| Led by 96 points in Chicago-Carolina, 2026 tied the record for most points scored in any Week 1. Bobby Kownack of NFL.com: A 14-year Week 1 record has been matched. Thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos combining for 41 points on Monday night, the opening slate of games for the 2026 season has officially tied the 2012 season’s record for the most Week 1 points scored (791) during the Super Bowl era. Entering Monday’s AFC West showdown, teams had averaged 50.0 combined points per game, per NFL Research, with the Week 1 finale bringing the average down to 49.4. Tying such a mark would’ve been hard to see coming on Wednesday, when the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots kicked off the campaign with a 13-10 defensive battle in a Super Bowl LX rematch. Much of the rest of the weekend, however, took a different path. Offensive explosions proved the norm. Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears dropped 59 points on the Carolina Panthers, the franchise’s most since the 1980 season, and it’s not as if Carolina’s offense was hapless attempting to keep up. The Panthers put 37 on the board, contributing to the highest-scoring Week 1 game (96 combined points) in league history. Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens scored 41 against the Indianapolis Colts, while Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills required a similar output to defeat the Houston Texans, 36-31, a somewhat shocking result, considering DeMeco Ryans’ club hasn’t allowed that many points since his first year leading Houston in 2023. The Jacksonville Jaguars opened a large enough lead that Trevor Lawrence sat out the fourth quarter of a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, and the Minnesota Vikings, who defeated the Green Bay Packers, 39-22, at one point scored 22 points in 2:46 of game time during the fourth quarter. The NFL’s scoring frenzy stands in stark contrast to the commonly held belief that defenses typically begin the season ahead of offenses. |
| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGOVoracious coach Ben Johnson wasn’t satisfied with a mere 59 points scored against the Panthers last week. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: The Bears scored 59 points on Sunday at Carolina. Just one point short of a whopping 60 points. In a Monday interview of coach Ben Johnson on ESPN 1000, Jeff Joniak said this about the 59-37 win over the Bears: “At that point I was hoping for 60. I was thinking a two-point try at some point.” Johnson paused, smiled, and said, “I don’t think you were the only one.” It’s on brand for Johnson. He wants to score a lot of points. He wants to blow teams out. Whenever, wherever, however. Having a shot at getting to 60 is rare. For the 2026 Bears, it may not be. And there’s a good chance that, the next time his team is in striking distance of the number, maybe they will try to get there. The Bears meet the Vikings this week – and Ben Solak of ESPN.com is fascinated by the match-up between Johnson and blitz-happy Vikings DC Brian Flores: Two heinous crimes were committed Sunday by two of football nerddom’s favorite coaches. Let’s start with Johnson. The Bears scored 59 points against the Panthers, which is like if you scored 50 points, and then decided to score nine more points. Both running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai reached 100 yards and scored two touchdowns, and quarterback Caleb Williams added another two scores on scrambles of his own. And for those tracking Williams’ accuracy metrics: 72.4% completion percentage with an off-target rate of only 13.8%. Everything worked for the Bears’ offense, which barely left first gear against the Panthers. The Bears will face far stiffer competition in Week 2 against the Vikings and Flores, who rendered an unbelievable performance against the Packers in Week 1. The Vikings blitzed Jordan Love on 73.8% of his dropbacks Sunday — the highest rate at which any quarterback has been blitzed since the 2023 season. The Packers were in a difficult position entering the game; starting left guard Aaron Banks was hurt, and the camp campaign to build up Anthony Belton at the starting right guard spot was abandoned late in the process. The Packers fielded 2024 fifth-round pick Jacob Monk at right guard and 2024 undrafted free agent Donovan Jennings at left guard. It was Jennings’ first career start and Monk’s second. In an effort to insulate the young guards, the Packers kept more players in to block than basically any offense over the past few seasons. Love had three or fewer receivers in the route concept on an astonishing 15 dropbacks. Only three quarterbacks have had more such dropbacks over the past five seasons. Flores has little interest in occupying those routes with multiple defenders — he’d rather throw bodies against the wall of your pass protection and find a weak point. Like water against a dam, it didn’t really matter how many players the Packers kept in to protect — if there was a weak point (which there often was), Flores had a rusher in that spot. His distinctive approach to early-down blitzing breaks the rules. It forces opposing offenses to play a different sport than the one for which they’re prepared against other