There were three weeks of preseason. There were two mid-week games to kick things off. But nothing hits quite like the first Sunday of Week 1.
Read more Investigation continues a week after deadly Amazon cargo plane crash at MIA
The NFL season began in earnest with a full slate of games on Sept. 13 — eight games in the early window and four more in the late afternoon.
So, who stood out in the opening games? What teams and players fell flat? And what can we take away from the first full slate of 2026?
Here are the winners and losers from Week 1:
WINNER: Shootout in Charlotte
A track meet broke out at Bank of America Stadium between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.
There were 96 points scored, including 55 in the first half, as the Bears pulled away for the 59-37 win in the highest-scoring Week 1 game ever. In the first game of head coach Ben Johnson’s second season, quarterback Caleb Williams looked more confident than ever before. He was 21 of 29 for 269 yards and four total touchdowns, including two improbable touchdown scrambles where he navigated traffic to score.
It wasn’t an easy win for Chicago, though, because its defense couldn’t stop Bryce Young and Co. until late. In a similar story as last season, turnovers were the difference-maker for the Bears. The unit forced three takeaways despite allowing 7.7 yards per play. Young finished 23 of 37 for 361 yards, four total touchdowns (one rushing) and an interception.
LOSER: Texans defense implodes
Josh Allen made one of the best defenses in the NFL look like one of the worst in Week 1.
The Buffalo Bills defeated the Houston Texans 36-31, with the former MVP totaling 324 passing yards and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). Allen led the Bills on a game-winning drive after the Texans’ Kamari Lassiter dropped a potential game-ending interception, connecting with Joshua Palmer for a 34-yard go-ahead score.
C.J. Stroud had a chance at redemption in the final minute, leading the Texans to within scoring range before a strip-sack with nine seconds left sealed the game. Stroud went 26 of 38 for 274 yards and two touchdowns, but his two lost fumbles will be remembered. Houston’s much-hyped defense didn’t help him though, allowing its most points in a game since 2023.
WINNER: Bengals’ new-look defense
There have been two questions for the Bengals at the start of every recent season. First, is Joe Burrow going to stay healthy? And second, is the defense going to be able to stop anybody?
Well, the defense made an emphatic statement in Week 1 to try to answer that second question. Al Golden’s unit had perhaps its best game of the Burrow era, forcing four turnovers and sacking Baker Mayfield four times in a 33-27 victory.
Read more Man critical after being shot in West Perrine, deputies say
The important part of this win for the Bengals was that they did it without Burrow being excellent. He was solid (25 of 35, 254 yards), but a pick-6 in the fourth quarter made things closer than they should’ve been. Baker Mayfield just couldn’t keep hold of the ball, losing three fumbles in the sloppy loss.
LOSER: Second-year quarterbacks, Cam Ward
The second season for Cam Ward and Tyler Shough got off to ugly starts in Tennessee and New Orleans. One of them turned things around late, though.
For the Titans, the former No. 1 overall pick took care of the ball but just couldn’t move it down the field. Ward ended up 19 of 32 for 140 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, as Tennessee mustered just 10 points in a 23-10 defeat to the New York Jets. Former Jets coach Robert Saleh, in his debut for the Titans, couldn’t contain his old team on the ground (155 rushing yards) in the lopsided contest.
At Ford Field, the Detroit Lions forced three turnovers of Shough and sacked him five times. The Saints ended up losing 31-30, making a late comeback that fell short in overtime. After falling behind 21-0, Shough led four straight scoring drives to force the extra period. They scored to match the Lions in OT, but failed on a game-winning two-point conversion. Shough finished with 410 passing yards on 56 attempts in a thriller.
WINNER: New era for Ravens and Steelers
It’s been decades since the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers had new head coaches. The new era for both rivals started with victories in Week 1.
Jesse Minter’s first game as a head coach got off to a slow start, with his defense allowing an opening-drive score to the Indianapolis Colts. But the Ravens quickly turned things around on both sides of the ball. Lamar Jackson (324 passing yards) and Derrick Henry (3 touchdowns) dominated on offense, and the defense forced two turnovers to secure the 41-23 road win in the first game without John Harbaugh coaching since 2007.
Mike McCarthy, taking over for Mike Tomlin after 19 years, didn’t have his team looking quite as sharp as the Ravens in Week 1 — but it was enough to win. The Steelers suffocated the Falcons in the 20-13 victory, with third-string quarterback Cooper Rush unable to move the ball for Atlanta. T.J. Watt essentially sealed the game in the fourth quarter with an impressive pick-6.
LOSER: Deshaun Watson
This starting job won’t be Deshaun Watson’s for long, right?
Fans in Cleveland should feel justified after criticizing the decision to start Watson in Week 1. The veteran quarterback stumbled out of the gates, with an interception on the opening drive, a narrowly-avoided pick in the next drive and a fumble (which he recovered) in the third drive.
Watson ended up going 16 of 22 for 205 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, with most of that production coming on a 46-yard touchdown in the final minutes. It was 24-0 at halftime, and Trevor Lawrence dominated the start of his second season with head coach Liam Coen. The former top pick went 18 of 23 for 245 yards and four touchdowns, taking a seat midway through the fourth quarter of the blowout win.
Read more Man in critical condition after nearly drowning in Key Biscayne, deputies say