Week 1 in the NFL is an exciting event of newness, discovery and surprise. With the long wait for games that count after the Super Bowl and the offseason rigamarole, first impressions can carry much weight.
They can also be overblown because one week doesn't make a trend or narrative that will last for the entire season. The hyperbole tied to how all teams fared in their opening games is fair in relation to the anticipation and anxiety. But it's also important to get a reality check, to find the facts and the fiction. Here's what to know after Week 1.
MORE: Grading NFL Week 1 debuts, from Aaron Rodgers and Travis Hunter to Justin Fields and Geno Smith
Worst overreactions from NFL Week 1
"Aaron Rodgers is back in MVP form as the Steelers' QB"
Rodgers tied Tom Brady with his 28th game with at least 4 touchdown passes and zero interceptions, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers outlast his former team, the New York Jets, 34-32 in his debut with Pittsburgh. It was the first such game Rodgers has had since 2021, his fourth and final MVP season with the Green Bay Packers.
Every other key Rodgers stat (22-of-30, 244 yards, 8.1 yards per attempt, 136.7 passer rating) in his return to New York. It didn't feel like he was a near-washed 41-year-old in his (likely) final NFL season.
Pittsburgh should feel good about the fact it has fixed its QB situation in the short term. The Jets also seem to have won early by replacing Rodgers with former Steelers starter Justin Fields. But Rodgers still has competition from a slew of top passers, including Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert before Sunday. Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield and heck, even Jordan Love and Daniel Jones had big winning days.
Rodgers has put the Steelers in a position to win a lot of games, even when their defense has an off day, like it did against Fields and the Jets. Sustaining that high bar and also staying healthy will be Rodgers' biggest challenges at his age.
"The Lions' offense has no roar anymore"
What was that? The Lions rushed for only 46 yards in Green Bay, losing 27-13. Jared Goff had his typical outdoor game struggles and then some, averaging only 5.8 yards per attempt, throwing an INT and taking four sacks. The last time the Lions' offense looked so bad was a 38-6 loss to the Ravens in Week 7 of 2023.
That was with Ben Johnson calling the plays. The latest result was with John Morton as offensive coordinator. For how much money they now have invested in wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and with Jahmyr Gibbs revving up the backfield, how did this happen?
The Lions' offensive line has gone from to great to bad in the interior, indicated well by the pressure the Packers got in Goff's face on top of run-blocking woes. They couldn't get as aggressive as they wanted in the passing game as a result without the support of play-action or protection. Johnson is a hard OC to replace when the fundamentals are breaking down. There were little means to move the ball unless Gibbs or tight end Sam LaPorta was seeing the ball on shorter routes.
The Packers' defense also is tricky in Lambeau, even without a full-healthy Micah Parsons. The Lions will have more issues, like in Week 3 against ... the Ravens ... in Baltimore. If they struggle in the home sweet dome Ford Field against Johnson's Bears in Week 2, then there's real reason to panic.
MORE: Parsons, Love show Packers have real 'Super' combination against Lions
"The Packers are the new team to beat in the NFC"
The Packers smashed the Lions even before Parsons got his cosmetic sack of Goff with the game already in hand. Love played at a high level, spreading the ball around well to his receivers, avoiding mistakes and sacks. Josh Jacobs ran had when needed to and the Packers dominated ball control.
Matt LaFleur needed to make the early statement vs. Dan Campbell and the Lions to show who has the early power in what should be a loaded NFC North battle. The truth is, there are five more big division games left, three on the road. The Bears-Vikings winner also will be right there with the Packers.
Ahead of the Packers in the NFC, the Eagles, 49ers and Commanders are the bigger obstacles. Green Bay will get another key litmus test on Thursday night at Lambeau Field. Winning there will bring the Super Bowl attention this team deserves.
MORE: How did the Bills beat the Ravens? Josh Allen leads Buffalo to fourth quarter comeback
"The Ravens will keep blowing it with Lamar Jackson"
Baltimore fans have now felt both sides of this heartbreak against the Bills, in back-to-back road games, no less.
