Is the NFL approaching the end of an era with one of its quarterback greats? Can two young quarterbacks handle the Lou Anarumo and Brian Flores treatment? We look ahead to Sunday in Week Two of the 2025 NFL season...
Editor's note...
For so long, Russell Wilson was among the NFL's chief YouTube rabbit-hole traps, at least for this fan. One dose of rainbow-balling beauty to Tyler Lockett could all too quickly evolve into an instalment of scrambling play-extension sorcery with which to feed Doug Baldwin. Before you knew it, one clip had snowballed into an hour of structure-breaching art and off-script magic from a prototype of the modern quarterback position.
Young players entering the league would marvel at the man donning the prettiest deep ball in football while being a gyrating pest for defenders to catch in the backfield. With his ability both through the air and on the ground came clutch comeback drives and game-winning lasers as he led an era of perennial playoff contention alongside Pete Carroll.
It is for that reason that you hope his heroics in Seattle ultimately supersede the stumbles since his Seahawks departure when the time comes to reflect on his career properly.
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NFL EAGLES V COWBOYS
Highlights from the Dallas Cowboys at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week One of the NFL season.
Wilson's flaws and decline had been exposed following his blockbuster trade to the Denver Broncos in 2022, before Sean Payton sought to hide his deficiencies with a conservative run-and-check-down-focused offense in which he sprinkled the occasional deep shot. He initially fared better in Pittsburgh without drastically moving the needle last season, winning the starting job over Justin Fields and delivering flat-line security and efficiency devoid of major errors, only to regress into a non-factor down the stretch. But if the NFL has learned anything about Wilson, it is that he refuses to fade without a fight.
There may be no greater fight in football, however, than the task of igniting a New York Giants offense as stumped and as stagnant as Austin Powers' three-point turn. Wilson signed in New York this offseason as one last roll of the dice from the hot-seated Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, beating out the loveable but palpitation-inciting Jameis Winston while seeing rookie Jaxson Dart take his spot as understudy.
Preseason 'good vibes' disintegrated in Week One as Wilson threw for just 168 yards while the Giants put up six points in defeat to the Washington Commanders. Elsewhere, his criticised predecessor Daniel Jones turned into prime Peyton Manning (not quite) to lead the Indianapolis Colts in their rout of the Miami Dolphins.
The Giants were not expecting a worst-to-first spike, but an inkling of progression would have been nice. Without it, the Dart era appears primed to begin earlier than first anticipated as Daboll and Schoen seek signs of life both from their team and their job prospects.
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Who has the WORST fashion sense? Who eats the MOST? Who is the WORST dancer? The Detroit Lions play Teammates.
They did not and will not want to introduce Dart as early as this. The first-round pick is walking into a minefield behind an offensive line that has been a debilitating problem for as long as Giants fans can remember. Sure, he has a superstar in Malik Nabers on the outside, but said superstar is already seemingly running short on patience if Sunday's verbal exchange with Daboll is anything to go by.
"I was trying to get the offense going, I was trying to get people going," Nabers said. "I got an 'NBF,' I got a natural b**** face, that's just what it is. That's just my face, I don't know."
A NBF is a fitting reflection of this Giants offense.
Wilson will remain the starter heading into Sunday's divisional clash with the Dallas Cowboys, but you wonder if the end is near for one of the greats of his position. How he, the Giants and football fans would like that not to be the case.
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What to look out for on Sunday
Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions - KO 6pm, Sky Sports NFL & part Main Event
Ben Johnson returns to Detroit for the first time since leaving his post as offensive coordinator to become head coach of the Chicago Bears. He masterminded one of the NFL's most destructive and multi-faceted offenses during his time with the Lions, whose opening-week struggles against the Green Bay Packers have raised questions over how they will cope without him. Personnel changes have disrupted the Lions offensive line and there is a shortage of pass rush help outside of Aidan Hutchinson amid his return from injury, but all eyes turn to Jared Goff and his ability to strap Detroit to his back.
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VIKINGS AT BEARS
Highlights from the Week 1 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears during the 2025 NFL season.
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys - KO 6pm, Sky Sports+ (front channel)
An already-hot seat increased in temperature for Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen in Week One. Now their New York Giants face famous divisional foes desperate for some inkling of offensive inspiration. They may be better served putting their faith in Shane Bowen's defense, where the Giants are waiting for a frontline of Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux to explode into life. The Cowboys surrendered little in the way of pressure against the Eagles on the opening day; the Giants cannot afford to allow the same.
Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts - KO 9.05pm, Sky Sports+ (front channel)
As you watched Lou Anarumo's defense torment Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins last weekend, you wonder how things fizzled out for him and his unit in Cincinnati, and perhaps why the Bengals allowed him to move on. Former players call him the 'Mad Scientist' for good reason, his latest concoction of chaos putting Tagovailoa in a blend and leaving Mike McDaniel teetering on the edge of an ugly season. Between simulated pressure, post-snap coverage rotation and yo-yoing down linemen, he made it as difficult as possible for Tagovailoa to diagnose the field into which he was throwing. Now Anarumo and his revamped Indianapolis Colts defense gets to test the development of Bo Nix with more chaos.
