I couldn’t help but liken this industry to Chicken Little this morning, as I saw the dire proclamations roll in after the first two – of 272 – games were played. And be assured, I don’t exclude myself from that playful skewer. The sky is not falling, but it can seem like that at times.
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As for the first games played:
I was irrationally irritated by the lack of offense in Wednesday’s Patriots-Seahawks season opener. For the second time in the last two NFL games, the Hawks’ defense showed that Drake Maye still has a way to go before being considered a top-level NFL quarterback. It will be interesting to see if there is a blueprint for other teams to follow in derailing the Patriots’ offense, and what the Patriots do to offset. We also saw the loss of Seattle QB Sam Darnold (hip) and New England WR A.J. Brown (ankle). No concrete word on how long Darnold will be out, but it sounds like he avoided the worst case. Brown was diagnosed with the dreaded high-ankle sprain and was placed on IR today, meaning the earliest he’ll return is Week 6. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba looks exactly like who many of us thought he is.
While the 49ers-Rams game in Melbourne had more offense, the Rams team that took the field on Thursday was barely there. The easy answer is that arriving more than halfway around the world on the day before the game was a mistake. That could be true, but things are rarely that simple. The Rams will have until September 21 to regroup before facing the New York Giants in Inglewood. That’s followed by games in Denver and Philadelphia, and a home game against Buffalo. The 49ers suffered a significant loss as rookie WR De’Zhaun Stribling injured his ankle in the first half. We may not know the extent of the injury until the team returns to California. TE Jake Tonges also suffered a knee injury. QB Mark Purdy had a solid game, and new WR Mike Evans found the end zone in his first game with SF. Returning WR Deebo Samuel had a nearly identical receiving line as Evans and added a 12-yard run. Both teams split the backfield work between two backs: the Rams’ was expected; it remains to be seen how much the 49ers spell Christian McCaffrey with Kaelon Black.
What I’ll be most interested to see in the remaining Week 1 games:
Buccaneers at Bengals: A hopeful return to form for QBs Joe Burrow (turf toe) and Baker Mayfield (knee, shoulder): both suffered significant injuries in Week 2 of the 2025 season. While Mayfield played through his injuries, Burrow missed ten weeks, and both teams underperformed in part because of these injuries.
Saints at Lions: the effect on the offensive schemes of the arrival of Travis Etienne for the Saints and the departure of David Montgomery for the Lions. The Saints will be harder to evaluate due to the injury to rookie WR Jordan Tyson.
Jets at Titans: All the new faces on offense. For the Jets, that’s QB Geno Smith, WR Omar Cooper, and TE Kenyon Sadiq. For the Titans, that’s WRs Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson. Cooper, Sadiq, and Tate are all 2026 first-round picks.
Ravens at Colts: Two QBs and a rookie. Both Lamar Jackson and Daniel Jones suffered significant injuries last season. Jackson injured his right hamstring in Week 4 and missed three games; when he returned, he was not at his best and suffered knee, toe, and ankle injuries throughout the season. Jones was having a career renaissance before his first season with the Colts ended with a torn right Achilles in Week 14. Third-round Ravens rookie Ja’Kobi Lane has been one of the most talked-about new WRs in fantasy.
Falcons at Steelers: The Pittsburgh backfield split between Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. As far as the Falcons offense goes, Cooper Rush is going to be the QB, with Tua Tagovailoa injuring his oblique and Michael Penix still rehabbing his torn left ACL. Pittsburgh is currently a six-point favorite, and their air attack was uninspiring in 2025. I suppose it’s unfair to put that on new head coach Mike McCarthy and new offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio, and Aaron Rodgers has played well under McCarthy in the past. But the past was eight seasons ago, and Rodgers is going to be 43 years old in December.
Bears at Panthers: Two 2025 playoff teams. Carolina stumbled into the postseason, losing 3 of 4 at the end to finish 8-9 before a valiant effort against the Rams in the Wild Card round. It’s important for them to look competitive at least. All their key players are off the injury report, and I have many shares of Jonathon Brooks. On the Bears side, Rome Odunze (calf) is questionable. This should be competitive.
Browns at Jaguars: How competent the Browns are. This franchise seems to be in a constant rebuild while not committing to a rebuild. Todd Monken was a sought-after HC candidate. Hopefully, he doesn’t regret taking this job. The QB of the future is likely not on this roster. Deshaun Watson has yet to show he’s any bit of the player he was in Houston, not that he’s had a lot to work with. If this team wins six games, Monken needs a few Coach of the Year votes.