In last season's divisional playoffs, reliable Mark Andrews dropped the would-be game-tying two-point conversion pass from Jackson in a 27-25 loss in Buffalo. In Week 1's opener, reliable Derrick Henry fumbled in a even worst 41-40 loss to Buffalo in which Baltimore held a 34-19 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Ravens ran through the Bills for 238 yards between Henry and Jackson. Jackson was a more efficient QB overall than Josh Allen Sunday night. But just one turnover and not being able to move the chains late was enough to lose a tough one.
John Harbaugh has gotten plenty of heat for this. But the Ravens seem to have a mental and physical block trying to shake this history. It's much like how the Chargers struggled with winning tough close games -- until they had a big breakthrough with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert last Friday against the Chiefs.
Maybe going through that feeling twice to the same team can be jarring. Or they will make another big-game mistake. However, focusing too much on their mistakes will keep them stuck. There's a lot of season and playoffs left for Baltimore to finally figure this out to finally clear that AFC title obstacle again.
"Daniel Jones is this year's Sam Darnold"
Baker Mayfield was saved by the Buccaneers in 2023. Sam Darnold got his new career life with the Vikings in 2024. Now the Colts might be the right fit for Jones, making it three consecutive first-round QB resurrections.
Jones also has flashed at a high level as a runner and intermediate passer for the Giants (twice) before losing his confidence. The Colts have restored that for sure by giving him a chance and then starting him over Anthony Richardson. But he also got to rip into the Dolphins, who have a terrible overall defense. He also did it at home. Next week will tell a better story, when the Broncos' vaunted pass defense rolls into Indianapolis for the Peyton Manning Bowl.
MORE: Will the Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel?
"The Dolphins are totally the worst team in the NFL"
The Dolphins can get in line. The Browns and Titans stayed in their games, but they didn't look all that good in losses. The Saints seemed to have no chance against the Cardinals and the Giants' offense rendered them non-competitive against the Commanders. The Patriots also whiffed in a big chance to set the tone for their season at home against the Raiders.
The Dolphins and Patriots play each other in Miami in Week 2. If the Dolphins also look almost 33-8 bad at home, then this statement would push toward the truth, at least in terms of being the worst team in the AFC. It just might be difficult to get to New Orleans level, even if the Dolphins want to "March for Arch" and replace a fading Tua Tagovailoa.
"Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud also need to benched"
Tagovailoa has a case to sit for Miami, even in favor of Zach Wilson. The Giants should already be benching Russell Wilson for Jaxson Draft. The Colts already made the right such move with Richardson.
Young had such a hot finish to the 2024 season under Dave Canales. He was given a talented first-round wide receiver, Tetairoa McMIllan. His line is not bad and Chuba Hubbard is an above-average back. That's why his clunker in Jacksonville against a meh defense was disappointing.
Stroud was better and kept the Texans in the game vs. the Rams until the end, but he didn't handle pressure well behind a weak line. He threw an interception and failed to push the ball downfield, only getting the ball to go-to guy Nico Collins three times for 25 yards. That was despite Houston having some surprise effectiveness in the running game. Stroud slumped as a sophomore and it's troublesome it's carrying over into what was supposed to be a better offensive scheme for him that gives him more autonomy.
The Panthers already gave Young a wake-up benching with Andy Dalton last season. The Texans can't be handing the passing game back to Davis Mills. The Colts had an out with Richardson. Carolina and Houston just need to ride it out. The 2023 QB class is getting a little too close to being a washout.
MORE: Updated NFL power rankings for Week 2
"The Bengals also have lost their offensive roar"
The Bengals are named after a specific style of tiger and yes, tigers like lions, can also roar. How did a team with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown gain only 7 yards in the second half of a game? Heck it's shocking when they don't score 7 points in any half of a game.
Cincinnati gave Cleveland every opportunity to steal the Battle of Ohio, but the Bengals are 1-0 with a 17-16 win thanks to their ... defense. The real takeaway is that a notorious slow starting team won its first game, a trap on the road. That's still a winning result in a division archrivalry game while facing Myles Garrett on the pass rush often.
The Bengals could have fallen behind the Steelers and Ravens, but kept pace and now have a real chance to be 2-0 playing at Jacksonville in Week 2. This is also a scary sign Cincinnati has improved on defense, because it looked competent and functional under Al Golden with Trey Hendrickson playing like expected ace pass rusher. Burrow will get it going and the D can still get better. Make that now three real threats to win the AFC North.