Sept. 13, 2026Up to date Sept. 14, 2026, 1:30 a.m. ET
The 32 issues we realized from Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season:
0. Nonetheless the variety of interceptions the New York Jets protection has because the begin of the 2025 season − however Gang Inexperienced was greater than thrilled to open the 2026 marketing campaign with a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans and former coach Robert Saleh.
1. As in who’s No. 1 within the NFL? We’ll know the reply 22 weeks from now, when Tremendous Bowl 61 is within the books … on the finish of Valentine’s Day. However as of this second? The NFC Professional Bowl staff, er the Los Angeles Rams, bought blasted in Australia and can now be with out famous person Myles Garrett for at the least the following month. The reigning champion Seattle Seahawks survived their Tremendous Bowl rematch however received’t have injured QB Sam Darnold till at the least Week 3. The Buffalo Payments and Chicago Bears didn’t play a lick of protection whereas besting opponents not precisely recognized for offensive pyrotechnics. May the Denver Broncos, who open their season Monday evening in Kansas Metropolis be worthy? A contemporary batch of energy rankings is simply a day (or so) away with the reply, so keep tuned to nfl.usatoday.com.
2. As within the jersey variety of Seahawks QB2 Drew Lock, who appears almost as beloved by his teammates as Darnold is. “We’ve all been saying Drew has been the most effective two (backup quarterback) within the NFL for years,” Seahawks S Julian Love mentioned after Wednesday’s squeaker previous the New England Patriots. Given the obvious sustained dominance of Seattle’s “Darkish Facet” protection – and video games in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders to shut out September – the guess right here is the champs shall be simply effective with out Darnold for every week or two. I can inform you there was nearly actually no fear about Darnold’s absence within the locker room Wednesday, aside from on a private degree, based mostly on the present prognosis of his injured hip − particularly given the effectivity (113.3 QB score), confidence and swagger Lock placed on show within the opener.
2a. Anticipate to see a couple of QB2s − or at the least adjustments − going into Week 2, with Lock set to begin for Seattle. A revolving door in Atlanta and Kyler Murray’s concussion in Minnesota may portend further switches behind heart.
+3. The Cincinnati Bengals‘ turnover margin Sunday − one thing they achieved solely two different instances because the begin of the 2023 season, which coincides with their present playoff drought. However the 4 fumbles, one returned for a TD, Cincy’s new-look protection pressured in a 33-27 defeat of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been essential on a day when the Joe Burrow-led offense accounted for simply two touchdowns.
4. As in 4 Tremendous Bowl MVPs who’ve modified groups within the subsequent offseason, the newest being Kansas Metropolis Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III. He’ll make his Ok.C. debut Monday evening at Arrowhead in opposition to the Broncos and will get fairly a workload if the Chiefs see match to try to shield QB Patrick Mahomes from himself in his first sport again from the knee damage that prematurely ended his 2025 season.
5. The longest lively successful streak in Week 1 video games, coming into Sunday, a mark shared by the Bucs and Philadelphia Eagles … and now solely owned by Philly after a 24-22 squeaker over the Washington Commanders.
6. The variety of gamers in league historical past who’ve scored 50 touchdowns of their first 50 regular-season appearances. Welcome to the membership, Jahmyr Gibbs.
7. Although the sport did not grow to be superb, the Rams and San Francisco 49ers packed 100,021 followers into the Melbourne Cricket Floor, the seventh-largest crowd to ever witness a regular-season sport. Suppose the NFL will not be going again Down Underneath?
8. The jersey variety of Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, who handed for 324 yards and a TD in his first sport below new OC Declan Doyle, a 41-23 walkover of the Indianapolis Colts. Jackson, who received each of his league MVP awards in Yr 1 below a brand new coordinator, did not move for 300 yards in a single sport of his (and Baltimore’s) extremely disappointing 2025 season.
9. However at the least as vital to the Ravens beginning this season off on the appropriate foot was RB Derrick Henry, who rushed for 3 TDs, giving him 125 over the course of his sterling 11-year profession − good for third place all time in NFL historical past behind Corridor of Famers Emmitt Smith (164) and LaDainian Tomlinson (145).
10. The variety of new head coaches this season, tied for essentially the most ever in a single hiring cycle. The newbies went a collective 6-4 of their openers, a successful Week 1 secured when John Harbaugh’s New York Giants dropped the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday evening.
11. Variety of yards (on two touches) by Jacksonville Jaguars CB/WR Travis Hunter, who additionally had a deal with in his full-time position on protection within the Jags’ 34-10 rout of the Cleveland Browns.
12. The jersey variety of Hunter, whom the Jaguars drafted second general in 2025 – after buying the No. 2 from Cleveland so as to get him – to be a game-changing power and fan favourite in small market Duval County. That didn’t materialize in his injury-curtailed rookie season, and Sunday’s sport was not a superb barometer of what his impression could be in Yr 2.
13. However it’s price noting that – sure, after every week – the Jags are alone in first place atop the AFC South as QB Trevor Lawrence, who had 4 TD passes and crafted a career-best 150.6 passer score, continues to develop right into a franchise participant, maybe one alongside the strains of Josh Allen 0.9.
