NFL Week 1: Recap & Review

The opening week to the NFL season did not disappoint. There were record breaking performances, huge let downs, and impactful play all around. Here is the breakdown of the beginning of the 2026 season. 

Seahawks def. Patriots 13-10: In a highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch, Seattle handled the lackluster New England offense. Drake Maye had 3 interceptions in the loss. Even without Sam Darnold, the Patriots just didn’t have enough. 

49ers def. Rams 27-7: The Rams were favorites coming into this heated divisional battle, but the lights were simply too bright for LA. Nothing went their way, and San Fran looked good on both sides of the ball. 

Lions def. Saints 31-30: Detroit is simply not the dominant offensive force they once were. Even though they won, the story of this game is the dominance of Tyler Shough. New Orleans has a bright future ahead. 

Bengals def. Buccaneers 33-27: A healthy Bengals team is very hard to slow down, and it showed vs Tampa. Baker Mayfield didn’t help the situation by having costly turnovers in the loss. 

Ravens def. Colts 41-23: Baltimore looked like their true selves on Sunday. Lamar Jackson had 2 touchdowns and Derrick Henry had 3. Indianapolis just didn’t have enough to keep up. 

Jaguars def. Browns 34-10: Trevor Lawrence showed out vs Cleveland, and he’s trying to put the league on notice. For the Browns however, they are putting the league on notice once again by how bad they are. 

Jets def. Titans 23-10: In the battle of rebuilding teams, Tennessee fell very short. Geno Smith looked promising for the Jets, as he’s probably been their best quarterback in years. The Titans are just an abysmal team right now, and there’s no fixing them. 

Bills def. Texans 36-31: Houston’s elite defense just didn’t appear on Sunday. Josh Allen torched them with 4 touchdowns. And CJ Stroud, once again, didn’t show up in the clutch. 

Steelers def. Falcons 20-13: Atlanta started Cooper Rush under center vs Pittsburgh, and it turned out exactly as expected. It was a disaster for the Falcons, and the Steelers didn’t even look that great offensively. 

Bears def. Panthers 59-37: Chicago looked like the best team in the league in week 1. Caleb Williams had 4 touchdowns in the win, and Ben Johnson’s offense didn’t miss a beat. Carolina scoring 37 was impressive, but allowing 59 is inexcusable. 

Vikings def. Packers 39-22: For Green Bay, this is a pathetic loss. Kyler Murray went out with an injury early, and veteran quarterback Carson Wentz took over with 3 touchdowns. The Packers just couldn’t get anything going for the majority of the game, and Matt LaFleur needs to be questioned. 

Raiders def. Dolphins 27-13: Miami has to be fighting for a top draft pick, because their performance vs Las Vegas was horrific. Ashton Jeanty went off in the win, and the future is bright for the Raiders. 

Cardinals def. Chargers 26-14: Los Angeles shows the world time and time again that they just aren’t good. Losing against this Arizona team is a bad look, and it needs to be acknowledged. 

Eagles def. Commanders 24-22: In this historic rivalry, Philly handles business once again. Washington almost made a push at the end, but it was ultimately too late. Jalen Hurts had 3 passing touchdowns in the victory. 

Giants def. Cowboys 28-20: A classic Sunday night matchup, the New York Football Giants looked pretty good. Jaxson Dart had 3 touchdowns in the win. For Dallas, they looked like the typical Cowboys under pressure. 

Chiefs def. Broncos 31-10: It’s hard to say, but the Kansas City Chiefs are back. Kenneth Walker had a historic performance in the win, totaling 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. As for Denver, they need to step up. This is a team that just made the AFC Championship, but it didn’t look like it last night.