Ralph Ventre, Buffalo Bills On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
The Eagles opened their title defense with a 24-20 victory over their rival Cowboys with a formula that appeared to be much of the same. A stout defense, heavy rushing attack and a few huge Jalen Hurts plays when needed. The Eagles are right where they need to be. Another season, another last-second loss to the Bills. This was the worst way the Ravens could\u2019ve started the year, and things need to rebound quickly before a loss that shouldn\u2019t have happened turns into a snowball for a bad year. A home game against the Browns this week should do the trick. It was like a made-for-TV movie. Micah Parsons was the last player introduced before Sunday\u2019s win over Detroit. On his first snap, he got a pressure. Late in the first half, another pressure produced an interception. Late in the game, he got his first sack. The Packers already had one of the top defenses in the NFL. With Parsons, the Packers have a Super Bowl-worthy defense. The #Packers<\/a> traded two first-round picks and Kenny Clark to acquire Micah Parsons, believing he can help them win a championship.<\/p>\n Apparently, Parsons doesn’t have the same belief that he can help his team win his fantasy football championship. \u2b07\ufe0fhttps:\/\/t.co\/f3encCPR0R<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Jim Harbaugh remains undefeated in NFL Week 1 and the Chargers are on a contention track similar to every stop of his career. Justin Herbert\u2019s using his legs more while surrounded with an upgraded supporting cast and going blow-for-blow with Patrick Mahomes \u2026 and winning. Now, they lead the AFC West. Fresh off their surprising run to the NFC Championship Game last season, the Commanders mostly dominated the lowly Giants 21-6. What was good? They outgained the Giants 432-231 and held them to 4-of-16 on third down. What was bad? They were penalized 12 times for 89 yards. After giving up two sacks to Brian Burns, they\u2019ll face Micah Parsons and the Packers on Thursday.<\/p>\n Much of the game plan left with WR Xavier Worthy, injured in a friendly-fire collision with Travis Kelce on the season\u2019s third snap. Kansas City finally woke up on offense in the second half but Justin Herbert surgically dismantled the Chiefs\u2019 defense for 60 minutes. With a dearth of playmakers, Kansas City hosts the world champion Eagles on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers is back. Maybe it was the momentum of the New York Jets in Week 1, but the Steelers\u2019 new quarterback looks like his old self. The defense has a lot to clean up, but it showed up when it mattered most. If you are going to bank on anyone to figure it out, it\u2019s T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Jalen Ramsey. Aaron Rodgers had a big day in leading the Steelers past the Jets on Sunday. \/ Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Rams were able to overcome a slow start offensively, aided by their suffocating defense that prevented C.J. Stroud and the Texans\u2019 offense from advancing past the Rams\u2019 15-yard line to win their season opener, 14-9. Matthew Stafford put to bed doubts regarding his long-term health, becoming the 10th player to throw for 60,000 yards. The Broncos won ugly. Time will tell whether emerging victorious in the face of a less-than-stellar performance is the mark of a quality team, or just Sean Payton getting lucky that it was the Titans. Bo Nix looked shaky, but Denver\u2019s ground game came alive in the second half, and that defense has picked up where it left off last season. It took the Vikings three quarters before the J.J. McCarthy-led offense converted a third down, and it just so happened to come on a touchdown strike to Justin Jefferson that started a stretch of fourth-quarter dominance. McCarthy appeared rattled at times (the pick-six was bad), but he shined late, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another to erase a 17-6 deficit and beat the Bears 27-24. A win is a win, even if it\u2019s ugly. The Bengals found a way to get to 1-0, even if the offense was dreadful. They finished with 2 net yards in the second half and 141 total yards. The good news is Al Golden\u2019s defense stepped up, held the Browns to just 16 points and forced two second-half turnovers to secure the victory. Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) wraps up Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) for a sack. \/ Jeff Lange \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n It was not the way Dan Campbell\u2019s squad was hoping to start the 2025 season. Against a rival, Detroit struggled mightily in the red zone, and both coordinators did little to quell doubters in a lopsided loss at Green Bay. The revamped offensive line must figure things out quickly. Baker Mayfield made it happen when it mattered most. Atlanta took a 20-17 lead with about 2 minutes left but Mayfield marched the Buccaneers right down the field, capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie Emeka Egbuka with 59 seconds to play. The Bucs will be on the road again this week against the Texans.<\/p>\n While the expectation was the 49ers\u2019 offense would have to carry its young defense through early growing pains, the defense grew up instantly and gave up just 13 points at Seattle. Robert Saleh is that good. Meanwhile, the offense lost George Kittle and Jauan Jennings and scored just 17 points, and kicker Jake Moody missed two field goals and was released. The Texans nearly had enough juice for a late fourth-quarter comeback vs. the Rams, yet a costly mistake by Dare Ogunbowale fumbled away Houston\u2019s upset hopes. The offensive line had moments drawing similarities to last season\u2019s lapses and, as a result, C.J. Stroud was pressured throughout the day. An impressive display on the other end to limit L.A. to 14 points proved that the Texans still have the potential to be among the best defenses in the NFL. The Daniel Jones era in Indianapolis began with a bang, as the Colts demolished the Dolphins, scoring on all seven possessions. Jones looks reinvigorated, and that defense could be better than we expected. