Week 1 delivered an offensive surge across the NFL, with 13 Sunday games producing an average of 53.3 combined points — the highest figure ever for an opening-week Sunday. The full Week 1 average stood at 50.0 points per game before Monday night’s Denver Broncos-Kansas City Chiefs matchup, a mark that would set a Super Bowl-era record if it holds.
Six Sunday games reached at least 60 total points, led by Chicago’s 59-37 road win over Carolina and Baltimore’s 41-point performance at Indianapolis. The early returns were explosive, but teams around the league were also working through the uneven execution expected after starters received limited preseason work.
SEO Title: NFL Week 1 recap: Bears, Ravens, Bills and running backs shine
SEO Description: NFL Week 1 produced record scoring, major quarterback performances, a Cardinals upset, a Vikings comeback and huge days from the league’s top running backs.
NFL Week 1 Sunday roundup: scoring erupts as contenders make statements
Quick facts
- Sunday’s 13-game slate averaged 53.3 points, an NFL record for Week 1 Sunday games.
- The Bears rolled past the Panthers 59-37 behind Caleb Williams and a dominant ground attack.
- Baltimore beat Indianapolis 41-0 as Derrick Henry ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
- Josh Allen accounted for four touchdowns in Buffalo’s 36-point win at Houston.
- Arizona stunned the Chargers in Los Angeles in Mike LaFleur’s first game as Cardinals head coach.
- Minnesota erased a 12-point deficit and beat Green Bay by 17 points after scoring 29 straight.
Chicago gave Ben Johnson plenty of evidence for his lofty offensive expectations. The Bears piled up 552 yards in Charlotte, with Williams completing 72.4% of his throws while becoming the first player in franchise history to post at least 200 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 50 rushing yards and two rushing scores in one game.
Williams joined Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts as the only players over the last five seasons to reach those passing and rushing thresholds in a game. He still had trouble when pressured, going 0-for-5 with two sacks on 13 pressured dropbacks, but his overall accuracy represented a significant opening statement.
“That will always be the goal,” Johnson said of building an all-time great offense. “We want to score the most, win the most games and win Super Bowls. Nobody enters this profession to be mediocre or average.”
D’Andre Swift rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns, while Kyle Monangai added 100 yards and a 61-yard scoring run. Williams contributed 65 rushing yards and two scores, making the Bears the fourth Super Bowl-era team with three players recording at least 65 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the same game — and the first such group featuring a quarterback.
Baltimore’s offense was nearly as imposing in its rout of the Colts. Lamar Jackson repeatedly found open throwing lanes, extended plays with his mobility and developed immediate chemistry with Zay Flowers before the receiver exited with a hamstring issue not believed to be serious.
New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle mixed his calls effectively in his first game, helping keep Indianapolis off balance. Henry supplied the finishing power, carrying 24 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns while totaling 163 yards from scrimmage.
Henry had 110 rushing yards before contact, the third-highest single-game total of his career. He was contacted at the line on only 8.3% of his carries, his lowest rate since joining Baltimore.
Allen, Bills handle Houston pressure
Buffalo opened the Joe Brady head-coaching era by reversing recent frustrations in Houston. Allen had been sacked eight times and thrown two interceptions in last season’s trip to face the Texans, but the Bills protected him far more effectively in this meeting.
Allen faced nine pressures and was sacked twice. Under pressure, he completed five of seven passes for 85 yards, while finishing 20-for-29 for 334 yards and two touchdown throws. He also ran for two scores.
His 12.6 air yards per attempt were his highest since Week 18 of the 2022 season. Allen completed 11 of 16 attempts traveling at least 10 yards downfield for 286 downfield passing yards and two touchdowns, handing DeMeco Ryans’ defense its highest such total since Ryans became Houston’s head coach in 2023.
Houston failed to convert Allen’s occasional risky decisions into takeaways, including Kamari Lassiter’s late dropped interception. Buffalo scored 36 points, the most surrendered by a Ryans-coached Houston defense since his first year with the club.
DJ Moore made an immediate impact with five catches, 100 yards and a touchdown, while a healthy Dalton Kincaid caught five passes for 130 yards. Buffalo’s willingness to attack vertically made the win a major early statement against one of the league’s most respected defenses.
