The NFL is back.
And after one Sunday, we already have plenty to talk about.
The opening Sunday of the 2026 season delivered blowouts, comebacks, quarterback drama and absolute chaos.
Some contenders looked exactly like contenders.
Others immediately raised questions.
Then, of course, there were the games nobody saw coming.
Caleb Williams and the Bears Make a Statement
The Chicago Bears opened their season by dropping 59 points on the Carolina Panthers.
Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
He also rushed for 65 yards and two scores.
D’Andre Swift added 124 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Chicago finished with 552 total yards.
That is one heck of an opening statement.
The Panthers scored 37 points themselves.
Unfortunately, that still was not remotely enough.
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry Look Terrifying
The Baltimore Ravens might have the NFL’s most frightening offensive combination.
Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards and added a rushing touchdown.
Derrick Henry ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
Baltimore finished with 506 total yards.
Zay Flowers added 150 receiving yards and a touchdown before leaving with a hamstring injury.
The Ravens crushed the Indianapolis Colts 41-23.
If Baltimore stays healthy, good luck stopping that offense.
Josh Allen Does Josh Allen Things
The Buffalo Bills survived the Houston Texans 36-31.
Josh Allen threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns.
He also rushed for two scores.
Allen completed 20 of 29 passes without throwing an interception.
Buffalo needed every bit of it.
The Texans pushed the Bills throughout the afternoon.
C.J. Stroud threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns.
However, Houston lost two fumbles.
The second came with seconds remaining.
Greg Rousseau sacked Stroud and forced the decisive fumble.
That ended Houston’s comeback attempt.
Detroit Somehow Survived New Orleans
The Detroit Lions nearly threw away a 21-point lead.
Instead, they escaped New Orleans 31-30 in overtime.
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 10 passes for 67 yards and two scores.
However, the Saints kept coming.
Tyler Shough threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns.
Chris Olave caught 10 passes for 182 yards.
New Orleans eventually scored in overtime.
Then coach Kellen Moore made the boldest decision of the afternoon.
He went for two.
The conversion failed.
Detroit survived.
The Steelers Begin the Mike McCarthy Era With a Win
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-13.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 221 yards and one touchdown.
However, the defense stole the show.
T.J. Watt intercepted Cooper Rush and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.
Rush threw two interceptions.
Bijan Robinson still produced 173 total yards.
Yet Atlanta repeatedly missed opportunities.
Nick Folk missed two field goals.
Pittsburgh took advantage.
That is exactly how good defensive teams win games.
Trevor Lawrence Finally Gets a Comfortable Start
The Jacksonville Jaguars crushed the Cleveland Browns 34-10.
Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes.
He completed 18 of 23 attempts for 245 yards.
Jacksonville never trailed.
The Browns turned the ball over twice.
Cleveland also committed 11 penalties.
That combination made a comeback nearly impossible.
For Jacksonville, this was the kind of opening statement the franchise needed.
Cincinnati’s Defense Steals the Show
The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27.
Joe Burrow threw for 254 yards and a touchdown.
More importantly, Cincinnati’s defense forced four turnovers.
One fumble recovery became a touchdown.
Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield played well statistically.
He threw for 216 yards without an interception.
The problem was ball security elsewhere.
Four turnovers are difficult to overcome.
Cincinnati did not let the opportunity go to waste.
The Jets Might Be Better Than Expected
The New York Jets beat the Tennessee Titans 23-10.
Geno Smith completed 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards.
Breece Hall added 102 rushing yards and a touchdown.
New York controlled the clock for nearly 39 minutes.
Meanwhile, rookie Cam Ward struggled to create explosive plays.
He finished with 140 passing yards and a touchdown.
The Jets quietly dominated the game.
That could become an interesting team to watch.
The Raiders Get the Kirk Cousins Era Started Right
The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Miami Dolphins 27-13.
Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes in his Raiders debut.
Two went to Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty also rushed for 102 yards.
Las Vegas controlled the clock and consistently moved the football.
Meanwhile, Miami struggled badly on third down.
Malik Willis completed 15 of 27 passes for 220 yards.
He also threw an interception and absorbed five sacks.
That is not the debut Miami wanted.
Then the Giants Took Down Dallas
The New York Giants closed Sunday with a 28-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Jaxson Dart looked remarkably comfortable.
He completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards.
He also rushed for 54 yards.
Isaiah Likely caught two touchdown passes.
John Harbaugh won his Giants debut.
Meanwhile, Dallas struggled to create anything consistently.
The Giants outgained the Cowboys 394-244.
That was not a fluke.
New York simply played better football.
One Sunday, Plenty of Questions
That is what makes the NFL so great.
We already have contenders emerging.
Baltimore looks terrifying.
Buffalo looks dangerous.
Chicago looks explosive.
Detroit survived a scare.
Pittsburgh’s defense looks nasty.
Jacksonville finally looks like it belongs in the conversation.
Meanwhile, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta and Cleveland have plenty to fix.
And we are only one Sunday into the season.
The NFL wasted absolutely no time reminding everyone.
Nothing is predictable.
That is exactly why we watch.
