The game of the year might have been played on Sunday night.
In Buffalo, the Bills and Ravens waged an epic battle, culminating in Buffalo scoring 16 points across the final four minutes to pull out an improbable 41–40 win in their home opener. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen combined for 703 total yards and seven touchdowns, with Allen having the ultimate say at the end.
Meanwhile, the Aaron Rodgers reunion in New York had it all. Especially if you’re a Steelers fan.
On an afternoon mainly about Rodgers returning to the Meadowlands, it quickly became a battle between him and the man he replaced. Justin Fields kept the Jets in a wild back-and-forth affair, decided by a 60-yard Chris Boswell field goal in the final two minutes.
In his debut with the Steelers, Rodgers led a 34–32 victory over the Jets while throwing four touchdown passes. Fields wasn’t to be outdone, accounting for 276 total yards and three scores.
Meanwhile, the first two games of the season gave us plenty to think about, including whether the Cowboys are going to be better than we thought.
Plus, will even a superhuman version of Patrick Mahomes be enough to help the Chiefs navigate through a demanding early-season schedule, including the Eagles, Ravens and Lions? It’s an especially pressing concern after watching Xavier Worthy get injured while the defense allowed 27 points in a loss to the Chargers.
Then there’s the Dolphins, who went into the opening Sunday of the 2025 NFL season with hopes of getting a road win against the Colts as 1.5-point underdogs. Those hopes vanished quickly due to a three-phase meltdown.
But we start our weekly column of the good, bad and ugly with the season opener, where Pittsburgh showed everyone it isn’t ready to be an AFC afterthought.
Good: Steelers, Jets display prolific attacks in New Jersey
Last season, Pittsburgh played Justin Fields and Russell Wilson under center, averaging 5.0 yards per play to rank 25th, symbolizing its general struggles. Down the stretch, the Steelers went 0–5, including a wild-card loss to the Ravens, scoring 14.2 points per game in that span.
On Sunday afternoon, the Steelers rolled out a new offense featuring Rodgers and DK Metcalf, and the result was decidedly better. Against last year’s third-ranked defense, Pittsburgh scored 34 points led by Rodgers’s aforementioned four scoring strikes. Metcalf was his favorite target, catching four passes for 83 yards.
At 41 years old, Rodgers is likely never going to play at an MVP level again, but he doesn’t have to for Pittsburgh to succeed. The Steelers can do plenty with 244 passing yards and zero turnovers, something they got exactly one time in 2024 from Fields and Wilson.
Speaking of Fields, he’s off to a nice start in a new home, even without a win to show for it.
Fields threw for 218 yards and a touchdown while running for 48 yards and two additional scores, giving New York every opportunity to win. If Fields can play at that level consistently, the Jets should have a chance most weeks, considering their defensive personnel, led by All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner.
Over the past two seasons, the Jets have allowed 34-plus points four times before Sunday’s loss. New York can’t be happy about the result, but should be thrilled with the offensive output.
Bad: Ravens show that talent matters, but playing smart football matters more
Most agree that Baltimore has one of the most talented rosters in the sport. However, it has seldom mattered against quality opponents. On Sunday night, the Ravens had a 40–25 lead with under four minutes remaining before caving in like wet paper in a 41–40 loss to the Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Baltimore went into a prevent defense, leading by 15 points, allowing Josh Allen to turn into his MVP self. Allen was brilliant, throwing for 394 yards and two touchdowns while scoring two more on the ground. Of course, Baltimore played the familiar role of patsy, with Derrick Henry spoiling his 167-yard performance with a late fumble, and then coach John Harbaugh deciding to punt on fourth-and-2 from his 39-yard line when a conversion could have sealed a huge win.
The Ravens somehow managed to lose a game in which they led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, rushed for 238 yards and three touchdowns on 8.2 yards per carry, threw for 11.1 yards per attempt, and saw Zay Flowers catch seven passes for 143 yards and a touchdown while also notching 8.7 yards per play and being 6-of-11 on third down.
This is nothing new for Baltimore, though, which has consistently struggled to win big games. While the Ravens typically wait until January to fall apart, it has also happened in the regular season. Since Jackson became the starting quarterback midway through 2018, the Ravens are 4–6 against Allen and Patrick Mahomes in the regular season, and 0–3 in the postseason.
Yes, it’s Week 1. It’s also a continuation of the struggles Baltimore has had for far too long for this talented team. Last year, the season ended in the same place, with Mark Andrews dropping a would-be, game-tying two-point conversion, while Jackson suffered two turnovers in a 27–25 defeat.