New York settles in under Harbaugh
John Harbaugh’s first prime-time game as Giants head coach brought a polished showing at MetLife Stadium. New York ran efficiently, blocked well and limited Dallas to 244 total yards despite a few issues in the secondary.
Jaxson Dart delivered the most controlled performance of his career, throwing at least three touchdown passes without an interception for the first time. At 23, he became the youngest quarterback to accomplish that in a Week 1 prime-time contest and the first player younger than 25 to do it since Patrick Mahomes against Houston in 2020.
Rather than relying on improvised plays, Dart consistently took available throws against shaky Cowboys coverage. Malik Nabers also returned from last season’s injury with six receptions for 69 yards on a team-high nine targets.
One LaFleur celebrates, one watches a collapse
Arizona supplied the weekend’s biggest surprise by controlling much of its win over the Chargers in Los Angeles. The Cardinals entered the season with an expected win total near four, but Mike LaFleur’s debut as head coach featured a well-balanced performance in all three phases.
Jacoby Brissett attacked downfield without hesitation, completing six of nine throws beyond 10 air yards for 113 yards and a plus-23.9% completion percentage above expectation. Arizona’s offensive line also held up against the Chargers’ front.
The Cardinals limited Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel’s offense to 268 yards and 17 first downs, forcing two turnovers and recording three sacks. Arizona also blocked a punt. The Cardinals next face the Seahawks and 49ers, offering an immediate test of whether the opening upset was sustainable.
Matt LaFleur’s Packers had a far different afternoon in Minnesota. Green Bay led by 12 in the third quarter but unraveled against Carson Wentz, who played most of the game after Kyler Murray suffered a first-half concussion.
LaFleur chose to go for a fourth-and-1 rather than take three points in the fourth quarter. “We’re going to be aggressive and try to go for the throat in that situation,” he said.
Minnesota’s pressure overwhelmed Jordan Love and the Packers offensive line. The Vikings blitzed on 78.3% of Love’s dropbacks, the fourth-highest rate by any defense in a game since 2018. Love lost a fumble deep in Green Bay territory and later threw an interception during the collapse.
The Vikings scored 29 unanswered points and became the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 12 points with fewer than 20 minutes remaining in regulation before winning by 17 or more. Wentz’s performance also reinforced Kevin O’Connell’s decision to keep him ahead of J.J. McCarthy on the backup depth chart.
Running backs set the pace
Several high-paid running backs delivered immediately after offseason contract investments. Jahmyr Gibbs led all players with 34 touches, 186 yards from scrimmage and 156 rushing yards, forcing a career-high 12 missed tackles.
Gibbs said he could have handled 40 touches if needed. His Week 1 usage projects to 578 touches across a full season, well beyond James Wilder’s NFL single-season record of 492 in 1984.
Bijan Robinson generated 173 scrimmage yards, including a running-back-best 90 receiving yards. His 65.8% share of Atlanta’s offensive production was the highest by any player in a season opener since Eric Dickerson accounted for 66.6% of the Rams’ output in 1986.
Ashton Jeanty finished with 147 scrimmage yards in a 27-13 win over Miami, rushing for 102 yards and leading his team with 45 receiving yards. He caught two touchdown passes despite dealing with an ankle injury three weeks earlier, and his 73 yards after contact ranked third-best in his career.
Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a touchdown in the Jets’ win at Tennessee, adding two receptions for 16 yards. Seventeen of his 22 carries came with Geno Smith at quarterback, producing 85 yards, a touchdown and three explosive runs.
Jonathan Taylor accounted for 121 yards from scrimmage in Indianapolis’ loss to Baltimore, including 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It was his 14th game with at least 100 scrimmage yards and two rushing scores, tying Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for the most in Colts history.
David Montgomery totaled 79 scrimmage yards in Houston’s loss but reached the end zone three times, twice rushing and once receiving. He joined Henry and Swift as the only players Sunday with three scrimmage touchdowns.
The NFL’s opening Sunday offered a flood of points, breakout statistical lines and dramatic swings. It also provided only one game of evidence for every club, with the Broncos and Chiefs still set to close Week 1 on Monday night.