Bills at Texans: On paper, this should be one of the day’s best games – an offensive juggernaut vs. a defensive juggernaut. This will be the fourth game the teams have faced off in since the 2021 season, and the home team has held serve in the first three games. Notable new faces on offense are WR DJ Moore for the Bills and RB David Montgomery for the Texans. The Texans also added S Reed Blankenship to an already high-functioning defense. The story for Buffalo is that they have new coaches for 2026, promoting OC Joe Brady to HC, while choosing not to re-sign standout LB Matt Milano.
Dolphins at Raiders: Clean slates. The Dolphins closed the door on the Mike McDaniel era by cleaning house. Gone are Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and many others. RB DeVon Achane needed to introduce himself to a lot of new teammates. Malik Willis will be given a chance to prove he can be an NFL starting QB, and putting a lot of presumably hungry players around him is a bold choice, not to mention adding a first-time head coach. Speaking of teams in perpetual rebuild mode, the Raiders signed a former Seattle coach to helm the team for the second straight season. One day they might actually commit to rebuilding. TE Brock Bowers is already dealing with a balky knee and will miss time; he’ll also need time to get back to game speed. RB Ashton Jeanty is still rehabbing a preseason ankle injury. QB Fernando Mendoza is going to need more protection before they should put him in games.
Packers at Vikings: An ongoing division rivalry. To say the Vikings had a disappointing season in 2025 understates how the fan base must have felt. While they’re not pulling the plug on QB J.J. McCarthy, they’re admitting he’s not ready to QB the team yet. Presumably, Kyler Murray will be better, and HC Kevin O’Connell and staff can guide him back to the upper half of the league’s QBs. I see benefits for WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Behind them, the picture is less clear. I wonder if TE T.J. Hockenson can get anywhere near his form from before his knee injury at the end of 2024, and RB Aaron Jones’ role could diminish while Jordan Mason’s increases. On the Packers’ side, it sounds like Micah Parsons’ 2025 injury could keep him off the field until the second half of the season. The draft was spent fortifying the defense and offensive line. Star RB Josh Jacobs’ legal status may be resolved, but the league will decide his playing status. His absence creates a void that we’ll see resolved. Second-year WR Matthew Golden is going to be needed to step up to keep the offense on schedule.
Commanders at Eagles: Two rehabbing teams. The 2025 Commanders were at least as disappointing as the 2025 Vikings, and from a fantasy standpoint, few players dropped in value as far as QB Jayden Daniels did from last season. Like Lamar Jackson, Daniels was derailed by an early-season injury to his leg (the left knee in Daniels’ case). He came back, strained his right hamstring, came back, horrifically dislocated his left elbow, came back, aggravated the elbow, and was shut down after Week 13. He comes back to a new RB, two new WRs, a new TE, and a new OC. Meanwhile, the Eagles imploded from a team chemistry standpoint and shipped off star WR A.J. Brown in the offseason. DeVonta Smith and Darius Cooper are the only returning WRs. The Eagles also added Eli Stowers through the draft and signed Johnny Mundt to the TE room. Sean Mannion becomes the fifth OC QB Jalen Hurts has had since 2021.
Cardinals at Chargers: A fun game, I hope. The Chargers are the largest favorite, and the implied game points are the fourth highest for the day. It’s still questionable whether we’ll see the debut of Cards’ rookie RB Jeremiyah Love, but with QB Jacoby Brissett under center, the Cards should at least be entertaining. On the Chargers side, former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel landed in Inglewood as the Chargers’ OC. Expectations are sky-high for this offense. Both starting tackles return for the Chargers after missing most of the 2025 season.
Cowboys at Giants: Somewhere to hide. As a Giants fan, I’m still traumatized by the 40-0 shellacking the Giants received in Arlington the last time these two played the opening Sunday Night game. The newest face for the Cowboys offense is RB Emari Demercado, who will likely spell Javonte Williams with Malik Davis out. I’d expect a promotion from the practice squad for RB depth. Most of the coaching changes happened on the defensive side. From the Giants’ standpoint, welcome to the John Harbaugh era. Harbaugh inherits a team with talent on both sides of the ball and added players with the fifth and tenth overall picks in April. This team will need time to gel, and Harbaugh should have it. What they may not have is WR Malik Nabers, who will be questionable.
Broncos at Chiefs: The state of the QBs. For Denver, Bo Nix fractured his right ankle in the 2025 Divisional Round of the playoffs. He seems fully recovered, but this will be the test. The Broncos added fourth-round pick Jonah Coleman to the backfield and Jaylen Waddle to the WR room, which is deep and diverse. OC Davis Webb will take over playcalling from HC Sean Payton. For Kansas City, returning QB Patrick Mahomes, coming off a torn ACL, will face a big obstacle in the Broncos’ defense. He’ll be joined in the backfield by two new faces: Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III and fifth-round rookie Emmitt Johnson. The Chiefs missed the postseason in 2025 for the first time since 2014.
The NFL is back!
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