This isn’t just a bad loss. It’s a defeat that could also shape the AFC playoff picture down the line, forcing Baltimore to make another trip to western New York and/or miss out on the conference’s top seed.
Ugly: Miami looks helpless, potentially hopeless
There’s rarely anything positive to take from a loss. That’s the case for the Dolphins in Week 1 unless you’re counting the end of the game.
In a potential make-or-break season for both Tua Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel, Miami began the season falling behind 20–0 at halftime to the Daniel Jones-led Colts at Lucas Oil Field before losing 33–8. How bad was it? Let’s provide an itemized list from the first 30 minutes.
- Jones went 17-of-22 for 197 yards and a TD
- Tagovailoa was sacked three times with 42 passing yards and an INT
- 5.9 vs. 2.9 yards per play
- Total yards: 255–43
- First downs: 17–3
- The Colts had 21:40 time of possession
- Running into the kicker penalty leading to three points
Somehow, that doesn’t fully encapsulate how bad the Dolphins were in all three phases. Offensively, Miami had 106 offensive yards through three quarters before full-blown garbage time. In that same span, Tagovailoa had just two completions of more than 10 yards. Finally, the running game provided a scant 32 yards.
Defensively, there are issues galore. The secondary might be the most underwhelming in football, even with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, and it showed. Jones threw for 272 yards on 9.4 YPA with three total touchdowns, while rookie tight end Tyler Warren had a terrific debut with seven receptions for 76 yards. The Colts also ran amok, going for 156 yards and two scores, both from Jones.
Next week, the Dolphins face a revamped Patriots squad in their home opener before visiting the Bills on Thursday night in Week 3. Without playing significantly better, Miami could easily be staring at a 0–3 record with two divisional losses, prompting questions about the availability of receiver Tyreek Hill and McDaniel’s job security.
Good: Packers looked like an elite defense against the Lions
If this is what the Packers look like when Micah Parsons is on a snap count, imagine what they’ll look like when he’s fully activated.
In its season opener against the Lions, Green Bay took apart the defending NFC North champions in every facet. Detroit only managed 13 points in defeat, while Jared Goff threw for 225 yards and an interception on 5.8 yards per attempt, even with the benefit of garbage time. The Packers were all over him throughout, posting nine quarterback hits and four sacks, while limiting the Lions’ dynamic rushing duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to 45 yards on nine carries.
In its first game without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson after his departure to coach the Bears, Detroit looked lost without its whiz-kid play-caller. The Lions averaged 6.2 yards per play in 2024, ranking second in the league behind only the Ravens. On Sunday, they got nothing going against Green Bay, mustering 3.8 YPP while generating one run that gained double-digit yardage.
For Matt LaFleur and the Packers, it was a breakthrough. Last season, Green Bay finished third in the NFC North despite an 11–6 record, mainly because it was 1–5 within the division, including a season sweep at Detroit’s hand.
With this victory, the Packers have already matched their 2024 success in the North, and did so in resounding fashion.
Bad: Russell Wilson starting one more game for the Giants
If Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen value their jobs, they can’t continue trotting Russell Wilson onto the field.
On the road against their NFC runner-up, the Giants held down Jayden Daniels & Co., limiting them to 14 points through three quarters before finally capitulating. Unfortunately for Big Blue, Wilson was unwatchable and, moving forward, possibly unplayable. All told, Wilson went 17-of-37 for 168 yards on a putrid 4.5 YPA while being statuesque behind a bad offensive line made worse by the absence of All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas.
No, Wilson didn’t get a ton of help. He was hit eight times, and the rushing attack was useless as the Giants ran for 74 yards on 3.2 YPC. Still, Wilson was facing a middling defense that ranked 16th in yards per play against and 13th overall in 2024. He doesn’t have to enjoy a huge day, but he can’t be a wet blanket on any explosive plays. On the afternoon, New York generated only two such plays in the passing game.
Turning the proverbial keys over to rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart is premature, especially with the Cowboys, Chiefs and Chargers coming up. Putting him into the starting lineup against the Saints in Week 5 is probably the smart move. But inserting Jameis Winston and giving the offense a chance to make noise could be the wise middle ground.
Wilson enjoyed a great career. He’s a Super Bowl champion and a 10-time Pro Bowler. Eventually, he’ll have a fascinating case for the Hall of Fame. But at 36 years old and on his fourth team in five seasons, it’s tough to argue for him being a starter any longer.
Ugly: Niners kicking game is a disaster
Last year, the 49ers struggled mightily in the kicking game. Nothing has changed.
