I have many thoughts about the NFL season kicking off on a Wednesday (side-eyes Roger Goodell), but at last we’ve made it guys! We are guaranteed a football game every week from now until Valentine’s Day.

The 2026 NFL season kicks off with a rematch of the Super Bowl with the defending champions Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots. Both teams enter Wednesday’s game with questions about the offense. For the Patriots, what impact will new WR duo AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs have on a Patriots offense that was non-existent for much of the Super Bowl (and arguably their entire playoff run)? Treveyon Henderson’s participation on opening day is also up in the air after missing the last two weeks of practice following a late ankle injury at the end of August. On the Seahawks’ side, perhaps the biggest storyline for the offense entering the new season is how the team deals with the loss of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who took over as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. If you’ve been keeping up, the Seahawks are the offseason team for Hard Knocks this season and there’s a scene of the running backs coach talking about expectations after Super Bowl MVP RB Kenneth Walker III left the team to join the Kansas City Chiefs. The Seahawks clearly have heard the noise and they aren’t worried but to be competitive in today’s league you must have a serviceable running game. On the defensive side of the ball, will the lack of a contract extension this offseason affect star CB Cristian Gonzalez’s performance this season and will the Seahawks defense be as dominant? The most recent back to back Superbowl winner was the Kansas City Chiefs in ’23 and ’24. Prior to this, a team had not gone back to back since the ’04 and ’05 New England Patriots. We will see the answer to many of these questions on Wednesday, hopefully it’s a good one!

Here are my Top 3 Stories Entering Week 1:

1. Who Will the Starters Be? Some big names around the league are slated to return to play in Week 1 after season ending injuries last year including QB Patrick Mahomes, QB Jayden Daniels, QB Bo Nix, TE George Kittle, and QB Daniel Jones to name a few. On the flip side, there have been some unlucky losses in the offseason/pre-season this year to LT Laremy Tunsil, rookie WR Jordan Tyson, centers Tyler Biadsz and Danny Pinter, and multiple losses for the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions. There are also some surprise key absences such as Packers RB Josh Jacobs who starts the season on the Commissioners’ exempt list. The great teams are able to embody the next man up mentality, but it’s always preferable to have your best 11 out on Sunday.
2. Rams are the Team to Beat? DT Aaron Donald has teased a return to the NFL every season since his retirement after the 2023 season. His return was confirmed this offseason and all signs point to him playing in the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers. With the addition of reigning DPOY Myles Garrett through an offseason trade, the Rams’ defense is expected to be much improved so it’s no wonder why many in the sports world are already claiming the Rams as the likely NFC representative for the Super Bowl this year. I’m not quite ready to make that claim and in fact, the Rams face a tougher schedule this season than last year when they played teams in the NFC and AFC South, so I’m not expecting them to be as dominant as some seem to think.
3. Predicting Division Winners In the AFC: Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos. In the NFC: Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, and Carolina Panthers

Game of the Week: Chiefs vs Broncos
I’ve seen prime Tom Brady, prime Aaron Rodgers, prime Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes is still the greatest QB I have ever watched in my life. Despite being only 3 years removed from their last Super Bowl win, the Kansas City Chiefs as a team have been underwhelming in recent seasons. The mystique of Patrick Mahomes has done a lot to mask questions about the running game, receivers, and defense for anyone not named Chris Jones. Coming off a season ending ACL injury, it remains to be seen what the next era of Mahomes’ career will look like. I’m going to bet he starts the era with a loss because the Broncos won’t make it easy. The Broncos won the AFC West last year and were 1 game away from being in the Super Bowl before an unfortunate injury to Bo Nix torpedoed their chances. I’m still not wowed by who the Broncos have on offense as part of the supporting cast, but the addition of Jaylen Waddle will help. The Broncos also return most of their defensive starters who were key components of last year’s playoff run.

Upset of the Week: Panthers over Bears
I think people are underestimating what the loss of WR DJ Moore will mean for the Chicago Bears offense. Last year, he was a safety blanket for a lot of QB Caleb Williams’ off-script plays. WR Luther Burden III looks like he has the making of a star and WR Rome Odunze may yet still live up to his 1st round draft pick status, but will it be enough to replace Moore’s productivity. The Panthers are scrappy and scrappy is unpredictable. I would’ve felt much more confident in this pick if the Panthers’ didn’t have the offseason injuries they did but I think this team has really built a strong foundation in the last 2-3 seasons and if they can pick up where they ended last year, they might go even further this season.

Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Loss
The Commanders fan in me will always have them winning every game we play. However, in the spirit of objectiveness, this is a tough match-up for Washington to start the season. The Eagles’ offense is experiencing some flux, most notably the loss of star WR AJ Brown and new Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion. QB Jalen Hurts gets a lot of unwarranted criticism I think for a guy who in just his first 6 years of being in the NFL has been to the Super Bowl twice, won the Super Bowl, and Super Bowl MVP. I expect more of the same from Jalen Hurts this year and if the offense can be more in-sync this season I do see them repeating as division winners for the third straight year. It would be disingenuous to say that the loss of LT Laremy Tunsil and the uncertainty of the center position won’t affect the team this season but if the Commanders’ offensive line can manage to be league average then I believe the offense can be top 10 in the league this season. Why? I’m really high on Jayden Daniels, RB Bill Croskey-Merritt, and the Commanders’ receiver rooms. Add to that a more motivated defense and perhaps this time in the first match-up of these two teams with Jayden Daniels since the crushing defeat in the 2024 NFC Championship game that preluded his sophomore slump, the outcome will be different.

What’s on your mind entering Week 1?