Don’t let the clickbait fool ya. As openings go, the first 2026 NFL regular season Sunday was right up there in outsized performance with SPIDER-MAN.
As the NFL’s official website crowed immediately following the closing of yesterday afternoon’s late games window:
- NFL teams have combined to score 702 points (50.1 per game), on pace for one of the highest scoring Kickoff Weekends in NFL history. The record for the most points scored in Week 1 is 791 in 2012.
- Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Minnesota and New Orleans – 10 teams–all scored at least 30 points, tied for the third-most such teams in a Week 1 in NFL history. Only 1986 (12 teams) and 2002 (11) had more.
And nowhere was the giddiness roaring louder than in the Windy City, where undoubtedly Old Styles were flowing liberally as memories of the Monsters of the Midway and The Super Bowl Shuffle were evoked. Per the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES’ Jason Lieser:
Get ready for a season at the speedway. The Bears’ offense was historically prodigious, and it’s just getting started. They raced away from the Panthers 59-37 to begin the season Sunday with a franchise record 552 yards and the most points they’ve scored in an opener. It was their third-most points in a regular-season game and most since 1980.
Nearly every part of coach Ben Johnson’s offense was firing at full force, starting with quarterback Caleb Williams and running back D’Andre Swift, and it was more than enough on a day when the Bears’ defense sputtered throughout.
Sure, the defense sucked. But judging by how the rest of the league played they were hardly unique with that distinction. Were this baseball, one might be wondering if the balls were juiced. I’d contend that’s merely how one would describe the cajones of Williams and Johnson.
Also taking a victory lap is a guy I just happen to have as my fantasy quarterback in three of my four leagues (don’t ask) who reminded his naysayers that he’s got more than a little gas in his tank. As the clearly disappointed Paul Bretl of COLTS WIRE doefully reported:
The Indianapolis Colts dropped their regular-season opener to the Baltimore Ravens, with the defense giving up a lot of yards and a lot of points.
For much of the game, the Colts had few answers for the Ravens’ offense. As a unit, Baltimore averaged over 8.0 yards per play — a massive amount. Last season, the LA Rams‘ offense led the NFL in this category, averaging 6.1 yards per play.
On both the ground and through the air, the Ravens were able to generate explosive plays. Lamar Jackson was efficient and also averaged a whopping 13.0 yards per play. Derrick Henry averaged nearly 6.0 yards per rush while running for 135 yards.
I for one will take a leader who on average was good for a first down and more every time he touched the ball. And hats off to the folks who drafted Henry despite being 32 years of age–the equivalent of 15 years wear and tear on an HVAC. The NFL nerds had a special extended graf reserved just for him:
Henry rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in the Ravens’ 41-23 win at Indianapolis. Henry has 125 career rushing touchdowns, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (123 rushing touchdowns) for the third-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (164 rushing touchdowns) and LaDainian Tomlinson (145) have more. Henry has 26 career games with at least 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown (25 games) and LaDainian Tomlinson (25) for the most such games in NFL history Henry has eight career games with at least 100 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (seven games) for the third-most such games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson (10 games) and Jim Brown (nine) have more. Henry has eight career games with at least three rushing touchdowns, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (eight games) for the fifth-most such games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson (12 games), Jim Brown (10) and Emmitt Smith (nine) as well as Priest Holmes (nine) have more.
If you were looking for the most unexpected overachievement of the day, look no further than the spirited performance that had those shofars (isn’t that what they are?) roaring in U.S. Bank Stadium. Per HEAVY.COM’s Eduardo Razo:
The Minnesota Vikings overcame multiple hurdles to secure a 39-22 come from behind win over the Green Bay Packers. In the first half, the Vikings lost Kyler Murray to a concussion, and Carson Wentz came in off the bench to play a major role in the comeback. Wentz went 13-for-19 on his pass attempts for 133 passing yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 123.5.
CBS Sports’ Ran Carthon had strong words for Wentz after coming in and not letting the team steer off the rails after the concussion to Murray. “This is why you go sign a Carson Wentz in the offseason, because Carson Wentz, to me, plays his best ball when he comes in relief right now,” Carthon said on the Sept. 13 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “If he has to be the guy for numerous starts, I think people start to settle in and force him to do things that he’s not comfortable doing.”
And the night game in the New Jersey swamps didn’t disappoint, either. Maybe THE ATHLETIC’s grizzled Ian O’Connor as a tad over the top with his enthusiasm, but if you’re a Giants fan with the level of realistic expectations they entered this season with, you might choose to forgive him:
First-year New York Giants coach John Harbaugh vowed in May that he would build a team good enough to “kick the (Dallas) Cowboys’ ass.”
Harbaugh delivered on that promise Sunday night, as his Giants took down their hated rivals 28-20 in front of a raucous crowd at MetLife Stadium to secure his first victory with his new team. Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart led the way for New York with three touchdown passes, including two to offseason free-agent acquisition Isaiah Likely. It was the second three-touchdown game of Dart’s young career.
That all sets up tonight’s return of Pat Mahomes from injury and Travis Kelce from The Wedding Of The Century before an emotional home crowd in Kaycee tonight needing a mere six touchdowns and extra points between them to eclipse that aforementioned all-time opening weekend record for points. Not that I’m a betting man, but I wouldn’t caution you not to lay down a couple of units on that coming to pass.
Courage…