 for 140 yards with a late touchdown to Elic Ayomanor and took three sacks behind a line that could not hold up. The Titans went 4 of 12 on third down and never led.
Malik Willis showed flashes in his Miami debut with 222 passing yards and a rushing touchdown, but he was sacked five times in a 27-13 loss at Las Vegas. The Raiders opened with a 16-play, 93-yard drive and held the ball for nearly 35 minutes. Miami could not get off the field, and that is a problem beyond the quarterback.
Cleveland was run off the field in a 34-10 loss at Jacksonville. Deshaun Watson threw an interception on his third attempt and was sacked five times, and the Browns trailed 14-0 after one quarter. Nothing about this performance suggested a quick turnaround, which is why the Browns sit at the bottom this week.