opponents. But Johnson knows Flores well. He called offense against him as the coordinator of the Lions — twice in 2023, twice in 2024 — then picked up another two games in 2025 as the head coach of the Bears. Across six matchups, Johnson’s team is 5-1 — the only loss was last season’s opener and Williams’ first start in Johnson’s offense. Over those six games, Johnson’s offense doesn’t look like a 59-point monster … but it’s clearly better than the average offense against the marauding Vikings coordinator. Offenses vs. Flores’ defense, 2023-26 All teams Johnson’s teams (Six games)EPA per play minus-0.04 0.07Success rate 41.8% 45.9%Points per drive 1.77 2.32Explosive pass rate 12.7% 15.3%First down + TD rate 27.8% 36.9% So what does Johnson do that other teams can’t replicate? A few things stick out. The first is communication. Flores’ defense requires as much pre-snap coordination between 11 players as any in football — that’s why Harrison Smith is back and so valuable. He can be the coach on the field, changing the playcall after the defense sees the formation. Johnson rises to meet Flores. His offense is as communication-heavy as any in the league, and his group is empowered to make adjustments based on what it sees. Flores wants to get opposing offenses stuck in a bad protection look or run call; Johnson’s groups are elite at getting out of such sticky wickets. Williams’ pre-snap command, which has reportedly taken big strides through Year 1 and into Year 2 with Johnson, will be tested here. To challenge Flores’ reliance on communication, Johnson will randomly snap the football quickly — no motion, no checking. Immediate snaps. The Bears had 19 quick snaps against the Vikings in Week 11 — snaps in which less than two seconds elapse between the line getting set and the ball being snapped. It was the most they had in any game last season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Second most? The 17 such snaps in Week 1 … also against Flores. The second thing that sticks out is formational. The Lions loved condensed sets under Johnson, and the Bears have continued that approach. Condensed sets are typically a bad idea against blitz-heavy teams. When you spread out the field, it’s easier to identify suspicious defensive alignment that reveals who’s blitzing from where. Against Flores and the Vikings, there’s no point in trying to riddle things out — the blitzes are too frequent and too varied. You’ll think you’re right, you’ll actually be wrong, and then you’ll be dead in the water. So Johnson turns into the skid. He gets as condensed as possible against Flores. In 2025, no offense had more condensed formations in any game than the Bears in Week 11 against the Vikings, with an average formational width of only 17.7 yards. Teeny tiny formations allow Johnson to throw the ball on out-breakers into a ton of space, to stress the Vikings’ cornerbacks who are typically insulated by trap coverages and quick throws. It also allows Johnson to meet Flores’ duplicity and disguise with the beautiful simplicity of the running game. With lighter players such as Joshua Metellus and Dallas Turner on the edge against double-teams from extra tight ends and condensed wide receivers, the Bears can grind out physical yardage and set up the play-action pass. Does Flores have an answer to this approach? Yes … but not on the chalkboard. The Vikings’ first three picks in the 2026 draft were trench picks: defensive tackle Caleb Banks in the first round, on/off-ball linebacker hybrid Jake Golday in the second round and another defensive tackle in the third round in space-gobbler Domonique Orange. Any defense that plays in a division with the Bears needs to be serious about its run defense — doubly true for Flores, who will never get to third-and-long against Chicago unless he has some run-stuffing hog mollies up front to slow down Swift and Monangai. Johnson won Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024. Second place in voting was Flores. When Flores was a young defensive assistant cutting his teeth in New England, Johnson was doing the same in Miami on offense — twice a year, they saw each other. These two have circled their matchups like heavyweight fighters for years now, and on Sunday, we get another 90-minute dance in the ring. Bring your popcorn. |
| GREEN BAYRB JOSH JACOBS seems to be going hard at keeping the video of his assault of his former girlfriend sealed and out of the hands of NFL Justice. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com is suspicious. Previously, lawyers representing Packers running back Josh Jacobs filed a motion seeking to keep evidence in his criminal case from being released to the public. The victim in the case has now done the same thing. But while the current order is temporary in nature, the new motion filed on behalf of Jacobs’s former girlfriend seeks to have the evidence in the case — including a key video — permanently sealed. Via Rob Demovsky of ESPN, her lawyers said Tuesday that the motion “is consistent with our client’s desire to protect her privacy.” The motion complicates the NFL’s effort to obtain the video. On Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said that the league is “trying all sorts of legal maneuvers” to get the video. One fairly direct maneuver would be to file an opposition to the motion, with a request for a limited opportunity to inspect the video subject to the requirements of a strict and comprehensive confidentiality order. And the league should ask Jacobs to join in the effort. Common sense suggests that the harder Jacobs tries to keep the league from seeing the video, the worse to his ongoing career it may be. If the league decides to take an aggressive approach to the situation, the league could tell Jacobs that he’ll remain on paid leave until the league processes his disciplinary case — and that the case won’t be processed until the NFL sees the video. