NFL Week 1 overreactions and exaggerations Bleeding Green Nation NFL Week 1 offense explosion: Bears, Ravens, Bills, Jaguars ESPN What Jordan Love, Josh Allen and the Dallas Cowboys told us in Week 1 The New York Times 4...
Last season in Week 1 the Raiders beat the Patriots. They then went completely separate ways, the Patriots going 14-3 and to the Super Bowl, the Raiders to 3-14 and the #1 overall pick. Also that week the Vikings beat the Bears, with JJ McCarthy throwing 3 TDs. The Bears went on to win the NFC North, the Vikings finished with the joint worst record in division and JJ McCarthy fell apart.
So Week 1 can be an aberration. But we can still overreact.
The Rams are cooked. No team scored fewer points in Week 1 than Sean McVay's star studded and jet lagged team. The Falcons were on their third string QB, who had back spasms, and the Dolphins, Browns, and Titans participated in football games; all outscored the Super Bowl favorites. Myles Garrett is out for at least four weeks after doing absolutely nothing in the first week. Maybe Aaron Donald, who hasn't played in two years, could play soon and turn things around. It's always good to count on retirees in a football game.
Drake Maye threw three interceptions and helped the Patriots blow a 10 point lead to Drew Lock. If you're keeping track at home, that's now 11 turnovers in five straight games against teams that made the playoffs last year. Next up: another 2025 playoff team!
If the Lions are Super Bowl contenders, then so are the Saints
Tyler Shough had 410 yards and 3 TDs and Chris Olave had 182 yards on 10 catches as the Lions and Saints traded punches over five quarters. New Orleans got behind 21-0 but stormed back, on the road, to tie the game 24-24 with just over a minute to play and lost on a failed 2 point conversion.
Detroit gave up 410 yards and 3 TDs to Tyler Shough, and needed a failed two point conversion in OT to defeat New Orleans at home after blowing a 21 point lead.
If you're Chicago or Carolina, you've got to feel really good about your offense. The Bears had two 100 yard rushers, a staple of a Ben Johnson offense! Bryce Young had 361 yards and 3 TDs, one of the best games of his career!
If you're Chicago or Carolina, you've got to feel pretty horrible about your defense. The Panthers giving up 59 points is of course extremely embarrassing and should result in several changes to the lineup. But the Bears gave up 37 points, despite 3 takeaways. It's more of the same for the Bears, who last year led the league in turnovers but still had just the 23rd scoring defense.
The Chargers, who have the greatest QB of all time in Justin Hebert and football genius Mike McDaniel, scored an unbelievable 14 points against the vaunted Arizona Cardinals. McDaniel's game plan and Herbert's jersey are on their way to Canton.
Packers offense: 22 points in four quarters. Packers defense: 22 points in the fourth quarter.
The Greatest Offense There Is, formerly known as the Dallas Cowboys, had two punts and a turnover on their first four possessions.
Cam Skattebo's quest for 300 carries for 2000 yards (at least 117.7 yards per game at 6.7 yards per carry) began with 18 carries for 81 yards (4.5 yards per carry).
Congratulations to Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon, who lead the league in yards per reception and negative yards per reception, respectively!
The Eagles' 2026 opener felt a lot like what we saw in 2025.
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via Google News US Sports.
Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams dominated the gridiron as the Los Angeles Rams cruised to a commanding 28-6 victory over the New York Giants. However, the lopsided affair was severely marred by a potentially devastating MCL sprain suffered by Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
NFL legend Aaron Donald made a triumphant and surprising return to the gridiron, wreaking havoc in the Los Angeles Rams' dominant rout of the New York Giants. The defensive powerhouse admitted the game felt surprisingly slow despite his two-year retirement.
The New York Giants' promising start to the season crashed to a halt on September 21, 2026, after a 28-6 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams was overshadowed by a severe knee injury to rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Initial medical evaluations point to an MCL sprain, throwing the franchise's offensive strategy into immediate turmoil.