14. And Lawrence ain’t but Allen, the Payments star accounting for 4 TDs (2 passing, 2 speeding) in a 36-31 escape from the Houston Texans, who featured the league’s No. 1 general protection in 2025. It was Allen’s first win in Houston after shedding all 4 of his earlier begins at Reliant Stadium. Payments Mafia actually hopes it is a harbinger for a much bigger breakthrough by Allen and Co., who’re on a mission to win the franchise’s first Tremendous Bowl this season.
15. The variety of quarterbacks in league historical past to throw at the least 300 TD passes, the Las Vegas Raiders’ Kirk Cousins becoming a member of their ranks Sunday in a 27-13 defeat of the Miami Dolphins.
16. Cousins’ regular presence was why Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 general collection of the 2026 draft, turned the primary decide since Baker Mayfield in 2018 to begin his profession on the bench.
17. Again to Houston, the place it was a discouraging day for the Texans − and never simply because the Payments dissected their protection. CB Kamari Lassiter might need received the sport by choosing off a careless move by Allen however could not maintain onto it ultimately zone − and the 2024 MVP threw what proved to be the game-winning strike one play later. Houston QB C.J. Stroud additionally continued his alarming pattern of turning the ball over, his first fumble resulting in Buffalo’s first three factors and his second one ending the Texans’ remaining drive deep in Payments territory.
18.Mike LaFleur > Matt LaFleur.
19.Mike LaFleur > Mike McDaniel.
20. However did the Jets and Mike LaFleur’s Cardinals, who will meet later this season, do irreparable harm within the quest to get Arch Manning atop the 2027 NFL Draft? Simply (Julian) Sayin’ based mostly on what we noticed Manning and the Texas Longhorns do Saturday evening.
21. The Bears and Carolina Panthers mixed to attain 96 factors Sunday, most ever in a Week 1 sport. The earlier file was held by the Buccaneers (Ryan Fitzpatrick model) and New Orleans Saints (Drew Brees model), with the Bucs successful that shootout 48-40 in 2018.
22. It’s, uh, early … Week 1, and many others., and many others. However the Bears are, properly, already properly forward of the tempo to shatter the 2013 Broncos’ league scoring file (606 factors) – a acknowledged purpose of second-year coach Ben Johnson.
23. Chicago scored 59 factors in Sunday’s rout of the Panthers, placing them properly forward of the Broncos’ weekly common (37.9). (Did I point out it’s Week 1?) However so long as we’re speaking openers, solely the 1973 Atlanta Falcons scored extra factors (62) to kick off a season.
24. Enjoyable truth(s), because you had been questioning: the ’73 Falcons had been shut out of their second sport, scored 15 factors – complete – between Weeks 2 and 4 of that season and didn’t make the playoffs.
25. Nonetheless, we’d wager the 2026 Falcons received’t strategy the ’73 squad’s 9 wins – specifically due to Atlanta’s uncertainty behind heart, journeyman QB3 Cooper Rush pressured to begin Sunday in Pittsburgh rather than injured Tua Tagovailoa with undrafted rookie QB4 Jack Strand backing him up. (And certain appeared like Falcons followers on social media badly needed to see Strand, who had an distinctive preseason, get some run Sunday.)
26. Rush’s fourth-quarter pick-six, corralled by Steelers star OLB T.J. Watt, proved an excessive amount of for the Falcons to beat in a 20-13 defeat. It additionally allowed Watt to hitch Corridor of Famer Julius Peppers as the one gamers with at the least 100 profession sacks and 10 profession interceptions since sacks turned an official statistic in 1982.
27. Watt, who additionally sacked Rush twice, has an early bead on AFC Defensive Participant of the Week. Not a nasty begin for a participant whose future in Pittsburgh appears murky on the outset of his tenth NFL season.
28. Recreation of the day? How about the Detroit Lions’ 31-30 additional time win over the Saints, who went for the two-point conversion (and win) on the highway earlier than their remaining play got here up brief. Nonetheless, each cause to consider New Orleans is properly positioned to contend for the NFC South crown this season after overcoming a 21-point deficit – at the least quickly – in one of many league’s hardest venues and in opposition to considered one of its most explosive groups. As for the Lions?
29. The variety of rushes dealt with by Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs, a profession excessive – as had been his 34 touches in opposition to the Saints. Gibbs’ fantasy house owners likely like it on a day when he had 186 yards and two TDs from scrimmage as he enters his first season because the clearcut bell cow in Motown. However that might be an awfully robust workload to keep up if the Lions are going to rely that closely on a participant who averaged 17.5 touches – half the load he carried Sunday – whereas in a timeshare over his first three season as a professional.
30. As a dad who’s been introducing his younger son to the thrill of Spider-Man, props to Detroit’s Derrick Barnes. However I must work on my end-zone celebration apparently.
31. Spherical 1 of the NFC East groups turning over their offensive schemes to unproven coordinators who had been backups within the league 5 minutes in the past goes to the Eagles, who barely outlasted the Commanders.
32. Final – and most certainly least, energy rankings pending – the Browns. C’mon, guys – severely? How a lot do columnists and followers need to scream till you guys put Deshaun Watson on the bench? Endlessly? However evidently first-year coach Todd Monken – or somebody to whom he reviews – is just not inclined to pay attention, even after the Jacksonville Jaguars thrashed Cleveland 34-10 on Sunday. Free Shedeur!
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