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Week 1 promised a clean slate for all 32 teams. By the time the early and afternoon games wrapped up, the NFL reminded everyone why nothing in this league stays predictable for long.
Green Bay looked like it had the Minnesota game handled early, jumping out to a 22-10 lead over the Vikings. Then Kyler Murray went down with a concussion. Backup Carson Wentz stepped in and helped Minnesota rip off 29 unanswered points, turning a blowout into a 39-22 divisional win.
Henry Keeps Climbing the Record Books
Age isn’t slowing Derrick Henry down. Not even a little.
The 32-year-old running back scored three touchdowns against Indianapolis, pushing him into third place all-time for career rushing touchdowns. He’s now trailing only Emmitt Smith (164) and LaDainian Tomlinson (145) – pretty select company for a guy some thought was on the back nine of his career.
Cardinals Pull Off the Upset of the Week
The Chargers were supposed to handle Arizona with ease. Someone forgot to tell the Cardinals that.
Arizona walked away with a 26-14 win, and it wasn’t particularly close down the stretch. Tight end Trey McBride hauled in 95 yards and a score, while rookie running back Jeremiyah Love made his debut count with 41 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries.
A blocked punt in the fourth quarter set up Arizona at the 3-yard line, and McBride cashed that in too – a three-yard touchdown reception from Jacoby Brissett that pushed the lead to nine. Chad Ryland later added a 49-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game with under three minutes left.
Justin Herbert tried to answer, but his deep shot into double coverage got picked off by Andrew Wingard. Arizona couldn’t do much with the possession that followed, but it didn’t matter. The clock did the rest.
Bears and Panthers Combine for a Scoring Record
If you like offense and can’t stand defense, Chicago at Carolina was the game for you.
The Bears left Charlotte with a 59-37 win. Add it up and that’s 96 combined points – the most points scored in any Week 1 game in NFL history.
Saints Force Overtime, Then Lose It on a Two-Point Try
Detroit built a 21-0 lead over New Orleans by the third quarter. Game over, right?
Not quite. Quarterback Tyler Shough led the Saints all the way back and forced overtime. New Orleans then chose to go for the win outright rather than kick the extra point, and the two-point conversion attempt failed. Detroit escaped.
Eagles Survive Washington’s Late Push
Stefon Diggs made his Commanders debut memorable, hauling in a touchdown before getting flagged for excessive celebration – he ran through the end zone and hugged the goal post, which apparently crosses a line these days.
That penalty pushed Washington out of two-point range on the extra point, forcing a 44-yard attempt (which they made) instead of tying it with a two-point conversion.
Late in the fourth, Washington got a touchdown that looked like it might not have actually crossed the goal line – the review showed the ball possibly hitting the ground – but the call on the field stood. The Commanders needed a two-point conversion to tie it. Philadelphia’s defense stuffed the attempt at the goal line, and Washington’s onside kick attempt following the failed conversion came up empty.
Jalen Hurts closed it out with a kneel-down, and the Eagles held on, 24-22.
Hurts and Dallas Goedert connected twice in the win, including a 43-yard score where Goedert had to cover most of the field before beating the defense down the sideline. Hurts also found DeVonta Smith three times, with the best grab coming on a 31-yard sideline catch where Smith dragged his toes in bounds on a perfectly placed ball.
Vikings Complete the Comeback
Minnesota’s rally deserves its own breakdown, because it wasn’t just one big play – it was a full quarter of Green Bay falling apart.
Trailing 22-10, the Vikings got their offense rolling behind Wentz. Aaron Jones capped one scoring drive with a three-yard touchdown run, and Wentz found Justin Jefferson for the two-point conversion right after, cutting the deficit to three.
Green Bay had chances to answer. Kicker Trey Smack made a 40-yard field goal, but Minnesota was flagged for offsides on the attempt. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur decided to go for it on fourth down instead of taking the automatic points – and Minnesota’s defense stuffed Jordan Love’s rush at the line, turning the ball over on downs.
Jefferson wasn’t done either. He added his second receiving touchdown of the game, and just like that, Minnesota had scored 29 unanswered points after trailing by 12.
Running back Jordan Mason punched in a one-yard score off a forced fumble to make it 32-22, and Green Bay’s offensive line had no answers for Minnesota’s pass rush down the stretch – back-to-back sacks for nine-yard losses resulted in fumbles, with the Vikings recovering the second one. An intercepted pass with 4:03 left sealed things further, giving Minnesota’s offense the ball at the 14-yard line with a 10-point cushion.
Minnesota heads into a tough divisional matchup against Chicago next week. Green Bay will try to regroup against the Jets.
For bettors tracking these results, Week 1’s chaos was a reminder of just how volatile early-season lines can be. Minnesota’s furious comeback against Green Bay and Arizona’s road upset over the Chargers both would have blown up spreads that looked comfortable at halftime. If you’re looking to track live odds movement and see how lines shifted throughout these games, offshore sportsbook odds offers a solid resource for comparing spreads and totals across sportsbooks heading into Week 2.
Sunday’s Other Storylines
Injury news trickled out ahead of “Sunday Night Football” as well; the Giants confirmed star wide receiver Malik Nabers would be active, ending a questionable tag that lingered right up until game day.
Terry McLaurin had a quiet day against Philadelphia’s defense for most of the game, getting targeted several times without a catch to show for it – until an eight-yard reception with 4:30 left finally got him on the board.
Week 1 Sunday Results (Ahead of Sunday Night Football)
Colts vs. Titans (Henry’s 3-TD performance)
Vikings 39, Packers 22
Eagles 24, Commanders 22
Bears 59, Panthers 37
Cardinals 26, Chargers 14
Lions def. Saints (OT)
