Week one of the 2026 NFL season is in the books. In a week that saw the first ever game in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the opening set of games for the 2026 NFL season did not disapppoint. Fans saw the highest-scoring opening Sunday of the season in NFL history and experienced the joint-highest scoring week one ever. So what were the standout stories as the NFL season finally got underway.
The Rams Will Not Have It Easy
With the additions of Myles Garrett and the now un-retired Aaron Donald, who hold a combined five defensive player of the year awards between them, many dubbed the Los Angeles Rams clear Super Bowl favourites before a ball was snapped this season. With the reigining MVP at quarterback in the form of Matthew Stafford and a genius coach in Sean McVay, it is understandable that LA is the betting favourite. However, the San Francisco 49ers made a statement that the Rams might not even be a top two team in their own division as Kyle Shanahan’s men came out 27-7 victors in Melbourne.
Of course the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, also reside in the NFC West alongside the Rams and 49ers, and they started their title defence with a win over the reigning AFC Champions, the New England Patriots. And they did so while playing the majority of the game with their backup quarterback. The Rams will still be a contender this year but the loss to the 49ers was a much-needed reality check for both them and their highest praisers.
The AFC Powerhouses Are Back
In the 2020s, four teams have dominated the narrative in the AFC. The Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens, and of course the Kansas City Chiefs. They dominated the narrative up until 2025, that is. From the 2020 season to the 2024 season, every AFC Championship contained the Chiefs and one of the other three teams mentioned. But in 2025, the Chiefs and Ravens missed the playoffs, with the Bengals missing the postseason for a third straight year. Meanwhile the Bills’ five-year run of winning the AFC East ended at the hands of the Patriots, and Buffalo was eliminated on the road in Denver in the divisional round.
In week one, of 2026, however, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were dominant in victory for their respective teams. Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes weren’t necessarily at their best but Burrow was clutch when he needed to seal the game and Mahomes led his team to a dominant victory. The NFL is at its best when these four are playing well. Between them they have five Super Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl victories and three MVPs this decade alone, with Mahomes admittedly doing a lot of the heavy lifting in those Super Bowl appearances/victories. Fans want to see the best quarterbacks play each other and judging from week one, there is hope that we will finally see all four of these quarterbacks in the same postseason.
Caleb Williams Is Ready For The Elite Category
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said before the season that he wants his offense to be the highest scoring in NFL history. What seemed like a hyperbolic comment at the time now might need to be taken seriously after the Bears scored 59 points against the Carolina Panthers. Of course to have the highest scoring offense you need an elite quarterback. The top four scoring offenses in NFL history in terms of points per game had Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers as their respective quarterbacks. Caleb Williams might not yet be an all-time great like the above names but he looks as if he has established himself as one of the league’s best.
After a strong second year in the league, Williams was held in high regard but still not amongst the top-tier quarterbacks such as Mahomes, Allen, Jackson and Stafford. But after a performance with 334 total yards and four total touchdowns, it looks as if Williams is ready to take that next step. In 2025 Williams completed just 58.1% of his passes but he is clearly prioritsing his accuracy this season, while keeping the big plays. A conversation with legendary quarterback Drew Brees before the game may have helped that. According to Johnson, Williams was told by Brees that the difference between completing 60% and 70% of your passes is just three completions. Simple, right? Well Williams put the advice to good use, ending Sunday’s game with a 72% completion rate.
Around The Rest Of The NFL
Of course there are plenty more week one storylines. Jaxson Dart started his second season with a strong performance in a 28-20 win against the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Jets are also 1-0 after a win against the Tennessee Titans, moving both New York teams to 1-0 for the first time since 2009. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ demolition of the Cleveland Browns leaves the question of whether the Jags are that the good or are the Browns that bad? Probably a bit of both. T.J. Watt looks back to his best, dominating with two sacks and a pick-six in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, giving three AFC North teams a 1-0 start.
The Philadelphia Eagles escaped with a 24-22 win after a failed Washington Commanders two-point attempt which would have tied the game with one minute remaining. Kirk Cousins marked his Las Vegas Raiders debut with a win over the Miami Dolphins, who started the Jeff Hafley era with a disappointing performance. The Arizona Cardinals pulled off the shock of the weekend, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers on the road leaving the question, will it ever click for Justin Herbert? Justin Jefferson is back to his best as his two-touchdown performance inspired a Minnesota Vikings comeback over the Green Bay Packers, even after Kyler Murray was ruled out of the game in the first quarter.
Overall, this was one of the best opening weeks the NFL has ever seen. But as all NFL will know, week one is always a strange set of games. It is often known as a fifth preseason game that actually counts so it can be dangerous to read too much into it. The main thing, however, is that the NFL is back and we have a whole season of excitement ahead.