Well, that was not the Week 1 we usually get. Before we get into the games one by one, let’s talk about the big overarching story of the entire week, because it’s a genuinely wild one. NFL teams combined for 791 points across all 16 games in Week 1, tying the all-time record for the most points scored in a Week 1 in the Super Bowl era, matching the mark set back in 2012. Sunday’s 13 games alone combined for 693 points, the highest-scoring Week 1 Sunday in NFL history. That completely flips the usual script, offenses are typically rusty and out of sync to start a season, and instead we got an absolute track meet across the league. Let’s break down every game, starting with the Wednesday night opener.

Seahawks 13, Patriots 10 (Wednesday)

The season opened with a Super Bowl LX rematch, and it was Seattle who came out on top again, just like I predicted, though the path there was chaotic. Sam Darnold left the game with a hip injury on just his fifth snap, and backup Drew Lock stepped in and led the Seahawks back from a 10-0 hole, throwing 187 yards and a touchdown. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught the game-tying score late, a 45-yard grab. Drake Maye threw three interceptions for New England, the first time he’s done that in his career. And on the individual matchup I flagged beforehand, Christian Gonzalez completely locked down JSN, holding him without a catch in their direct coverage matchups, though JSN still made his damage elsewhere against other Patriots defenders.

49ers 27, Rams 7 (Friday, in Melbourne)

This was the real gut punch of the week for a lot of preseason expectations, including mine. I had the Rams winning this one comfortably given everything they added this offseason, but San Francisco completely dominated instead, outscoring Los Angeles 24-0 after halftime. Brock Purdy threw three touchdowns to three different receivers, and the shortened travel schedule for the Rams, landing in Australia less than two days before kickoff, is already drawing plenty of criticism given how flat they looked. Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett’s Rams debuts will have to wait for a better showing than this.

Steelers 20, Falcons 13

This one landed exactly on the number I called, 20-13 Steelers. Cooper Rush was pressed into duty after Tua Tagovailoa’s oblique injury popped up Thursday and Michael Penix Jr. still wasn’t ready, and Rush struggled just like I expected, throwing two interceptions, one of which went for a pick-six in the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers won his 22nd-season debut in style, giving the game ball to Mike McCarthy afterward. Not much surprising here, this one played out about as predictably as it gets.

Bengals 33, Buccaneers 27

Cincinnati got the win like I expected, but the way they got there was the real story. Ja’Marr Chase, one of the best receivers in football, finished with two catches for 12 yards, his lowest output in years, and the Bengals still found a way to win behind Mike Gesicki and some timely defensive touchdowns off Tampa Bay turnovers. Bucs rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter also had one of the best debuts in recent memory, recording a sack and a pick-six, joining T.J. Watt as the only players with that stat line in a debut over the last decade. Result was right, path there was a total surprise.

Lions 31, Saints 30 (OT)

This is the one that really stings if you had New Orleans, because I did too. Detroit is actually the team that built the big early lead here, jumping out to 21-0, before the Saints stormed all the way back and forced overtime. Detroit scored first in the extra period, New Orleans matched it with a touchdown of their own, but their two-point conversion attempt to win it came up short. Total gut punch of a collapse for the Saints, and a real reminder that this team still has some growing pains to work through even with all the optimism around them.

Bears 59, Panthers 37

I called this one a blowout, and it was, just on a completely different scale than anyone could have predicted. This game alone set the record for highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history at 96 combined points, breaking the old mark by eight points. Caleb Williams was sensational, becoming the first player in franchise history with 200-plus passing yards, multiple passing touchdowns, 50-plus rushing yards, and multiple rushing touchdowns in the same game. Chicago’s 59 points were the second-most in a single Week 1 game in NFL history, behind only the Falcons’ 62 in 1973. I got the winner right, but nobody saw a track meet like this coming.

Jets 23, Titans 10

This one went the opposite way of what I expected. Geno Smith and a genuinely improved Jets team dominated from start to finish, holding Cam Ward to just 140 yards and sacking him three times. Tennessee’s only touchdown came in garbage time in the final minutes. I thought the new coaching staff would have Tennessee looking sharper right out of the gate, but instead it was the Jets who looked like the more prepared, buttoned-up team on both sides of the ball.

