Baltimore Ravens (20 vs 27) Kansas City Chiefs
A classic to kick off the season.
In the rematch of last season's AFC championship game, pressure was on Baltimore to spoils KC's banner-hanging party, and they came one toe away from doing so at Arrowhead.
The Patrick Mahomes vs Lamar Jackson duel was riveting, both providing their share of QB thrill but with a costly moment or two - Jackson's final throw to Isaiah Likely could have been the separator, if not for a toe on the line that ruled the catch incomplete as time expired.
Derrick Henry was a concern for Kansas City at times, especially in short situations where his power running proved pivotal for first-downs and scores.
The entire league will be concerned about the Chiefs new weapon at wide receiver however, with Xavier Worthy's scintillating speed providing two touchdowns for the reigning champs.
Green Bay Packers (29 vs 34) Philadelphia Eagles
Heartbreak for the team many picked as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, as Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love goes down with an MCL sprain. Fortunately reports suggest an absence closer to a month than the full season, though it is still a costly setback, especially with the Packers starting 0-1.
Philadelphia's new toy behind the ball could be a problem. Saquon Barkley looks every bit as good as in his Giants days and then some, providing problems for the run defense and secondary at Green Bay.
The concerns for Philly still lie in coach/quarterback connection, and how their offense will function without the threat of the tush-push and Jason Kelce at centre.
Pittsburghย Steelers (18 vs 10) Atlanta Falcons
Neither franchise showed a heap to be excited about this season, Justin Fields was solid but not game-changing, going over 200 total yards at a high completion rate. No touchdowns or interceptions but a recovered fumble from the Steelers' new QB.
The Falcons were disappointing given their lofty preseason expectations. 36-year-old Kirk Cousins did not impress in his new colours, throwing two picks with only 155 yards thrown.
Receivers Ray-Ray McCloud and Bijan Robinson were relatively efficient from their 12 combined targets, gaining the bulk of their receiving yards with the latter also carrying the rushing load.
Arizona Cardinals (28 vs 34) Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen might've had the best outing of any QB in week one, with four touchdowns to his stat sheet and over 270 total yards relying on Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir as his top two receiving threats.
We expect the offense in Buffalo to rely solely on their quarterback even more than in previous seasons. This season will be the litmus test to see if his can maintain elite production without star receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.
Arizona's offense looked dynamic at times, Kyler Murray providing a duel pass/rush threat, just not to the levels that we've seen before.
Both sides have work to do on the defensive end.
Tennessee Titans (17 vs 24) Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams' debut produced a range of emotions for Bears fans who were thrilled by the comeback victory but unsatisfied with the performance of their prized pick one at quarterback.
Williams managed just 93 passing yards and 15 rushing in the win, completing less than 50% of this throws to the waiting arms of Keenan Allen and DJ Moore, who accounted for nine of the 14 receptions on offense.
If not for an inexcusable Will Levis prayer picked off by Tyrique Stevenson to basically decide the match, Williams and the Bears may be facing serious heat heading into week two.
New England Patriots (16 vs 10) Cincinnati Bengals
Disaster for Cincinnati, letting Jacoby Brissett and the new-look Patriots scrape home to a low-scoring triumph on their own field.
Joe Burrow's wrist concern continues to worry fans and pundits alike, wondering if the Bengals quarterback can return to his 2022 form this season.
Ja'Marr Chase was still good for 62 yards from his six receptions but there wasn't a whole lot for the Cincinnati faithful to cling to with that performance.
Houston Texans (29 vs 27) Indianapolis Colts
A young QB shoot-out.
CJ Stroud's 234 yards and two TD's through the air were enough for the Texans to win, but not without a fright from long-bombing Colts QB Anthony Richardson, who threw for over 200 from just nine flings, also scoring two touchdowns.
Alec Pierce was a huge deep threat through the Colts' receiving corpse, responsible for 125 yards gained with just three targets.
But the one-two punch for the Texans with Joe Mixon running and Nico Collins catching was a force too powerful to be denied on the day.
Jacksonville Jaguars (17 vs 20) Miami Dolphins
Once again the Dolphins are too strong in the early season heat to be stopped, albeit on this occasion with a last-second field goal.