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| ATLANTAInteresting phraseology about QB MICHAEL PENIX, Jr. here in this discussion of the Atlanta QB situation from Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com: Fowler: Kevin Stefanski has seen it all at quarterback, but at least his signal-callers in Cleveland mostly stayed out of the training room. Tua Tagovailoa’s body seems to be betraying him at an inopportune time. The Falcons’ best option remains third-year man Michael Penix Jr., but he’s not yet ready for live game action. Penix wants to be fully confident before stepping onto the fieldfollowing left ACL surgery in November. And my understanding is the Falcons are leaving the comfort level part of his recovery up to him. Tagovailoa’s injury, an oblique strain, can linger, which puts his Week 2 status up in the air. So, Cooper Rush starting another week wouldn’t be shocking. What helps Tagovailoa’s case is his accuracy, which Stefanski highly values. If Tagovailoa’s body doesn’t totally break down in the short term and he can return before Penix is ready, perhaps Tagovailoa can provide a spark. Graziano: Penix is coming off his third ACL reconstruction, which is a lot of ACL reconstructions. I believe it takes a lot of mental work to convince yourself it’s OK to go back out there and play. If Penix needs more time, I’m sure the Falcons will give it to him, though I believe we will see him on the field at some point this season. The Falcons are going to want to know whether he is a real long-term option moving forward. My sense is Tagovailoa was the favorite to start at the beginning of camp even when Penix was healthy but that Tagovailoa didn’t perform the way the team had hoped he would. That has turned things into a confusing mess. Fowler: That two-week stretch, from the second preseason game rolling into the joint practice with the Colts, was rough for Tagovailoa. The schedule provides another wrinkle. Atlanta will play on Thursday night in Week 3, so even if Penix is close, that might not be the best week to reacclimate him. |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONAQB JACOBY BRISSETT is quietly on a statistical tear. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: In Week 6 of last season, Jacoby Brissett started for the Cardinals for the first time in place of an injured Kyler Murray. What Brissett has done since then is something no one would have expected: Brissett has led the NFL in passing yards. After his 277-yard game in Sunday’s win over the Chargers, Brissett now has 3,643 passing yards in 13 games since becoming the Cardinals’ starter. That’s the most of any quarterback in the league during that time. Brissett ranks ahead of Jared Goff (3,583 yards), Dak Prescott (3,371 yards) and Matthew Stafford (3,359 yards), who are the quarterbacks with the next-most passing yards since Week 6 of last season. Although the Cardinals were not a good football team down the stretch last year, Brissett has played well, completing 65.6 percent of his passes, with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Brissett won’t have an easy task on Sunday, with the Seahawks coming to Arizona, but after the Cardinals’ upset of the Chargers on Sunday, this Cardinals team may be better than people think, with a quarterback who’s better than people think. |
| SEATTLEQB SAM DARNOLD is not on IR, yet – but the timeline for his return seems to be lengthening. During a Tuesday appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” program, league insider Mike Garafolo offered an update on the Darnold situation. “From my understanding,” Garafolo said about Darnold, “you’re looking at about a four-week return to play. Could potentially be a little bit sooner than that. But a very unique soft-tissue glute injury is my understanding and the Seahawks’ understanding, as well. So looking like the timeline’s gonna be right in line with a couple of weeks here for Sam Darnold. But return to play in the near future.” More on the Seattle QB situation from Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com: Fowler: In Seattle, it’s clear Sam Darnold will miss this week and possibly Week 3. But the Seahawks have refrained from putting him on short-term injured reserve, which is a good sign. The team seems confident that Drew Lock is plug and play until Darnold returns. Graziano: Yeah, Seattle believes Lock can handle it, so he’s the guy there for the foreseeable future. I’m personally interested to see whether they put in anything specific for Jalen Milroe in terms of plays or packages that take advantage of his running ability and maybe give their offense a little bit extra juice. Why not, if Milroe is going to be active anyway as the second quarterback? |
