5 Surprises from NFL Week 1
Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books.
The slate was capped off by an incredible comeback victory by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, but plenty of action took place elsewhere in the NFL this weekend. Here are five surprises that came to the surface in the NFL Week 1 slate.
1. Is the Steelers Offense Good?
The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in a ton of veteran players to try to make a run in 2025, but there were questions about how that group would hold up, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Those questions largely revolved around a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers who was coming off a dreadful season with the New York Jets after tearing his Achilles in 2023.
Well, none of those questions came up during Pittsburgh’s Week 1 win against Rodgers’ former team as the Steelers defeated the Jets, 34-32. Rodgers put together an impressive game, throwing for 244 yards and four touchdowns in his Steelers debut. Pittsburgh still needs to figure out how to put together a consistent rushing attack, but this offense might be good.
2. Daniel Jones’ Masterclass
Daniel Jones’ career seemed to be crashing down about halfway through the 2024 season. In 10 starts with the New York Giants, he threw for 2070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions while New York went 2-8 in those games. That prompted the Giants to release Jones, and he spent the remainder of the season as a backup with the Minnesota Vikings.
Then Jones decided to bet on himself one more time and signed with the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year deal, won the starting job over Anthony Richardson, and delivered a masterclass in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. He completed over 75% of his passes for 272 yards and had three total touchdowns in a blowout victory.
Of course, it could be a product of playing a Dolphins team that isn’t very good, but Indianapolis has solidified itself on the NFL radar for now.
3. A Lackluster Lions Team
The Detroit Lions entered Week 1 coming off a 15-2 season in 2024, but how would they perform with some uncertainty on the offensive line and after losing both coordinators in the offseason? Well, if Week 1 is an indicator, the Lions may be set to take a bit of a step back this year.
Detroit simply looked off across the board at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. They mustered only 13 points on offense, and their usual bruising running game with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery was almost nonexistent. Green Bay’s abundant weapons on offense also caused major problems for Detroit’s defense.
It’s probably too early to overreact too much here, considering how good the Packers could be, but alarms have been raised in Detroit. They’ll need a bounce back at home against the Chicago Bears.
4. Are the Chargers Going to Win the AFC West?
After an impressive first season with Jim Harbaugh at head coach in 2024, the Los Angeles Chargers came out and made a massive statement against the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil.
Justin Herbert turned in an outstanding game with 318 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Quentin Johnston looks ready to emerge as the true WR1 of this team, and Omarion Hampton gave the Chargers exactly what they needed for their running game. The offensive line turned in a very impressive game too in its first showing without Rashawn Slater.
Again, we can’t crown a team after one game, but the Chargers showed that they will be serious contenders in the AFC West, and they immediately gained a one-game advantage over the team that has won this division in each of the past nine seasons.
5. Buffalo’s Ridiculous Comeback
Sunday’s slate of football ended with an instant classic between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. After falling down 34-19 entering the fourth quarter, the Bills rattled off 22 points in the final 15 minutes of play to steal a win against Baltimore.
Josh Allen has done it before, but this was one of the more impressive comebacks he’s put together. The MVP quarterback put on the Superman cape to the tune of 424 total yards and four touchdowns on Sunday night, and he orchestrated three touchdown drives and the game-winning field goal drive to ice the game.
Both teams showed that they are serious contenders this season, which is no surprise, but the manner in which Buffalo came back after looking dead in the water for three quarters was simply incredible.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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