Not even a heated pre-game run-in with the cops could slow down Tyreek Hill for his first game this season, continuing his ridiculous run of form with 130 yards and an explosive touchdown.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa leads the league for total yards with 338 from week one, helped by his deep threats Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Jacksonville recuit Gabe Davis was productive with 62 yards from his three targets, but there wasn't much for the Jags to celebrate; quarterback Trevor Lawrence showing no sign of taking that leap to becoming an NFL star.
Carolina Panthers (10 vs 47) New Orleans Saints
This was a tough watch; Carolina being trounced by 37 points to Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints.
Far from world-beaters in the NFL, the Saints did as they pleased on offense, bursting out to a 17-point lead in the first term and not looking back. Carr threw for three touchdowns, three Saints rushed for more than 30 yards and eight receivers had a catch.
For the Panthers, Bryce Young struggled - throwing two picks with just 43% completion.
Minnesota Vikings (28 vs 6) New York Giants
Another tough watch, this time for Giants fans seeing Sam Darnold and the Vikings cruise to victory in New York.
Justin Jefferson caught a touchdown and went for nearly 15 yards a catch while defensive end Patrick Jones II did his part with two sacks on the other side.
But it was same old Giants and same old Daniel Jones for New York, the QB throwing two interceptions with no touchdowns scored by the squad.
Las Vages Raiders (10 vs 22) Las Angeles Chargers
A positive start to Jim Harbaugh's Chargers gig, claiming a comfortable win without relying much on Justin Herbert.
Instead, J.K. Dobbins provided much of the offense, rushing for 135 and a touchdown.
Khalil Mack was a constant D-line threat for LA, worrying Raiders' QB Gardner Minshew, who was impressive with his 25 completions, throwing for 257 and a touchdown, but dampened unfortunately by a late turnover to Poona Ford.
Denver Broncos (20 vs 26) Seattle Seahawks
Seattle have plenty to work with this season if week one was any indication.
Geno Smith looks solid throwing and rushing if you're not relying on any QB star-power. Kenneth Walker was exciting in his 103 yard display, rushing for a touchdown while Tyler Lockett provided a strong receiving threat with 77 yards himself.
Mature-aged draft pick Bo Nix struggled in his first QB showing in the big league, throwing two interceptions and only 138 yards, failing to connect with top receiver Courtland Sutton with just four receptions from 12 targets.
Dallas Cowboys (33 vs 17) Cleveland Browns
Not a whole lot to take out of this one, since Dallas will be judged solely for their post-season success, not week one wins.
Dak Prescott was meagre, Ceedee Lamb was pretty good, but the defense was excellent, reaching home six times and reeling in two interceptions.
Deshaun Watson struggled for Cleveland, being yet another QB to throw multiple picks with just over 200 total yards, also being bailed out with a fumble recovery from Joel Bitonio.
Washington Commanders (20 vs 37) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Surprisingly, this was one of the best QB duels of the weekend, with six touchdowns combined and an impressive debut for Jayden Daniels.
Granted, three fumbles for the rookie doesn't help, but a dynamic rushing ability does, Daniels running for 88 yards and two TD's.
Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson look like a decent dual receiving/running threat but it was the Bucs who stormed home in this one.
Baker Mayfield just keeps getting better in Tampa Bay, throwing four week one touchdowns with 310 combined yards and an 80% completion rate.
Mike Evans still has it, while Chris Godwin and Rachaad White provide a nice supporting cast on offense.
Las Angeles Rams (20 vs 26) Detroit Lions
Arguably the game of the weekend behind Chiefs/Ravens, both teams should be optimistic about their 2025 aspirations following this classic.
Lion Jameson Williams may have been the best player on the field, notching up 121 receiving yards and a critical touchdown from five receptions.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford was clinical outside of his rare red-zone pick, throwing for 317 and a touchdown.
He and Cooper Kupp are still the same dynamic duo that won a Super Bowl not long ago, though Puka Nacua will be eagerly anticipating his chance to take the league by storm this season.
New York Jets (19 vs 32) San Fransisco 49ers
Not an ideal start for the Jets and their lofty aspirations this season.
Aaron Rodgers showed he can still throw a pretty ball, but not much else in the defeat, linking up with Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard for some nice catches, but failing to trouble the scorers too much.
Brock Purdy was impressive at the other end, efficiently finding his guys Deebo Samuel and Juan Jennings throughout the match, while Jordan Mason ran amok for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Kicker Jake Moody had a field day booting 6/6 field goals and many from distance.
