Week 1s are weird, and Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season was an exception. Offenses were mostly down, with skill players struggling to put up numbers and more than half of the league’s QBs throw for less than 200 yards. The Indianapolis Colts looked like a juggernaut, Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a win, and favorites like the Bengals, Bucs, and Broncos all won without looking too impressive.
It’s impossible to fairly judge a team after just one game. Fortunately, no one asked me to do that. I’m here to give you my Week 1 overreactions after the Sunday slate, and offer definitive conclusions for teams with a whole lot of football left in front of them.
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Please revisit these hot takes after the season and see which ones actually stuck. Leave your own in the comments, and vote on which of mine is most likely to sustainable the season.
Mike McDaniel will be the first head coach fired
The Dolphins suffered the most embarrassing loss of Week 1, getting crushed by 25 points by the Colts in a game they entered as a road favorite. Miami’s offense has been pretty explosive in recent years when Tua Tagovailoa has been healthy, but in this game he was only pulled for Zach Wilson because he was so ineffective. Tagovailoa threw two interceptions and only had 114 yards passing on 23 attempts. Both of the interceptions were just awful, and eventually Tyreek Hill had a full-blown meltdown on the sidelines over the offense’s inability to connect on passes. If the Dolphins are getting punked like this by a Daniel Jones-led team, it might be a long season. McDaniel was a popular pick for hot seat lists coming into the season, and this isn’t a good start. His nerdy mad scientist approach looks a lot better when the Dolphins are biting off huge chunks on the ground and hitting Hill and Jaylen Waddle in stride. McDaniel was already going for nihilism in the preseason, and after Week 1, his head coaching career in Miami really does feel another day closer to death.
The Lions can’t score without Ben Johnson
The Lions lost both of their coordinators from last season with Aaron Glenn taking the Jets’ job and Ben Johnson going to the Bears. Which coordinator did they miss more in their Week 1 defeat to the Green Bay Packers? Detroit’s defense allowed 27 points to Green Bay and generally got picked apart by Jordan Love. Somehow, it was even uglier offensively. Detroit almost went the whole game without scoring a touchdown until rookie Isaac TeSlaa got one in garbage time. Detroit has some great weapons on offense, but they couldn’t get anything going on Sunday. The Lions’ great running back tandem only had 46 yards on 22 carries, and the pass catching trio of Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jameson Williams only totaled 147 yards between the three of them. Under Ben Johnson, the Lions were embarrassing teams with trick plays and ripping off huge chunks of yards both on the ground and through the air. I don’t think the Packers defense is really this good — especially not with a hobbled Micah Parsons for Week 1. The Lions offense just looked terrible without Johnson.
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The Bo Nix sophomore slump is real
Bo Nix put together a pretty good rookie season. With a loaded defense behind him, there was plenty of reason for Broncos optimism this year if Nix could take another step as a sophomore. Nix was more prepared than most rookie QBs at 24 years old after six years of college, but he never had the natural talent of his peers at the top of the 2024 draft. Nix was totally ineffective against an average Bills defense in his one playoff game last year, and he never got into a rhythm in a one-score Week 1 win over the lowly Titans. Nix finished threw 40 passes for only 176 yards, and got picked off twice. A win is a win in the NFL, but Nix should have looked a lot better against the Titans if he was really poised for a breakout season. I love the Denver defense, but I do not trust Bo Nix in the slightest.
Justin Fields is the Jets’ QB of the future
There’s not really such a thing as a feel-good loss in Week 1, and especially not when it comes against Aaron Rodgers. Still, the Jets should feel pretty encouraged about their offense after a terrific performance from Justin Fields in his debut. New York agreed to a two-year deal with Fields in free agency, but there was still big questions on if he could lead a competent passing offense. On Sunday, Fields threaded the needle between playing efficient, mistake-free football while also making some impact plays as a rusher, including two touchdowns. Fields is probably the second best rushing QB in the NFL behind Lamar Jackson, and he seemed to make strides at avoiding negative plays during his one year in Pittsburgh. The Jets seemed like they understood how to leverage his strengths in Week 1, and that’s exciting for their future even in a loss. Fields is still only 26 years old. Maybe there’s a world where he can do for the Jets what Bake Mayfield did for the Bucs.
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The Russell Wilson era is already over for the Giants
Maybe Russell Wilson will get another start for the Giants, although it’s telling that Brian Daboll wouldn’t commit to him in Week 2 following a 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders. The Giants drafted Jaxson Dart in the first round for a reason, and even a skeptic like me thought Dart looked pretty good in the preseason. Wilson’s Week 1 was a total disaster: 37 attempts for 168 yards. The weapons on this team after Malik Nabers are super lacking, and Wilson feels like a threat to lose a fumble on any given possession (he fumbled once in this game but the Giants retained possession). Wilson was at his best when he could hunt deep shots, and those are harder to come by in this era of the league, and with his physicality waning with age. Wilson had an awesome career, but he looks like he’s toast, especially with this supporting cast.
The Bills are a team of destiny
The Ravens are my Super Bowl pick and I’m sticking with it, but holy cow, what an amazing comeback for the Bills to cap Week 1. Josh Allen is a super human, and he has a way of raising the level of everyone else around him. Please give us another Bills-Ravens playoff game. This is the best matchup in football by far.
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