NFL Week 1 Is Stacked And Here’s Why (Almost) Every Game Matters

NFL Week 1 is loaded with drama, fresh faces, and playoff-caliber matchups. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of the biggest storylines to watch.

Thursday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, Sept. 4, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC & Peacock) 

The defending Super Bowl champions take their usual spot in the opening night game with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting their NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. These are two franchises heading in opposite directions. Since 2017, the Eagles have won two Super Bowls (and lost another). The Cowboys, meanwhile, have only two playoff wins over that span and haven't advanced past the divisional round since 1995. That's despite winning 12 regular-season games in three of the past four seasons. 

The sportsbooks aren't high on Dallas this season, either, with their regular-season win total of 7.5 being the lowest since 2003. It's obviously a critical season for Dak Prescott, who has a tendency to post strong regular seasons but has almost no playoff success. Prescott has a career 2-5 record in the postseason (compared to 76-46 in the regular season), and expectations in Dallas are to compete for championships. 

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs past a Dallas Cowboys defender at Lincoln Financial Field.

(Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

Philadelphia, on the other hand, has the third-shortest odds of any team to win the Super Bowl (only the Bills and Ravens have shorter odds) and the shortest odds of any NFC team. That makes the opening game much more important for Dallas than Philadelphia. 

The Cowboys have a very manageable early schedule after Week 1 (with games against the Giants, Bears, Packers, Jets and Panthers), so an upset over the Eagles (Dallas is a 7-point underdog) would go a long way in setting them up for a strong season. But with drama still surrounding star defender Micah Parsons, pressure mounting on Prescott, and a new head coach (Brian Schottenheimer), there's a lot to sort out in Big D over the next few weeks before the season kicks off. 

Friday Night Football: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers, Sept. 5, 8 p.m. (YouTube) 

The NFL started a new tradition of playing an international game on the first Friday of Week 1, and the Super Bowl losers, the Kansas City Chiefs, take on their AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil. The game is only streaming on YouTube, as part of the NFL commitment to making it as difficult as possible for fans to find games. 

The Chiefs are 3.5-point favorites and there's no need to hype up Kansas City. They've played in five of the past six Super Bowls, winning three, and have reached the AFC Championship Game in seven straight seasons. Travis Kelce elected to return rather than retire from the NFL, so expect another healthy dose of Taylor Swift coverage this season. While the Chiefs actually have only the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, they're always going to be in the conversation. 

But this game should reveal alot about the Chargers, who have turned a corner under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles won 11 games last season, their most since 2018, but were trounced in the Wild Card Round by the Houston Texans. While quarterback Justin Herbert doesn't get the criticism that Dak Prescott receives, he's never won an NFL playoff game. He was terrible against the Texans, throwing four interceptions in the loss. 

This is a big season for Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and he has a chance to make a statement in a Week 1 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

(Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

At some point, Herbert has to show up in the big moments and Los Angeles is expected to make a playoff run this year (-130 to make the playoffs on DraftKings). Like with Dallas, a statement win in Week 1 against the Chiefs could go a long way to setting up the Bolts for a successful season. 

Sunday, Sept. 7, Early-Afternoon Games – FOX

New York Giants at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. 

The biggest storyline here is whether Jayden Daniels can continue the incredible run that he went on during his rookie season when he easily captured NFL Rookie of the Year honors – and finished Top 10 in MVP voting for good measure. CJ Stroud burst onto the scene with the Houston Texans before going through a "sophomore slump," so eyes are on Daniels to see if he can avoid the second-year hangover. 

For the Giants, who knows what that team is going to look like?  They've got Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart on the depth chart at quarterback, with Wilson nearly certain to get the first crack at the starting gig, but if he stumbles, don't be surprised to see a quick hook. 

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.

As long as Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins remain healthy, the Bengals are a threat to win the Super Bowl. The bigger question is whether they can turn around a putrid defense from last season. They fired DC Lou Anarumo and hired Al Golden, so eyes are on him to see if he can make the necessary changes. 

The far bigger storyline in this game surrounds the Browns. Who is going to start at quarterback? Will it be 40-year-old Joe Flacco? One of the two rookies drafted in 2025, Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders? Former Steelers and Eagles signal-caller Kenny Pickett? If anyone but Sanders starts and struggles, Browns fans are going to be screaming for the fifth-round pick to get his chance. That's something to watch all season, and as early as Week 1. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. 

The Falcons are turning their offense over to 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix, so that's the main thing to watch in this one. The Buccaneers made a surprising run to the playoffs last year with Baker Mayfield and rewarded him with a new contract, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. 

Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. 

I have to be entirely honest: there's not much here. Unless you’re a diehard Panthers or Jags fan, I can't imagine spending much time watching this one. 

Sunday, Early-Afternoon Games – CBS 

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets, 1 p.m. 

Well, this one's pretty obvious. The Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers after he spent two seasons with the Jets. Now, he makes his Steelers debut against the Jets and does so at MetLife Stadium. It'll be interesting to see what kind of reception he gets from the New York crowd. Probably not a good one. Rodgers alone makes this game must-watch TV, but there's also a media subplot as JJ Watt makes his debut as a color commentator on CBS for this one. 