| AFC WEST |
| DENVERWhat exactly happened with Drew Brees prior to the AFC Championship Game? And could it be construed as tampering? Mike Florio: On Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Broncos talked to quarterback Drew Brees about joining the team for the AFC Championship, without acknowledging that Brees’s status on the Saints’ reserve-retired list made the move impossible. What is possible, based on Schefter’s report, is a tampering case against the Broncos. Schefter reported that former Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and former Broncos offensive assistant Pete Carmichael spoke to Brees about a potential unretirement. Brees has since told Ed Werder that the former Saints assistants contacted Brees about the possibility. On Tuesday, Broncos coach Sean Payton offered a different version regarding who called whom. “Drew had reached out, I think, right after the championship or right after the playoff win against Buffalo,” Payton told reporters. “I think he called Pete, probably texted Pete or Joe, those guys. None of it even came to my attention. So, when the story came up in Canton, I kept thinking they were just talking about the COVID season. Even in the COVID season when he and I discussed possibly coming back for a Monday night game, he had trouble throwing it. So, I don’t think really anything really came of it. I think in Drew’s mind, there’s that competitor in him. So, I was kind of out of the loop. I don’t think it’s a big story, but nonetheless, certainly one that once they described it to me, it just never got to my level, I guess. He had reached out to Pete, I think, and then Joe.” Payton is smart. Very smart. The last thing he needs is the league office thinking the Broncos reached out to a player who is technically under contract with the Saints, without permission from the Saints. Even if the Saints don’t file a tampering complaint, the league can act without one. For example, the NFL whacked the Dolphins in 2022 for tampering after it stumbled over evidence that Miami had tampered with Payton and Tom Brady while investigating an unrelated matter. And while it technically doesn’t matter if Lombardi and/or Carmichael contacted Brees or Brees contacted them, the situation has a different vibe if someone from the Broncos made the first move without first realizing that Brees wasn’t and isn’t a free agent. Time will tell if the league does anything about it. The Broncos’ effort to recast the interaction as being initiated by Brees suggests that, at some level, the Broncos are concerned about coming under the inconsistent and unpredictable scrutiny of Big Shield. |
| KANSAS CITYRB KENNETH WALKER is a dog – at least in terms of his nickname. NFL.com: Walker’s physicality, ability to break tackles, and home-run capacity were game-changers for an offense that previously leaned too heavily on Patrick Mahomes making magic. “I told you all, literally, like first press conference. Y’all were asking, what’s the difference with our offense? And I said, K9. Like, it’s just that simple,” Mahomes said after the win, via the team’s official transcript. “It’s the way he’s able to run the ball, catch the ball. I threw a little hot to him there on that read that was probably going to be a big play but it’s just a special ability to run the ball tough between the tackles and then when he does bounce it, he has the speed to go all the way and so we’ll utilize him.” Here’s a stat: Walker’s 173 rushing yards were also the most by any player in a game started by Mahomes. |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSJeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com assess the mental state of the Chargers: Fowler: The Chargers’ panic meter will rise if they lose to the Raiders this week. Arizona was deemed terrible in the preseason, but the Cardinals are more respectable than that, particularly on offense. So, the Chargers’ defense gets a mulligan after seeing the Cards in the opener. It’s a veteran group that should improve. The bigger concern is how the Bolts’ offense looked after wide receiver Ladd McConkey left the game with a rib injury. McConkey and Justin Herbert showed easy chemistry in that first half. They need McConkey, who is listed as day-to-day, to work his way back or concerns about the offensive attack will mushroom. I’m expecting a better running game from Los Angeles in Week 2 as it tries to find some continuity with the offensive line. Graziano: McConkey is a great player, but the game plan falling apart completely once he exited makes it seem as if it was flimsy to begin with. Where are the smart, creative run plays Mike McDaniel was calling last season in Miami? Wasn’t running back Omarion Hampton supposed to explode in this scheme? Wasn’t the wide receiver group supposed to be deep with talent? Were the Chargers gaslighting us all summer? This was so far off our expectations for the Herbert-McDaniel pairing that you have to wonder whether L.A. took the Cardinals seriously enough. But you’re absolutely right, Jeremy. The Chargers need to beat the Raiders this week and look good doing it or we’re going to wonder if it was all hype. Being 0-2 and looking up at the 2-0 Raiders in the AFC West standings would not feel good for a team that had the preseason hopes the Chargers held. But Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby isn’t going to make life any easier on that offensive line, which struggled with protection in the first game. |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMOREWrist surgery, and we would presume IR, for rookie WR JA’KOBI LANE per Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.com: @mzenitz#Ravens promising rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) is currently expected to undergo surgery in the coming days, potentially as soon as tomorrow, sources tell @CBSSports The current hope, per sources, is for him to be able to return in around a month.