Ravens 41, Colts 23

I had Baltimore winning this one, and they did, just by a lot more than I expected. New head coach Jesse Minter got his first win in style, with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry both terrific, Henry running for three touchdowns and passing Marcus Allen for third all-time in rushing touchdowns. Baltimore looked every bit like the team I expected them to be this year, this one just confirmed it emphatically instead of narrowly.

Jaguars 34, Browns 10

Right result, and honestly Jacksonville was even more dominant than I expected. Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdowns and posted a 150.6 passer rating, while Deshaun Watson’s return from his Achilles tear, which not many Browns fans were exactly counting down the days for given his history, went about as poorly as it could have, an early interception and a rough day overall against a Jaguars defense that’s clearly still very good.

Bills 36, Texans 31

This is the one I got most wrong. I expected a tight, low-scoring defensive battle with Houston’s defense controlling the game, and instead we got a 67-point shootout that came down to the final possession. Josh Allen and DJ Moore, in his Bills debut, both had big days, and Houston’s defense, which I praised all offseason, gave up 36 points in a game that came right down to the wire. A genuinely entertaining game, just not remotely the one I predicted.

Cardinals 26, Chargers 14

The single biggest upset of the entire week, and it’s not particularly close. The Chargers were 9.5-point favorites, the largest spread of the whole slate, and Arizona went into SoFi Stadium and just took it to them behind Jacoby Brissett’s efficient day and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, who made his NFL debut and scored a touchdown on Arizona’s opening drive after his ankle injury had left his availability in question. Justin Herbert and this retooled Chargers offense looked completely out of sync. I had this one flipped entirely, and so did basically everybody else in the league.

Eagles 24, Commanders 22

Washington came agonizingly close to pulling off the road upset I predicted here. Jayden Daniels led a real fourth quarter comeback push, but a failed two-point conversion attempt in the final minute sealed it for Philadelphia instead. New Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s debut got the job done, with Jalen Hurts actually looking sharp through the air. Wrong winner on my end, but this was about as close to being right as a wrong pick can be.

Vikings 39, Packers 22

Another one I got completely backwards, and for a genuinely wild reason. Kyler Murray’s Vikings debut lasted about three drives before he left with a concussion after a hard hit, and Carson Wentz came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes and lead a stunning comeback, with Minnesota scoring the final 29 points of the game to erase a 22-10 deficit. Nobody saw that coming, especially not with the presumed starting quarterback getting hurt in the first quarter.

Raiders 27, Dolphins 13

I picked Miami to pull a mild surprise here, and instead it was Las Vegas that looked like the more together team in Klint Kubiak’s debut as head coach. Kirk Cousins led the Raiders to a comfortable win, with Ashton Jeanty scoring twice through the air. Malik Willis did score his first touchdown playing for the Dolphins on a scramble, but it wasn’t enough with a genuinely young, still-developing Miami roster.

Giants 28, Cowboys 20

Wrong pick here too. Dallas’s revamped defense, playing without its starters getting real preseason reps together, struggled badly in new coordinator Christian Parker’s debut, allowing 165 rushing yards to New York. Jaxson Dart looked sharp for the Giants, and John Harbaugh picked up a win in his Giants debut against the team he might have expected more from. A rough start for a Cowboys team I had real faith in heading into this season.

Chiefs 31, Broncos 10 (Monday)

And we closed the week exactly the way I expected the AFC West race to look this year. Kansas City looked like the team I said would bounce back in a big way, with Patrick Mahomes returning from his torn ACL and LCL to throw two touchdowns and add a rushing score, while newly signed running back Kenneth Walker III, last year’s Super Bowl MVP, ran wild for 173 yards and a touchdown in his Chiefs debut. Denver’s offense never got going, and Kansas City looked every bit like the team ready to reclaim this division.

So there it is, a Week 1 that broke scoring records league-wide and completely upended a lot of what we thought we knew heading into the season. On to Week 2.

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