There's a ton of hype surrounding Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to MetLife Stadium to face his former team, the New York Jets. 

(Morgan Tencza/Imagn Images)

Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. 

The Dolphins are a fascinating team. They traded away Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith and Tyreek Hill demanded a trade of his own. Miami didn't budge on Hill, banking that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa would unlock one of the league's most explosive offenses. Actually, both of these teams are likely to start injury-prone quarterbacks, with the Colts likely going with Anthony Richardson, who was already injured during the preseason. Can both guys even make it through this Week 1 game without getting hurt? Sadly, that's not a guarantee. 

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. 

Both teams have new head coaches, although both are veteran NFL coaches. The Raiders hired Pete Carroll and the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls with the team as a player. This might be the one game where the coaching matchup is the most interesting thing to watch in Week 1. 

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. 

This game gives off Panthers-Jaguars vibes. With all the great matchups on the schedule, I'll forgive you if you pay no attention to this one. 

Sunday, Late-Afternoon Games – FOX

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m.

With 2025 NFL Draft #1 overall pick Cam Ward making his debut, a lot of eyes are going to be on this one. It's crazy because Ward has been heavily under-covered by the sports media since being taken with the first pick in April. His debut should be a huge story, but it feels like no one cares – certainly not as much as with other recent top picks. In fact, fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders is getting far more attention than Ward during the preseason. That should change following Ward's first career NFL start, though. 

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. 

There are big questions surrounding the 49ers, who are among the favorites to win the Super Bowl despite an incredibly disappointing 6-11 season last year. They paid Brock Pudy, traded Deebo Samuel, and released Kyle Juszczyk. Brandon Aiyuk is back, but expected to miss several games, still rehabbing from a torn ACL and MCL last year. Christian McCaffrey is healthy for now, but who knows how long he can remain that way?

Despite the turnover, sportsbooks are still confident that Kyle Shanahan can keep his contention with his traditionally innovative strategies. We'll see if that's the case.  

Sunday, Late-Afternoon Games – CBS

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m.

This is the marquee late-afternoon game, with CBS deploying its #1 broadcasting team, featuring Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, to cover this NFC North showdown. That division was easily the best in the league last season, with Detroit capturing the #1 seed in the NFC and the Packers and Vikings both securing playoff spots. However, none of those teams won a single postseason game. Both the Vikings and Packers lost their Wild Card matchup and the Lions were upset at home in the Divisional Round by the Washington Commanders. 

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams carries the ball against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. 

(Lon Horwedel/Imagn Images)

Obviously, that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of both of these teams, who figure to be contenders again this season. The Lions have the fifth-shortest Super Bowl odds of any team (second in the NFC), and the Packers are tied with the 49ers and Commanders for the sixth-shortest odds to win it all. That makes this Week 1 game a potential NFC Championship preview, so what more is there to say? 

Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. 

The Rams and Texans both made surprising runs to the postseason last year, each winning one playoff game. This is probably going to be a very good game, but it is overshadowed by being played simultaneously with Lions/Packers (and Cam Ward's debut, for that matter) . 

Sunday Night Football: Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m. (NBC) 

This is arguably the best matchup in the entire Week 1 NFL slate. These two teams are the two favorites to win the Super Bowl (both currently +600). Each team is led by an NFL MVP, with Bills QB Josh Allen capturing his first trophy last season. Some people felt that Lamar Jackson deserved the award over Allen, which would have been Jackson's third. 

This is also a rematch of the divisional round last season when Allen's Bills narrowly defeated Jackson's Ravens, 27-25, to advance to the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. There's a raging debate about which quarterback is ultimately better, so this game is going to surely reignite that debate immediately following Week 1.  

Monday Night Football: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, Sept. 8, 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN) 

ESPN has done a pretty good job of repairing its relationship with the NFL, which has led to better Monday Night Football matchups the past few seasons. However, while this is a traditional rivalry game between the Bears and Vikings, this game isn't nearly as compelling as some of the other games on the Week 1 slate. 

But there are some interesting things to keep an eye on here, notably the two starting quarterbacks. Caleb Williams had a solid rookie season, but was heavily overshadowed by NFL ROY Jayden Daniels. The Vikings, like the Bears, drafted their future franchise QB in the 2024 NFL Draft, but J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in last year's preseason. 

Now healthy, McCarthy takes over the Vikings' offense after Sam Darnold left in free agency. He has big shoes to fill, as Darnold posted the best season of his NFL career and led Minnesota to a sparkling 14-3 record. The battle between Williams and McCarthy, likely the franchise quarterbacks for both of these NFC North rivals, is a good one to keep an eye on, even if there are better games on the Week 1 slate. 

Final Thoughts 

The NFL season is almost here, and there are fantastic games across the board. Week 1 offers everything fans could want—rivalries, redemption arcs, rookie debuts, and high stakes. Buckle up—it’s going to be one hell of a ride.