– – -RB DERRICK HENRY’s big start in Week 1 gets Bryan DeArdo of CBSSports.comwondering how high he can rise on the NFL’s all-time rushing list before he hangs it up. Emmitt Smith has held one of sports’ most prestigious records since 2002, when he broke Walter Payton’s 16,726-yard rushing record, set in 1984. Smith stretched the record to 18,355 yards before retiring after the 2004 season. No one has seriously come close to matching Smith. Frank Gore, who broke into the NFL a year after Smith retired, came closest this century with 16,000 rushing yards. The only current back that has a legitimate chance to eventually catch Smith is Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who is currently 10th all-time with 13,162 yards. While Henry still has a ways to go, Smith feels that Henry could make a strong chase at his record and could possibly surpass him as the NFL’s career rushing king. “Oh yeah, I think it’s possible,” Smith recently said. “Derrick Henry is a bigger back. He takes good care of his body. He’s in great shape. Y’all don’t know this, but Derrick Henry broke my high school record. He broke my state high school record. So I believe he can do it again.” Can Henry break Smith’s record? While Henry has the best chance of any current running back to eventually break Smith’s record, it’s anything but a sure thing. Henry is currently 5,193 yards from matching Smith’s record. For him to pass Smith, Henry either needs three seasons of at least 1,731 rushing yards or four years of roughly 1,300 yards. Since 2018, Henry has averaged 1,473 rushing yards per season. That stretch included a 2,000-yard season (in 2020) and the greatest season for a running back in NFL history over the age of 30 in 2024, when he ran for 1,921 yards. Last season, Henry ran for an impressive 1,595 yards, the third-most-prolific season for an age-31 running back in league history, behind only Curtis Martin (2004) and Tiki Barber (2006). Henry showed no signs of slowing down in Week 1. In addition to rushing for 144 yards, Henry scored three touchdowns while moving into third all-time in career touchdown runs. Despite being 32 (the age when most running backs are either already retired or in steep decline), Henry continues to play at an extremely high level. That will have to continue if he has a chance to break Smith’s record. While extremely rare, a running back continuing to pile up big numbers in his mid-30s has happened before. John Riggins, whose uniform the Commanders will retire this season, ran for 1,347 yards in his age-34 season and 1,239 yards in his age-35 season. It should be noted that Riggins took a year off during his prime and starred during a nine-game, strike-shortened season, so Riggins’ success late in his career was at least partly a byproduct of less wear and tear earlier in his career. Henry has displayed incredible longevity and, as Smith alluded to, takes exceptionally good care of himself, which is undoubtedly a reason for his sustained success. That said, Henry will need a truly historic run to catch Smith. At this point, given how many yards Henry still needs, the odds of him eventually passing Smith are slim, though not certainly impossible. Other milestones Henry can reach Smith aside, Henry has a chance to pass several other NFL icons in the record books this season. On the all-time rushing list, Henry is 98 yards from passing Eric Dickerson, 501 yards from passing Jerome Bettis, 523 yards from passing LaDainian Tomlinson, and 940 yards from passing Curtis Martin, who is currently sixth on the all-time list. Barring injury, Henry should pass each of these Hall of Fame running backs in 2026. Next season, Henry should be in position to pass Adrian Peterson (14,918 yards) and Barry Sanders (15,269 yards) on the all-time list. If he does that, Henry would enter the 2028 season trailing only Smith, Payton and Gore on the all-time list. In career touchdown runs, Henry trails only Smith (164 touchdowns) and Tomlinson (145). It’s very possible that Henry passes Tomlinson this season and will only have Smith ahead of him entering the 2027 season. What does this mean for Henry’s legacy? Henry’s future spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is already secure and has been for some time. Of the eligible running backs with 12,000 career rushing yards, every one of them is in the Hall of Fame. Henry will join them in Canton, Ohio, as soon as he is eligible. Everything he does now is icing on the cake. Henry is also chasing Emmitt Smith for the record for most rushing yards at all levels HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE & NFL RUSHING YARDSEmmitt Smith 31,087DERRICK HENRY 28,877 That’s 2,210 yards for Henry to equal Smith. Sometime in the middle of 2027 would be the projection with health. |
| CLEVELANDJeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com are perplexed by some things in Cleveland: I was surprised Cleveland didn’t play better under Todd Monken. Maybe I shouldn’t have been since the offense is so young (six first- or second-year starters). But the 60-year-old Monken has waited decades for this opportunity, and his entire team was flat in Jacksonville. The outcry from fans will only intensify if quarterback Deshaun Watson plays poorly again. Graziano: It’s hard for me to be surprised when someone who insists on starting Watson at quarterback in 2026 doesn’t have success. There are some things to like about Cleveland’s roster, and I believe Monken knows how to coach, but the Browns aren’t going anywhere with Watson. Until they admit that and make a change, I don’t see how things can improve. Just horrendous vibes all the way around. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| HOUSTONAmidst the rubble of having their supposedly great defense torched by QB JOSH ALLEN and the Bills, Ben Solak of ESPN.com saw reason to think the changes the Texans made on offense will bear the fruit of victory: The Texans’ defense was a machine last season, and it entered 2026 with all of the Super Bowl hype. Houston just needed an offense that could do enough to win those games in which the defense struggled. Sunday was one such game. The Texans gave up 36 points to the Bills and lost. So did the offense fail to clear its low bar? Technically, yes. But I think the underlying signs were encouraging. In the first game of Nick Caley’s second season as the Texans’ offensive coordinator, Houston was efficient. Explosiveness has never been an issue for C.J. Stroud-led offenses, but efficiency has been a problem. Against the Bills in a Week 1 loss, the Texans had an offensive success rate of 45.7% — the ninth-best Stroud start. They had a first-down conversion rate — how many of their first-and-10s became a new first-and-10 or a touchdown — of 78.1%, the sixth-best Stroud start. Despite all of the offseason discussion around Stroud, the Texans’ spike in Week 1 efficiency was not about the quarterback at all — it was about the running game. With new running back David Montgomery and offseason additions Keylan Rutledge and Evan Brown along the offensive line, the Texans had a 60% success rate on runs between the tackles against the Bills, their second-best number in Stroud’s career. On third/fourth down with 2 or fewer yards to go, the Texans had six runs and five conversions — they hadn’t had more than three in a game since 2023. Over the past three seasons combined, they were 25th in first-down rate and 28th in stuff rate in the same context. They couldn’t reliably get to a new set of downs. Now they can. The presence of a functional running game is radically new. Houston ranked 31st in rushing success rate and EPA per rush over the past three seasons combined. It keeps Stroud from feeling as if he needs to make every play a haymaker, which draws out the worst of his play, as we saw last postseason. It also slows down the pass rush. Stroud was pressured on 21.4% of his dropbacks Sunday, per NFL Next Gen Stats. The fourth-year quarterback still committed two brutal mistakes on pressured dropbacks — a strip sack in his own territory that set up a Bills field goal and the strip sack to end the game. The Texans paid for right guard Ed Ingram largely because of his impact as a run blocker … but he gave up the first-and-goal quick pressure to Deone Walker that set the Texans behind the sticks. With Braden Smith hurt, Trent Brown manned the right tackle spot — another superior run blocker to pass protector. He gave up the quick pressure to Greg Rousseau that ended the game. The Texans draw a Bengals team in Week 2 that, like the Bills, wants to play from two-high shells and drop into zone coverage. Buffalo forced two turnovers by Houston; Cincinnati took four from Tampa Bay in Week 1. If Houston continues to struggle with pass protection and ball security on key passing downs, the improvements in the running game won’t mean much. But for the bulk of that game, Stroud looked like his old self: calm, poised and aggressive. He drilled a beautiful touchdown to Nico Collins in the middle of the field in a play that was emblematic of much of his outing; Stroud threw 50.0% in-breaking routes against Buffalo, more than any other quarterback in Week 1. If Stroud can be the playmaker with his arm that he has been for much of his career in tandem with a more effective running game, the Texans should have the offense they’ve long needed to pair with their elite defense — a balanced approach that gives them ability to hang in shootouts with the league’s best offenses. Buffalo was the first test of that. Cincinnati is another great offense with a gettable defense. Bengals QB Joe Burrow has a wicked quick time to throw — over 70% of his passes were out in under 2.5 seconds against the Buccaneers. That quick game will neutralize the Texans’ pass rush some, and Houston’s offense will again be called upon to pick up some of the slack. It was nine yards away from answering the call in Week 1, and I find myself full of belief it will answer the call in Week 2 and the games to come. |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALOCoach Joe Brady sees no problems with the field as the regular season opener at Hallmark Stadium is this week. