The first week of the NFL season is in the books.
This is not the reasonable time for overreactions (yet), though several teams made early statements on the outlooks of what they can accomplish in 2025.
Here are the three winners and three losers from Week 1 of the NFL season.
Winners Minnesota Vikings J.J. McCarthy finally got the chance to prove himself as an NFL quarterback after a knee injury cost him his rookie season. The 2024 first-rounder led the Vikings back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit on the road for a divisional win over the Chicago Bears.
McCarthy tossed a pair of touchdown passes and ran in another on the ground in a promising debut for the Michigan product.
Las Vegas Raiders The Raiders put an exclamation point on the start of the Pete Carroll era in Las Vegas. Quarterback Geno Smith carved New England for 366 yards while the defense held the Patriots to three points in the second half.
Green Bay Packers The Packers made the biggest statement of Week 1 as legitimate contenders to win a talented NFC North. Jordan Love threw the ball well, Micah Parsons impacted the defense in his debut and Green Bay handled business against the reigning division champions and NFC No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions.
Losers New England Patriots The Mike Vrabel era got off on a tough start at home. The improved defense with several free-agent additions struggled mightily while the offense heavily underutilized new rookie weapons in TreVeyon Henderson, Efton Chism III (inactive) and Kyle Williams.
Miami Dolphins The Dolphins, who already appeared due for more regression, took that to a new level Sunday. They got dismantled by Daniel Jones, the winner of one of the league's least promising quarterback battles, to the tune of a 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Kansas City Chiefs The Chiefs have work to do after a Super Bowl LIX loss and certainly won't have a cakewalk through the AFC West this season. The Los Angeles Chargers proved that on Friday in Brazil behind a 300-yard performance from quarterback Justin Herbert.
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