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RAVENS @ BILLS
Highlights from the Baltimore Ravens at the Buffalo Bills in Week One of the NFL season.
Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals - KO 9.05pm, Sky Sports+ (stream)
There might have been a collective sigh of 'here we go!' relief and refreshment among Arizona Cardinals fans at the sight of progressive signs on offense in Week One. Sure, it was the New Orleans Saints, but Kyler Murray unearthed some long-lost 'wow' throws alongside the head-scratching decisions, while teasing flashes of the scampering off-platform threat that had thrust him into the MVP discussion a few years ago. Drew Petzing's goal this year is to accentuate the talent of Marvin Harrison Jr with fewer isolated routes and more concepts designed to clear the way for him, but the Panthers await as a punch bag for his running attack having just allowed over 200 yards rushing for the seventh straight game dating back to last season.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Kansas City Chiefs - KO 9.25pm, Sky Sports NFL & Main Event
There are one or two questions for the Super Bowl champion Eagles with regards to a pass rush that lost marquee names in the summer and a secondary experimenting with both Sydney Brown and Andrew Mukuba at safety. But where Howie Roseman appears to have struck gold once again is at linebacker, where Zack Baun - having put himself in the Defensive Player of the Year mix last season - and rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell are shaping up to become the best tandem of their kind in the league. They are frighteningly interchangeable, Vic Fangio already showing a desire to drop Campbell into coverage as well as bumping him out to the edge. Not what a depleted Chiefs offense wishes to see.
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Chiefs @ Chargers
Highlights from the Week 1 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2025 NFL season.
Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings - KO 1.20am Monday morning, Sky Sports NFL & Main Event
The headline on Sunday night centres around two quarterbacks bidding to prove they can be the future of their respective franchises in Michael Penix Jr and J.J. McCarthy, the latter shaking off a slow start to lead a comeback win over the Chicago Bears in his NFL debut last week. McCarthy, of course, isn't the one about to be on the receiving end of an evil genius like Brian Flores, who just called the quintessential Jekyll and Hyde game of four-man rushes in the first half and unrelenting exotic blitzes in the second half against the Bears. In fact, he blitzed 55 per cent of the time after the half. He is a young quarterback's nightmare, with the do-it-all Josh Metellus a chief beacon of his creativity.
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News around the league
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is set to miss at least two weeks with a turf toe variant, with Mac Jones to start for San Francisco against the Saints
49ers tight end George Kittle will be out for at least three weeks due to a hamstring injury
The Eagles signed free agent veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith to a one-year deal
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter swerved further suspension while being fined for his spitting incident against the Dallas Cowboys
Commanders running back Austin Ekeler suffered a suspected torn Achilles in Thursday night's defeat to the Packers
Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland is expected to miss multiple weeks with a foot injury
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson escaped punishment by the NFL for shoving a fan while celebrating DeAndre Hopkins' touchdown catch against the Bills
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nfl
Isaac TeSlaa makes an incredible catch in the match between Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
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Who said what?
Travis Kelce on the collision that left Chiefs teammate Xavier Worthy injured: "I've just got to be better. I'm 13 years in the league, there's no excuse for me running into my own guys like that. Worthy had his guy beat, we're out the gate and the game starts completely different."
Lions head coach Dan Campbell on preparing for Ben Johnson's trick-plays: "Let's just handle the meat and potatoes of an offense, a defense, what we think they're gonna hang their hat on. Let's stop that first. Let's worry about that, let's make sure we're all on point, and we'll handle the other stuff."
Rookie Titans quarterback Cam Ward on his team's mistakes in Week One: "I am never going to get on those guys for dropping a ball. I'm going to throw a pick at some point in the season. So, bad plays are going to happen."
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix: "It's not about the stats or it's not about perfection by the outside, but it's just, for me, a standard that I have for myself, and I know that I can be better."
Jets receiver Garrett Wilson on quarterback Justin Fields: "This game rewards people that love it, and he loves the game. He plays it the right way and has the right mindset. Every time he takes the field, all the teammates, that stuff's contagious, right.
Vikings running back on quarterback J.J. McCarthy during comeback win over Bears: "J.J. runs into the huddle - I think it was after one of the TV timeouts or something - he looks at us and he's like, 'Is there anyplace else you guys would rather be?' We're all like, 'Wow.'"
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Jared Goff on why NFC North is toughest division in NFL
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff on why he thinks the NFC North is the toughest division in the NFL.
The stats
Bills quarterback Josh Allen needs a passing and rushing TD against the Jets to tie Cam Newton (45) for the most games with a passing and rushing touchdown in NFL history
Eagles edge rusher Josh Uche closed out week one with the highest pass rush win rate in the NFL
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers needs two more touchdown passes to overtake Brett Favre (508) for the fourth-most touchdown passes in NFL history
Ravens running back Derrick Henry needs just one more game of 150-plus rushing yards to tie Adrian Peterson (19 games) for the fourth-most in NFL history
Buccaneers rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka enters Monday night's clash against the Texans with the chance to become the first player in history with two touchdown catches in each of his first two career NFL games
Rams receiver Puka Nacua needs six receptions against the Titans to become the second player ever with 200 receptions in his first 30 games, behind Odell Beckham Jr (206 receptions)
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