What a doozy of an opening week! The first Sunday slate of 2026 featured a bevy of lopsided games. Some were fun to watch like the Bears vs Panthers shootout and seeing the Bengals field a good defense for the first time in many seasons against the Buccaneers. And then there were some that were absolutely painful. Looking at you, Dallas, Green Bay, and Los Angeles (Chargers). The theme of the day seemed to be turnovers, turnovers, and more turnovers. Not surprisingly, whoever won the turnover battle won the game. With the recent trend of starters not getting many meaningful reps in the preseason, Week 1 usually feels like the chance to shake off some of the rust before the season really kicks off. I wouldn’t put much stock into whether your team won or lost this weekend…unless you are the Detroit Lions! Lions fans I’m nervous for ya’ll.

Here are my Top 3 Stories Entering Week 2:
1. Timing Matters: Flashback to 2024 when the Detroit Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game and head coach Dan Campbell said “…this may have been our only shot” in his postgame interview. At the time, I’m sure many people thought it was an example of his humble nature, but fast forward to now and the Detroit Lions don’t look like they will be returning to glory anytime soon. They were lucky to beat the Saints in Week 1 and although the scoreboard for their game versus the Bills was only a 10 point difference in the end, the game was as good as over going into the 2nd half. “But the Bills are the best team in the NFL right now,” I’m sure that’s what some of you are saying. But it’s not just how the Lions have played to start the season, but how they ended the year last season. It feels like their Super Bowl window and run atop the NFC North has closed. I feel the same way about the Buccaneers in the NFC South (watch out for the Panthers and Saints), the Broncos in the AFC West (short-lived I know), and the Rams in the NFC West (superteams never prosper)!
2. The Definition of Insanity is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over and Expecting Different Results: Still don’t know if Albert Einstein really said this as he has been credited; however, it’s the best way to describe how teams like the Browns, Titans, Colts, and Falcons are approaching this season. The Browns don’t want to admit they signed QB Deshaun Watson (unprompted might I add) to one of the worse contracts in the history of the NFL. Everyone (including Deshaun) knows he can’t play viable football anymore, but they insist on keeping him as the starter. Likewise, the Titans have a whole new coaching staff but not much seems different from last season and I worry about QB Cam Ward’s development. As an NFC East fan, I could’ve told the Colts about the Daniel Jones experience if they just asked. He will give you a few good games, but he is not a season long starter at quarterback. Despite this, the Colts signed him to an extension this offseason and are married for another 2 seasons. Falcons signed QB Tua Tagovaoila this season as a bridge to the return of starting QB Michael Penix Jr. However, Tagovaoila got injured right before Week 1 and has not been able to play. Penix Jr also has not been cleared to return to play following his ACL injury last season and Falcons will now be relying on journeyman Cooper Rush. Since Matt Ryan’s departure from the team, the Falcons have lacked stability at the QB position which they have not been able to overcome despite their solid roster.
3. Playing Offense on Defense: Life is so much easier for a team when your defense is good! It cannot be overstated the importance of having not only a good defense, but a defense that can get takeaways.

Game of the Week: Seahawks vs Cardinals
I don’t think a lot of people had the Cardinals upsetting the Los Angeles Chargers to open up the season but here we are! In the first NFC West match-up between these two teams, I am interested to see what the Cardinals are able to do against the formidable Seahawks defense and an offense still without starting QB Sam Darnold. It’s early, so a win for the Cardinals doesn’t automatically mean playoffs but momentum is sometimes more dangerous than sheer talent.

Upset of the Week: Jets over the Packers
Granted they were playing against the Tennessee Titans last week but the new look New York Jets looked good! Geno Smith had a respectable outing going 19 for 24, throwing for 215 yards, and most importantly had 0 turnovers. That’s what the Jets needed. A stabilizing, veteran presence at the QB position that can move the chains forward and limit turnovers. Something no one in the Jets QB carousel could accomplish last season. The talent is there! The offense was running like a well oiled machine and the defense played fast! Anyone who knows me, knows that I think Jordan Love is a Top 10 QB talent in this league but his ball security is a serious concern. The Packers last three possessions on Sunday were fumble, interception, and turnover on downs after a failed 4th down conversion which is an insane series of events. Last year, I felt the Packers got in their own way of making it further in the playoffs with questionable game management decisions down the stretch by HC Matt LaFleur but this year I worry if the talent is there. Last week I picked them to win the division, but now I’m not sure they’ll even make a wildcard spot. I’m riding the Jets wave until the wheels inevitably fall off on the Geno Smith experience.

Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys: Win
I had zero expectations going into opening week for the Commanders. There were so many changes this offseason including brand new play callers on both sides of the ball that it was anyone’s guess how the team would look against the Eagles. Despite the loss, there was a lot of good to take away from the game. The defense was like night and day from last year. There were a few big plays that ultimately the team couldn’t overcome, but I almost shed a tear seeing better tackling by defenders compared to the last two seasons. CB Mike Sainristil had a rough outing with lapses in coverage leading to the first two Eagles touchdowns. I have a theory that Sainristil got used to playing out of position these last few years because he had to cover up for other players in the secondary who weren’t in the right place and he just has to learn to trust his instincts and teammates again. He can’t be Superman in the secondary, but he can be a solid CB in year 3. The talent just didn’t disappear from year 1. The Commanders defense will be facing the talented WR duo of Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens. Both players probably want to forget their performances last week against the Giants and will likely be looking to bounce back this week. I’m not expecting them to have as many drops, so Washington will have to do better limiting the big plays. QBs Dak Prescott and Jayden Daniels have only gone head to head once in the last 2 seasons due to injuries for both players, but Dallas has a 3-1 record through 4 games. On the offensive side of the ball for the Commanders, the first 3 quarters of Sunday’s game against the Eagles were rough! It took a while for the offense to find it’s groove and once it did, we saw better ball movement. Jayden Daniels has talked about the psychological aspect of returning to play after his injury ridden season last year and I imagine that played a part in the slow start. There weren’t a lot of splash plays but given that the Eagles defense is probably one of the best defenses the Commanders will face all season, if they can start fast and clean up the drops and continue to improve on the offensive line front they can have a great day against a Cowboys defense reeling from injuries and a poor outing against the Giants.

What’s on your mind entering Week 2?