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The condition of the playing field at the new Highmark Stadium became a talking point after the Bills played their first preseason game at the building this summer. Some players aired concerns about the size and frequency of divots that came up during the course of play, which led the Bills to replace the field ahead of Thursday night’s inaugural regular season game against the Lions. The Bills worked out at the stadium on Tuesday and head coach Joe Brady said that the team will not go into the game with reservations about the condition of the field. “I really don’t have many concerns with it,” Brady said, via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. “There wasn’t a lot of concerns with it the first go around with it in terms of there was stuff that was moving. I credit our leadership that I understand that they want to have the best surface out there and be able to make the decision and kind of go with it. But, yeah there’ll be no concerns come Thursday. Our guys are excited just to be on grass.” Linebacker Greg Rousseau agreed with Brady’s closing statement and said he believes “it’ll be smooth” based on Tuesday’s experience. The Bills will be hoping that’s the case so they can avoid the playing surface overshadowing anything about the game itself in the aftermath of the home opener.– – -Ben Solak sees TE DALTON KINCAID emerging, with the added bonus of being able to run wide receiver routes: The Bills made waves when they traded a second-round pick for Bears receiver DJ Moore. And Moore made waves in his first game with Josh Allen: five catches, 100 yards and a score — not to mention a 46-yard pass interference penalty he drew that set the Bills up at the 1-yard line. But Moore wasn’t Buffalo’s leading receiver in the win over the Texans. It was Kincaid with five receptions for 130 yards. It was the most receiving yards of his career and the most in a game for any Bills tight end since 1967. It’s easy to forget how high the Bills’ hopes were for Kincaid when they drafted him at No. 25 in 2023. We were in the throes of the flex tight end revolution thanks to a few historically productive years from the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, who finished the 2022 season third among all players in total receptions and eighth in total yards. Mark Andrews was the primary pass catcher for another AFC contender in Baltimore. The Bills wanted some of that. Kincaid was not an immediate success, which glared relative to the rookie sensations of Kyle Pitts Sr. (2021) and Sam LaPorta (2023). We used to say tight ends took time to develop. But if rookies were hitting faster … why did Kincaid have only 1,100 yards and four touchdowns across his first two seasons as a pro? Whatever the reason, Kincaid’s 2024 season was impeded by a PCL injury in Week 10. He played 66.6% of the team’s snaps in the weeks before the injury and 43.2% in the games after he returned. That number was even lower (38.8%) in the 2025 season, when Kincaid was limited because that PCL continued to cause him issues. After a full offseason to recover, he entered the 2026 season unabated. One week down, one week healthy. Kincaid played 72% of the offensive snaps in Week 1, his most in a game since Week 9 of 2024 — the game before his PCL tear. The Bills had at least two tight ends on the field for 50% of their snaps, fourth among league offenses in Week 1. Only these multi-TE sets … are not multi-TE formations. Kincaid is truly a big receiver by both alignment and usage. He was in a tight end alignment on only three of his 22 routes (13.6%). Only the Panthers’ Darren Waller and the Bengals’ Mike Gesicki — both of whom played half as many snaps — were detached from the tackle more often in Week 1. No tight end took a greater number of snaps out wide than Kincaid’s 15. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| IMPACT ARRIVALSEva Geitheim of SI.com spots 10 players new to their teams who impacted in Week 1 even as some big names headed to IR: The first week of the 2026 NFL season not only allowed teams to finally take the field again, but to show off their new players and signings. Despite the much-anticipated debuts of the three biggest offseason additions—Myles Garrett, A.J. Brown and Kyler Murray—all three players were limited due to injury. Other big-name free-agency signings such as Romeo Doubs, Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne Jr. also didn’t shine in their first games with a new team. It’s only Week 1, so there is still plenty of time for those top names to rebound over the remainder of the season. In the meantime, here’s a look at 10 offseason additions that did impress during their debuts. This list is taking a look at players acquired in free agency or via trade, not rookies in the draft. DJ Moore, WR, BillsAfter they