NFL Week 1 Recap: 16 Games, Three QB Injuries & A Look Ahead To Week 2
The 2026 NFL season opened with an action packed Week 1 that featured 16 games, a offensive explosion, several dramatic finishes and three major quarterback storylines involving Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa. Plus, a look ahead to Week 2 action.
Week 1 Game Recap
Wednesday, September 9
Patriots 10 at Seahawks 13
Seattle overcame the early loss of starting quarterback Sam Darnold and a 10-0 deficit by turning to Drew Lock, while the Seahawks defense shut out New England in the fourth quarter to complete a 13-10 comeback victory.
Thursday, September 10
49ers 27 at Rams 7 (Melbourne Australia Game)
Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes as San Francisco dominated the Rams 27-7 in Melbourne, Australia, in the NFL's first regular season game played down under.
Sunday, September 13 — Early Action
Falcons 13 at Steelers 20
Pittsburgh's defense helped the Steelers defeat Atlanta 20-13 after the Falcons entered the game without Tua Tagovailoa, having to turn to the would be third string QB Cooper Rush with Michael Penix Jr. still recovering from last year's ACL injury.
Ravens 41 at Colts 23
Baltimore's explosive offense rolled to 506 total yards as the Ravens pulled away from Indianapolis for a convincing 41-23 opening week victory.
Bills 36 at Texans 31
Josh Allen and Buffalo survived a back and forth battle with Houston, scoring 36 points and holding off a late Texans push to start the season 1-0.
Bears 59 at Panthers 37
The Bears erupted for 59 points and 552 total yards in a wild offensive showcase that overwhelmed Carolina despite Bryce Young throwing for 361 yards.
Browns 10 at Jaguars 34
Jacksonville controlled the game on both sides of the ball, cruising past Cleveland 34-10 while the Browns struggled to generate consistent offense.
Saints 30 at Lions 31 - OT
Detroit escaped New Orleans in overtime after a thrilling game that saw the Saints produce 30 points and 410 passing yards from Tyler Shough.
Jets 23 at Titans 10
The Jets' defense held Tennessee to 10 points while New York's offense steadily pulled away for a 23-10 road victory.
Buccaneers 27 at Bengals 33
Joe Burrow and the Bengals survived a six point battle with Tampa Bay after Cincinnati's defense forced four turnovers in the 33-27 win.
Sunday, September 13 — Afternoon Slate
Cardinals 26 at Chargers 14
Arizona's defense helped turn the game in the Cardinals' favor as they pulled away from the Chargers for a 26-14 road victory.
Packers 22 at Vikings 39
Minnesota erased a 22-10 second half deficit by scoring 27 unanswered points, overcoming Kyler Murray's early concussion and Carson Wentz's relief appearance to stun Green Bay 39-22.
Dolphins 13 at Raiders 27
The Raiders controlled Miami throughout and finished with a 27-13 victory in their season opener.
Commanders 22 at Eagles 24
Philadelphia held off Washington by two points in a competitive NFC East matchup to begin the season with a 24-22 victory.
Sunday, September 13 — Night Game
Cowboys 20 at Giants 28
The Giants used a balanced offensive attack and four touchdowns to defeat Dallas 28-20 in the Sunday night NFC East matchup.
Monday, September 14
Broncos 10 at Chiefs 31
Kansas City dominated Denver 31-10 on Monday night, giving the Chiefs a convincing victory to close out Week 1.
The Three Quarterbacks Who Became Major Week 1 Storylines
Quarterback health immediately became one of the biggest themes of the opening week, with three notable situations involving Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa.
Sam Darnold — Seattle Seahawks
Darnold was Seattle's starting quarterback for the season opener but suffered what was initially called a hip injury but has since been classified as a glute injury early against New England and did not return. Drew Lock stepped in, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown while helping Seattle rally for a 13-10 victory. Darnold was subsequently ruled out for Week 2 as he continues to recover.
Kyler Murray — Minnesota Vikings
Murray's highly anticipated Minnesota debut was cut short when he suffered a concussion against Green Bay and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Carson Wentz replaced him and threw three touchdown passes as Minnesota produced a stunning fourth quarter comeback and defeated the Packers 39-22.
Tua Tagovailoa — Atlanta Falcons
Tua had been named Atlanta's Week 1 starter, but an oblique injury suffered during practice forced him out of the opener against Pittsburgh. Cooper Rush started instead, while Michael Penix Jr. was also inactive, and the Falcons ultimately fell to the Steelers 20-13.
The three situations produced three very different Week 1 outcomes: Seattle and Minnesota overcame quarterback disruptions to win, while Atlanta entered its opener without its intended starter and lost to Pittsburgh. The results also leave all three teams with quarterback concerns entering Week 2, although the circumstances and injury situations are different for each club.
2026 NFL Week 2 Schedule
The NFL Week 2 begins Thursday night with Detroit traveling to Buffalo and continues with a full Sunday slate before Indianapolis visits Kansas City on Sunday night and the Giants travel to Los Angeles (Rams) Monday night.
Thursday, September 17
Lions at Bills – 5:15 p.m. PT
Sunday, September 20 – Early Action
Panthers at Falcons – 10:00 a.m. PT
Bengals at Texans – 10:00 a.m. PT
Browns at Buccaneers – 10:00 a.m. PT
Packers at Jets – 10:00 a.m. PT
Vikings at Bears – 10:00 a.m. PT
Saints at Ravens – 10:00 a.m. PT
Eagles at Titans – 10:00 a.m. PT
Steelers at Patriots – 10:00 a.m. PT
Sunday, September 20 – Afternoon Slate
Jaguars at Broncos – 1:05 p.m. PT
Raiders at Chargers – 1:05 p.m. PT
Dolphins at 49ers – 1:25 p.m. PT
Seahawks at Cardinals – 1:25 p.m. PT
Commanders at Cowboys – 1:25 p.m. PT
Sunday, September 20 — Night Game
Colts at Chiefs – 5:20 p.m. PT
Monday, September 21
Giants at Rams – 5:15 p.m. PT
Week 2 Storylines to Watch
Week 2 immediately puts several Week 1 developments under the microscope: Seattle must move forward without Darnold, Minnesota must determine its quarterback situation following Murray's concussion, and Atlanta continues to navigate uncertainty after Tua's oblique injury. Meanwhile, several high scoring teams including Chicago, Buffalo, Baltimore and Minnesota get an opportunity to build on explosive opening performances, with multiple teams' defenses looking to get their season back on track after their opening week performances.
