Week 1 of the NFL season might not have delivered when it comes to points, but there was plenty to like about the action on the field.
Philadelphia and Dallas kicked off the season in a fiery clash even by their standards with Jalen Carter’s ejection for spitting before his first snap and while his teammate was getting treated for a season ending injury was a major shock (even if you’re aware of Carter’s history).
Following the Brazil game on Saturday morning, we were treated to our first full slate of Monday morning contests and there was plenty to dissect.
After all, this is the perfect time of the year for kneejerk overreactions with the entire sample size consisting of what we just saw over the last few days.
More than a few teams will be hoping that their Week 1 performances were a bad day at the office and not a sign of things to come, while those that shone brightest (Daniel Jones) will be desperately hoping that can be replicated over the next 17 weekends.
Find our five big takeaways from Week 1 of the NFL season below.
1 – The Chiefs are going to have to fight to keep the AFC West
Before we get too far down this rabbit hole, let’s be clear, this is not some clickbait “The Chiefs are done” headline.
Chances are they are still probably going to win the AFC West, but based on what we saw Saturday morning, it might not be the walk in the park they have become accustomed to over the last few seasons.
Let’s face it, by December 1 they are usually getting sized up for the division winners hats and t-shirts they give out.
But the Chargers looked like they have the capability to stick with them this season as Justin Herbert torched the Chargers up and down the field in Sao Paolo.
With the ground game struggling to get going, Herbert went off for 318 yards and three touchdown passes.
The guy’s talent has never been in question, but putting it together consistently has been his biggest issue, especially when games went down to the wire.
But the guy did everything he was asked to, sealing the game with this clever run and slide to remind us things are going pretty well for him at the moment.
Of course it could have also just been a decent spot for the 2020 first round pick, but there was a lot to like about his performance.
So the Chargers might be on the rise, but what about the Chiefs?
With Mahomes and Reid running the show, complimented by that defence which is better than what we saw on Saturday, they are going to sleepwalk their way to 11 wins.
But how far above that they go will depend on if that offence can be better than it was last season.
It didn’t look great in Week 1 at times with Mahomes taking (and dishing out) some big hits while his receiver core got further decimated.
Xavier Worthy, their most dynamic option is out for a while with a shoulder injury and Travis Kelce just can’t carry the team at his age anymore.
When they meet again in Week 14 it could be a season defining clash for both teams, with a chance for both teams to take control of the division and earn a home playoff game.
2 – Same old Bengals sadly
Every damn season we think that it might be a different story with the Cincinnati Bengals getting off to a slow start.
Last year a Week 1 loss to New England kicked off a 1-4 start to the season and that season opening defeat cost them a playoff spot.
On the plus side, they began 2025 with a win over the lowly Cleveland Browns but boy was it an ugly game to watch.
Their supposed high flying offence produced 141 yards during the game with a historically bad fourth quarter.
The fact they won that game might say more about the mess that is the Cleveland Browns.
Perhaps the only bright side from the Browns was the pass rush continually getting after Joe Burrow and laying some nasty hits on him.
Winning this game was a good sign for the Bengals, in the past they have lost them, but the way they got the win should not reassure anyone.
They have another winnable game next weekend against Jacksonville and the hope will be that they can produce something a bit more cohesive on offence.
3 – Miami might be even worse than expected
If you had any sort of positive expectations around Miami’s season, then no team would have been a bigger disappointment than the Dolphins.
Even if you thought the Dolphins were going to suck in 2025, that was a thoroughly underwhelming performance.
They made the Indianapolis Colts look like a Super Bowl contender and Daniel Jones look like the second coming of John Elway.
Miami gave up a score on every Colts possession and scored a consolation touchdown with just over six minutes remaining that made nobody feel any better about themselves.
When you consider that Miami’s strength each season is starting fast before fading late, that sort of effort in Week 1 is a worrying sign.
Next week is a must win, especially against a New England team that Tua is unbeaten against.
4 – Pettiness remains a wonderful motivator
Some might even say it is the best motivator in the world, just ask Aaron Rodgers who had his best game in four years as he torched his former team, the Jets in the second highest scoring game of the weekend.
For a guy who looked like he would rather be anywhere other than an NFL sideline over the last few years, Rodgers came to play in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut.
The incredibly low public opinion of his efforts with the Jets last year did produce this phenomenal headline from the New York Post though.
But there always was a chance he would come out of the gates firing on all cylinders, he had a couple of decent performances last season and in his final Green Bay campaigns too.
Where things will really get interesting is seeing how he goes after absorbing a few big hits and remembers he is a 41 year old with over 250 games on his resume.
If he can find some sort of gripe with every team the way he did with the Jets though, he might win another MVP.
5 – Josh Allen Wins Title of Best Player For Now
Monday’s games wrapped up with an all-time classic in Buffalo as the Bills pulled off a miracle comeback against the Baltimore Ravens.
Billed as a battle of the last two MVPs, they certainly delivered with two high end performances.
Although the final decision goes to Josh Allen who had a fourth quarter most quarterbacks would struggle to put together over a whole game.
What that means long term is that if these teams finish with the same record, Buffalo will be hosting any potential playoff meeting and having that in front of those raucous fans might just give them the edge they need to get through what promises to be a tough encounter.