In 2024, San Francisco connected on 76.7% of its field goal attempts, ranking 27th. Jake Moody was even worse in the 14 games he started, connecting on 70.6% of his attempts, including a ghastly 10-of-20 on field goals of 40-plus yards.
On Sunday, Moody nearly cost the 49ers dearly in their 17–13 win. With a minute remaining in the second quarter and tied at 7–7, the third-year kicker drilled the left upright. In the third quarter and trailing 10–7, Moody’s kick was low and blocked by safety Julian Love, thwarting a 36-yard attempt which punctuated an eight-minute, 21-second drive.
While Moody was the main culprit of San Francisco’s special teams issues, he wasn’t alone. Newly acquired receiver/returner Skyy Moore muffed his first punt return before falling on the ball. Moore spent three seasons in Kansas City before being traded in August, and he was benched for similar problems, as Moore fumbled three times.
For the Niners, any play on special teams, especially a field goal, has become an adventure.
Good: Reason to believe in the Cowboys
Dallas had to get on the plane early Friday morning feeling physically ill. Not because it lost, but because it should have won.
The Cowboys fell 24–20 to the defending champion Eagles on Thursday night in Philadelphia. However, they should walk away feeling far more positive than the week leading into the game, when the talk was about the team’s demise after the Micah Parsons trade.
In Brian Schottenheimer’s first game as coach, Dallas scored 20 first-half points and then spent the second half beating itself. On the Cowboys’ initial second-half drive, they fumbled at Philadelphia’s 11-yard line. The next drive ended on a CeeDee Lamb drop that would have put Dallas in field goal range at a minimum. Two drives later, Lamb saw a deep ball slip through his fingers, effectively ending the game.
It’s the NFL. There are no moral victories. But for a Cowboys team most thought was ready to embark on a disaster, there’s suddenly hope. With the Giants up next in the home opener, there are legitimate positives to build off, assuming Lamb’s hands round into form.
The optimism isn’t only on the offensive side.
After being torched for 207 yards on 6.9 yards per play and 21 points on three drives before halftime, Dallas tightened up. Matt Eberflus’s unit surrendered three points in the second half while permitting 2.8 yards per play and 78 yards (excluding the last drive).
Furthermore, Saquon Barkley was limited to 60 yards on 18 carries (3.3 YPC) after rushing for 233 in two wins last year.
The pass defense had its troubles getting to Jalen Hurts, sacking him once while recording five quarterback hits. Still, the secondary held up with a variety of zone coverages, limiting A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to a combined four catches for 24 yards.
It’s a loss, but the Cowboys had plenty of wins to draw confidence from.
Bad: Chiefs looked lost on defense, and the offense is a one-man show
There’s plenty to talk about with Kansas City’s defense. Going against an underwhelming offensive line with All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater out with a torn patellar tendon, the Chiefs were expected to pressure Justin Herbert with Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. Instead, the front four totaled one sack and two quarterback hits. The secondary was also a mess, with Herbert throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns on 9.4 yards per attempt.
Still, expect defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to clean some of that up (and scheme around it) as the year continues.
The biggest problem for at least the next month is the offense, primarily because of absences.
Patrick Mahomes was brilliant against the Chargers, throwing for 258 yards and a touchdown while leading the Chiefs with 57 rushing yards and a score. The issue, though, is also in those numbers.
Mahomes was forced to play Superman because Xavier Worthy, a second-year receiver whom the team expected much, left with a dislocated shoulder three plays into the season after being slammed into on a shallow cross by teammate Travis Kelce. Kansas City is also down star wideout Rashee Rice, who is serving a six-game suspension for a high-speed crash in 2024.
Without Worthy and Rice, the Chiefs had to rely on Marquise Brown, who played 94% of the offensive snaps. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton played 80% and 72% respectively, giving Kansas City a motley crew in 11 personnel. The running game was also nonexistent, with Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco combining for 10 carries.
For Kansas City to overcome that dearth of talent, it watched Mahomes add to his never-ending highlight reel. On its first touchdown drive, he ran for 37 yards and the touchdown. On the next play, Mahomes completed a 12-yard circus throw to Smith-Schuster, converting a third-and-5 while horizontal before running for five yards on third-and-4. On the last offensive drive, Mahomes threw a 49-yard strike to Brown while getting crushed on a fourth-and-7.
Mahomes always makes a few game-altering plays. But right now, that’s the only offensive plan the Chiefs can count on. Up next? The Eagles.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Good, Bad and Ugly From NFL Week 1 Includes an Epic Finish by the Bills.