Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is — for the most part– in the books. One game isn't enough to jump to long-term conclusions for the next season. But what fun is that? With all the NFL Week 1 hype behind us, now seems like a perfect time to make way too much of what we have seen over the last few days. It is time for some NFL Week 1 overreactions.
Credit: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
After winning 15 games last season, the Detroit Lions fell flat on their faces in their first playoff game. To begin the new season, they continued that surprisingly poor play, as rivals, the Green Bay Packers, pushed Detroit around all day. Yet, what is most concerning is that they just didn't look like the same team with coordinators Aaron Glen and Ben Johnson no longer around. It is starting to feel like the Lions had their championship window over the last two seasons, and now that window has been slammed shut in 2025.
Credit: USA Today Sports
Los Angeles Rams WR1 Puka Nacua has quietly become one of the planet's best receivers. In 2023, he quietly had the fourth most yards in the league. Last year, he was even better, but injuries limited his productivity. In NFL Week 1, he was second only to Zay Flowers for the most receiving yards in the NFL. The fifth-round pick continues to be one of the biggest steals of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he needs to be in the conversation as one of the top three receivers in the league.
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Patrick Mahomes remains an elite QB. However, he simply is not getting the type of help he used to. Fans underappreciated the all-world skills of Tyreek Hill when he was in Kansas City, and how amazing a tight end Travis Kelce was at his peak. Well, Hill is gone, and they have never come close to replacing him. And Kelce is a shell of himself. At this point, the superstar quarterback is the only good thing the Chiefs offense has going for it. Which means this could be a long season for Mahomes.
Credit: USA Today Sports
Jared Goff had a record of 3-16-1 with offensive guru Sean McVay calling plays in Los Angeles . Now he is 0-1 without Ben Johnson setting him up for greatness. NFL Week 1 felt like a major red flag for Lions fans. Sure, he hit on 31 of 39 passes. But he averaged just 5.8 yards per pass, and he had a 52.9 QB rating. The explosiveness under Johnson seemed gone, and Goff was just a game manager on Sunday. Detroit needs far better. *Red Alert*
Credit: USA Today Sports
Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are amazing quarterbacks and MVP award winners. But the NFL's reigning MVP, Josh Allen , just seems on another level right now. Not only can he fill up the stat board, but he has proven time and again that he is a problem until the final seconds. He did again on Sunday by leading the Buffalo Bills to a 22-point fourth quarter and a stunning 41-40 win over the Baltimore Ravens . In the win, he posted 424 total yards and four touchdowns. If you didn't know, now you know. Allen is the best QB on the planet right now.
Credit: Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Packers were already seen as a contender in the NFC. And then Dallas Cowboys boss and GM Jerry Jones decided to give them, arguably, the best defensive player in the game. While Micah Parsons has been dealing with a back injury, it didn't show much in their win against the Lions in NFL Week 1. He brought energy and the sheer superstar talent that makes Green Bay just seem different this year. They are evolving into the team to beat, and Packers fans can thank Jerry Jones.
Credit: Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Is the Cincinnati Bengals' offense really as good as we think? Their defense has taken a lot of understandable hate, but it doesn't have anywhere close to the financial investment the offense does. They have over half a billion invested in just three players on offense. Considering that, Joe Burrow , Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins need to lead the best offense on Earth, and they don't. Scoring 17 points to open the season didn't prove they are all worth that money. Are they all good? Of course, but they need to be the best of the best as an offense for that kind of money, and they simply aren't.
Credit: USA Today Sports
Daniel Jones has a new nickname after NFL Week 1: "Indiana Jones." It is a name he completely earned after a stellar performance in his Indianapolis Colts debut. He was throwing dimes and hit on 22 of his 29 passes as he tallied 298 total yards and three touchdowns (two on the ground). He was a huge part of a dominant victory on Sunday. The first-round bust has played at a high level for a whole season in the past. Now, with solid pieces again around him and a strong play caller leading the way, this may be the start of the "Indiana Jones" era in Indy.
Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images
CJ Stroud 's second season was proof that the sophomore slump for QBs is alive and well. Which should worry Washington Commanders star Jayden Daniels . He was fine on Sunday versus the New York Giants , but not as electrifying as he was last season. He should be good again in 2025, but after reaching the NFC Championship game in his rookie season, expectations from a desperate fanbase are way too high. It may not be fair, but after NFL Week 1, a sophomore slump for Daniels looks more likely.
Credit: USA Today Sports
Speaking of CJ Stroud , Houston Texans fans should be very worried. The No. 2 pick in 2023 looked outstanding in his first season. But fell back to Earth in a big way in 2024. It created a narrative that Stroud may not be the type of QB that can elevate the talent around him, and needs a lot of help from his line and skill players. Leading the offense to just nine points in a very winnable game against the Rams in NFL Week 1 should sound alarm bells in Houston. They may have a good QB, but not the franchise player they thought they had a couple of seasons ago.
Related Headlines