had struggled in recent matchups against the Texans, the Bills’ offense was explosive against Houston on Sunday, racking up 36 points and 409 yards of offense. One reason for the improvement? The addition of DJ Moore. The Bills’ prior lack of top-end receivers made it hard for them to challenge the Texans’ defense, but with Moore—and tight end Dalton Kincaid being healthy—they were able to create big plays in the passing game and score 36 points. Case in point, Moore averaged 20 yards per catch as he hauled in five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Bills had to pay a steep trade price to land Moore (a second-round pick for Moore and a fifth), but if he continues to have this positive of an impact on the passing game, it will be well worth the cost. Kenneth Walker III, RB, ChiefsAfter struggling to run or commit to running the ball in recent years, the Chiefs debuted a new approach in their Monday Night Football matchup against the Broncos by running the ball heavily to start the game. The Chiefs began the game with four consecutive runs by free-agent addition and Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III, who quickly proved to be their best skill-position player. Walker was dominant, running the ball seven times on that first touchdown drive and finishing the game with 23 rushes for a career-high 171 yards and two total touchdowns, including a 60-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1. Mike Evans, WR, 49ersWhile there was much chatter leading into the 49ers-Rams game about the Rams’ marquee acquisitions of Garrett and corner Trent McDuffie, it was the 49ers’ offseason additions that starred. That starts with Mike Evans, who caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. His stats aren’t nearly as gaudy as a number of other receivers put up in Week 1, but his ability to haul in passes on third down proved clutch for the 49ers. The highlight of his day, though, came when he caught a fade in the end zone over Jaylen Watson for a touchdown. Evans has the size and unique skill set to haul in that kind of contested catch, something the 49ers have lacked in recent memory. Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, 49ersEvans wasn’t the only 49ers addition that made an impact in Melbourne. So did Deebo Samuel Sr., who returned to San Francisco as a late offseason addition after spending the 2025 season with the Commanders. Samuel looked fresh wearing the red and gold again, catching six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown and recording a 12-yard carry. With Ricky Pearsall out for the season and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling dealing with a deltoid sprain, Samuel is a great complimentary piece for the 49ers offense. Isaiah Likely, TE, GiantsHeading into the season, one of the top questions for the Giants was whom could they count on in the passing game outside of Malik Nabers. In Week 1, the answer was tight end Isaiah Likely, one of several former Ravens that followed coach John Harbaugh to New York. Likely led the Giants in receiving in his debut, hauling in eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants walloped the Cowboys 28–20. Dontayvion Wicks, WR, EaglesWith the Eagles having traded Brown to the Patriots, their addition of Dontayvion Wicks looks good. Jalen Hurts connected with Wicks twice for 73 yards and a touchdown, including a 64-yard reception. Outside of longtime Eagles DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, Wicks was Hurts’s most reliable weapon in their win over the Commanders. Za’Darius Smith, DE, FalconsAfter retiring in the middle of last season as several members of his family dealt with health issues, Za’Darius Smith decided to return this year and signed with the Falcons in August. Despite playing just 16 snaps, the 12-year veteran made a notable impact for Atlanta by sacking Aaron Rodgers twice. The Falcons are missing two of their best pass rushers with Jalon Walker out for the year with a torn ACL and James Pearce Jr. serving a suspension, making Smith an especially nice late offseason pickup for the Falcons’ pass rush rotation. Nakobe Dean, LB, RaidersThe Raiders made a number of signings to improve their defense in free agency this offseason, including bringing in linebacker Nakobe Dean, who shined in their win over the Dolphins on Sunday. Dean tied for the team lead in tackles with six while also recording a sack and a forced fumble. Bryan Cook, S, Bengals The Bengals’ top offseason move was trading for Dexter Lawrence II, but one of their biggest splash plays defensively on Sunday came from safety Bryan Cook, who signed with Cincinnati after four seasons in Kansas City. He forced one of the Bengals’ four fumbles in the game, and also recovered a fumble as Cincinnati earned a 33–27 win in the season opener. Nick Cross, S, CommandersThe biggest highlight of the Commanders’ defense was rookie Sonny Styles knocking Saquon Barkley to the ground en route to his first career sack, but several other additions made key contributions for Washington’s revamped defense. This includes safety Nick Cross, who led the team with eight tackles. He made a number of important tackles in the game, including in run defense and on a tackle for loss on a screen pass. |