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones led the way in a blowout win over the Miami Dolphins. \/ Grace Hollars\/IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n Week 1 was an excellent success for Pete Carroll and the revamped Raiders. The defense performed exceptionally well, and the offense showed significant improvement. However, there are still many areas that need attention as the Chargers visit for Monday Night Football in Week 2. The first game of the Liam Coen era went without a hitch, with Mother Nature serving as a bigger obstacle than the Carolina Panthers ever did. The new-look defense flew around, and Coen has seemingly already revived the running game. There is still plenty of room to improve, especially in the passing game. The Cowboys exceeded expectations despite the result, a 24-20 loss at Philadelphia. While the Brian Schottenheimer era is off to a good start, the team needs to find more consistency. Whether in the run game or catching the ball, Dallas has the tools; it just needs to put it all together. It was difficult in the Big Easy, though the Cardinals\u2019 defense got the job done with the game on the line. There\u2019s plenty to fix before hosting the Panthers in Week 2, though good teams find ways to win close games – and that\u2019s what Arizona accomplished on Sunday. Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) sheds the tackle of New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom. \/ Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Jets took the Pittsburgh Steelers to the wire but ultimately fell 34-32 in the Week 1 clash. The story of the game was an Aaron Rodgers resurgence against his former team, but Justin Fields deserves praise for the same accomplishment. The Jets have some reason for optimism despite the loss. The Seahawks faced a big challenge against the rival 49ers and battled them right down to the wire before losing 17-13 when Sam Darnold was sacked and stripped at the 49ers\u2019 9-yard line. There\u2019s a lot of good to build on after almost upsetting a major NFC heavyweight in their first game with a new scheme. Michael Penix Jr. looks like the real deal, but the inability to contain Baker Mayfield on scrambles and atrocious special teams cost the Falcons a chance to start the season 1-0. The Falcons will have to rebound at Minnesota in order to avoid an 0-2 start. After a promising first half by Caleb Williams and the Bears\u2019 offense, injuries to three critical starters on defense and an aggressive Brian Flores-coached Vikings defense turned what should\u2019ve been a momentum-building win for Chicago into a crushing 27-24 defeat. While Week 1\u2019s loss doesn\u2019t feel like the same old Bears under Ben Johnson, it\u2019s a disappointing outcome for a team that\u2019s beginning the season with so much excitement. Ben Johnson’s Bears took defeat from the jaws of victory against the Vikings on Monday. \/ David Banks-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Patriots started the season on a bit of a worse note than anticipated. The team should\u2019ve been able to compete and give the Las Vegas Raiders a run for their money. Instead, the Patriots went six consecutive possessions without scoring with a total of four first downs in a 20-13 loss. The Browns\u2019 defense was terrific in holding the high-powered Bengals to only 17 points. Cleveland held Joe Burrow to 113 passing yards and repeatedly hit running back Chase Brown in the backfield.\u00a0 However, Joe Flacco threw two interceptions and the longest of the Browns\u2019 24 rushing attempts gained 5 yards.<\/p>\n New year, same results for the Giants, who have lost their last three regular-season openers by a combined 89-12. With the ugly-looking loss, cries for the team to transition to rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart have begun, though head coach Brian Daboll has already stated that Russell Wilson will remain as the starter. Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward is hit by Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones on Sunday. \/ Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Tennessee Titans have a long way to go, but having opportunities to compete in Week 1 against a Denver Broncos team that many consider a playoff contender is a good start. They need to clean up the penalties, but Cam Ward didn\u2019t look terrible, and there\u2019s room to believe they can mesh with time. It\u2019s almost silly to call a Week 2 game a \u201cmust-win,\u201d but it\u2019s almost valid for the Dolphins at home against New England on Sunday after their unsightly, embarrassing showing in their season-opening loss against Indianapolis and with a game against Buffalo coming up four days later. This team needs answers \u2014 and fast. So much for all that offseason progress. The Panthers are right back at the bottom once again. Bryce Young totally bombed in Week 1, while Dave Canales was completely outclassed by Liam Coen and the Jaguars\u2019 staff on both sides of the ball in a 26-10 final. This was a humiliating way to begin the season. The Saints entered the season with as low of expectations as possible but did a solid job of looking like a formidable opponent to the Cardinals in Week 1. In the end, the Saints fell one play short of sending the game into overtime. They face an uphill battle the rest of the way, starting with a home game against the 49ers this week.
Scott Neville, Philadelphia Eagles On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Noah Strackbein, Baltimore Ravens On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Chris Roling, Los Angeles Chargers on SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Zak Gilbert, Kansas City Chiefs On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Noah Strackbein, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Brock Vierra, Los Angeles Rams On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Chad Jensen, Denver Broncos On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
James Rapien, Cincinnati Bengals On SI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
Grant Cohn, San Francisco 49ers On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Jared Koch, Houston Texans On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Chad Jensen, Indianapolis Colts On SI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr. \u00a0Las Vegas Raiders On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
John Shipley, Jacksonville Jaguars On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Josh Sanchez, Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Donnie Druin, Arizona Cardinals On SI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Scott Neville, New York Jets On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Tim Weaver, Seattle Seahawks on SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Scott Kennedy, Atlanta Falcons On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Bryan Perez, Chicago Bears on SI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Noah Strackbein, New England Patriots On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Noah Strackbein, Tennessee Titans On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Alain Poupart, Miami Dolphins On SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Tim Weaver, Carolina Panthers on SI<\/a><\/p>\n
Scott Neville, New Orleans Saints On SI<\/a><\/p>\n