Week 1 delivered the kind of NFL chaos that makes the first Sunday of the season feel like a holiday. There were shootouts, a few surprises and an overtime finish, but the early headline grabbers were easy to spot: the Bears put up a video-game number, the Giants handled the Cowboys, and Josh Allen came through when Buffalo needed him most.
Chicago’s 59-37 rout of the Panthers was the loudest statement of the day. It made the Bears just the sixth team in league history to score at least 55 points in Week 1, and the damage was mostly done on the ground. Chicago piled up at least 290 rushing yards and six touchdowns, becoming only the second team since 1962 to do it.
That kind of production fits the direction Ben Johnson is trying to push the offense. The Bears were already ninth in scoring last season, only the fourth time in the last 30 years they finished in the top 10. Johnson wants even more.
“I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever,” he told The Athletic last month.
Elsewhere, Minnesota’s quarterback situation got messier when Kyler Murray left in the first quarter with a concussion. Carson Wentz stepped in and did his part, finishing 12-for-19 for 133 yards and three touchdowns, but the bigger story was the way the Vikings closed the game. Their defense tightened up and the offense answered with 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, while the Packers’ last four possessions ended in turnover on downs, a fumble, an interception and another turnover on downs.
That’s where Brian Flores’s group can make a real difference. The defense already finished third in yards allowed and seventh in scoring last season.
The offense doesn’t have to be flashy, but it does need to cut down on the mistakes - especially after posting the league’s worst turnover rate. If that happens, Minnesota can lean on the defense and win enough games to get into the playoffs.
Cleveland, meanwhile, did nothing to quiet the noise around Deshaun Watson. The Browns fell 34-10 to the Jaguars, and Watson’s day was rough from the start.
He went 16-for-22 for 205 yards, was sacked five times, took two delay of game penalties and threw an ugly interception on the fifth snap of the game. By the time Cleveland reached 80 total yards through three quarters, Jacksonville was already ahead 34-3.
The final numbers almost make it sound cleaner than it was.
How many more performances like that will Browns fans be forced to sit through before the team finally admits Watson’s contract is a sunk cost?
There was at least one early sign of life in New York. The Jets beat the Titans 23-10, and Geno Smith wasn’t touched once after taking 55 sacks last season, which tied for the most in the league.
“I don’t think I got touched at all out there and that’s always a great sign,” Smith said. “I thought we ran the ball well, which slowed [Tennessee] down. And then when we needed to pass the ball, I thought the protection was outstanding.”
One win over Tennessee doesn’t turn the Jets into a contender, but it does point to something sturdier than the usual collapse risk. Smith doesn’t have to be spectacular to keep them from spinning out.
The Giants followed later in the day, and their 28-20 win over the Cowboys was as clean as they’ve looked in a long time. They converted 9 of 11 third downs and went 4-for-4 in the red zone.
Even more striking, three of their four touchdown drives lasted at least 10 plays. That had not happened in a game since 2015, and it had not happened in a win since 2008.
It also marked the first time since 2009 that both New York teams opened with a win.
And if Week 1 was any indication, there were already a few individual plays worth circling. Omarion Hampton powered through for a touchdown run where he simply refused to go down.
Bryce Young flashed twice, first by sliding around in the pocket to buy time before a touchdown pass, then by dropping in a perfect deep ball to Jalen Coker for another long score. Tyler Owens turned in an outstanding special teams tackle.
Josh Allen delivered Buffalo’s game-winning touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer, fitting the ball into a tight window and hitting him in stride. Lamar Jackson’s escape from a sack might have been the most absurd of the bunch.
There was also a notable return waiting in the wings, with Patrick Mahomes set to get back on the field nine months after suffering a major knee injury.
In Other News...
Myles Garrett Update Suddenly Raises A Browns Trade Concern
Myles Garretts move to the Rams already gave Cleveland a massive offseason storyline to track, and now the first real wrinkle has arrived. Garrett is dealing with a knee injury that will require arthroscopic surgery, and the expected stint on injured reserve means the Browns will be watching his early months in Los Angeles from a very different angle than they might have imagined when the trade was made.
For Cleveland, the concern goes beyond how Garrett fits with the Rams right away. The Browns have Jared Verse and three future draft picks in the deal, and any injury-related dip in Los Angeles could change the feel of those incoming assets if the Rams stumble while Garrett is sidelined. It is the kind of early trade development that can alter how both teams evaluate the move before the long-term returns even start to come into view. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watson Gave Browns Fans Another Painful Reason To Boil Over
Deshaun Watsons first real game action of the season quickly turned into the kind of afternoon Browns fans have been dreading. Starting at quarterback against Jacksonville in Week 1, he opened with two turnovers and spent part of the early going under heavy pressure, taking multiple sacks while the offense struggled to find anything resembling a rhythm. Even the small details became part of the frustration, including a sideline shot of Watson wiping his visor as Cleveland tried to steady itself.
The Browns were trailing in the first half, and the performance only fed the irritation building around the teams quarterback situation. Watsons limited passing yardage and the turnovers drew plenty of criticism as the game wore on, with fans and commentators alike calling out how flat the offense looked. For a Cleveland team trying to build confidence early, it was another reminder of how quickly the conversation around Watson can turn sour. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Deshaun Watson Question They Cant Ignore
Deshaun Watson was back on the field Sunday for the first time since the Achilles injuries that ended his 2024 season, and the Browns got a reminder of just how much still hangs over their quarterback situation. Watson finished 16 of 22 for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a loss to the Jaguars, but he also took five sacks, a performance that left Cleveland with more questions than answers as it keeps trying to steady the offense.
Todd Monken backed Watson afterward, saying the defeat was not on the quarterback alone and that the team would sort through the film and evaluate everything moving forward. Even so, Monken stopped short of naming Watson the starter for next weeks game against the Buccaneers, a notable pause for a team that has spent months waiting to see what Watson could look like again and still may not be ready to close the book on the discussion. [Read more 🡒]