NFL Week 1 Shocker: Which Stars Surprised—and Which Teams Could Be Doomed?

We all know it’s only Week 1, but come on—can a season opener really set the tone for what’s to come? The 2025 NFL season’s first Sunday certainly threw some curveballs and surprises that have me thinking this could be more than just an opening act. The Packers, long humbled by the Lions, didn’t just win; they roared back with a statement that echoed across the NFC North. Meanwhile, Justin Fields looked like a man transformed in New York, showcasing the kind of dynamism Jets fans have been craving for ages. And then there’s Daniel Jones, quietly steering the Colts with unexpected poise. But is this early fireworks or the start of something lasting? Let’s sift through the evolving storylines, star performances, and the shifting tides that just might redefine this season’s narrative. Ready to dive in? LEARN MORE

We don’t want to overreact, but we can’t help it. There have been a lot of interesting developments during the first Sunday of the 2025 NFL season. We break down a few of them.

Can a season opener be a statement game?

It’s a little early, but it seemed that way Sunday when the two-time defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions visited Lambeau Field.

The Green Bay Packers had lost six of their last seven games against Detroit, including the past three at home. But the Packers, shall we say, made a statement?

They dominated the Lions in Week 1, claiming a 27-13 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Jordan Love came through in a big way by going 16 of 22 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Yes, he threw three picks in a playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but over his last eight regular-season games, Love has thrown for 11 touchdowns and no picks.

And for what seemed like icing on the cake, recent addition Micah Parsons celebrated his first sack with the Packers late in the game. Green Bay is projected to have the ninth-best pass-rushing unit in the league this season, per our preseason ratings, and the team showed it by sacking Jared Goff four times.

The defense did an outstanding job overall of holding down Detroit’s stars, as running back Jahmyr Gibbs was limited to just 43 yards on 15 carries and wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown had only five catches for 43 yards.

Call it a changing of the guard in the NFC North. But the Opta supercomputer already had Green Bay as the favorite with a 46.3% probability to win the division in the preseason. That’s ballooned to 57.8% (as of Sunday afternoon) after the acquisition of Parsons and the opening win over the rival Lions.

Why stop there?

The Packers (17.7%) trail only the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles (18.4%) when it comes to the highest probability of representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Is Justin Fields on the Verge of a Big Season?

Though he came up short of leading them to a victory, Justin Fields’ debut with the New York Jets had to be everything else his newest team hoped for in Week 1.

Fields displayed the kind of elite playmaking the Jets haven’t had under center in quite some time. Certainly not last year, when the immobile 41-year-old QB who threw for four touchdowns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday played for them.

It’s what the Chicago Bears saw in the Ohio State star when they made him the 11th overall pick in 2021.

Fields, who signed with New York in the offseason after one year in Pittsburgh, completed 16-of-22 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown in the 34-32 loss in Week 1. He also did what he does best and was dangerous moving around, rushing 12 times for 48 yards with two more scores.

Perhaps most importantly, Fields did not commit a turnover against a Pittsburgh team that had spent a lot of money improving its defense.

For whatever reason, Fields wasn’t able to take off and run (pun intended) with the job in Chicago or Pittsburgh, but it’s obvious that he’ll be given every opportunity in New York.

“I thought he did an outstanding job,” first-year head coach Aaron Glenn said to the media. “Outstanding. Again, I want to go back and look at the tape and really dissect everything, but just from the naked eye, I thought he did a really good job.”

The Jets put up 32 points for only the fifth time since the end of the 2019 season, but fell short in the two-point loss to former Jet Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.

The Ohio State connection was on point, as Fields found Garrett Wilson seven times for 95 yards and a TD. Jalen Ramsey, however, broke up a Fields pass intended for Wilson with 25 seconds left to seal the victory for the Steelers.

No matter how they end up (the Opta supercomputer projects the Jets to finish last in the AFC East), fans should see an exciting offense and witness things they haven’t seen before.

The franchise has never had a quarterback rush for 100 yards in a game (Fields has had five such games in his career) and only five other QBs in franchise history have had 218 passing yards and 48 rushing yards (what Fields had on Sunday) in a game.

Are the Daniel Jones-Led Colts for Real?

The decision to move away from the quarterback who was supposed to be the future of the franchise raised some eyebrows, making outsiders question the team’s direction.

This was supposed to be Anthony Richardson’s team. The raw but ultra-talented quarterback was the fourth overall pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2023, and Year 3 is usually the time for young players to come of age.

But Richardson only played in four games as a rookie due to injury and threw for eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions over 11 games in 2024.

Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year, prove-it deal with Indianapolis, figured to provide some experience as a more steady backup for Richardson as he continued to grow into the role.

Instead, head coach Shane Steichen decided to go with Jones, a high draft pick who never really put it all together with the New York Giants. He had shown some flashes of greatness over his six years in New York, earning the nickname “Danny Dimes.”

Jones sure made the decision look like a good one in the opener, completing 22-of-29 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for two scores in Indianapolis’ impressive 33-8 home win over the Miami Dolphins.

It’s only the fifth time Jones has thrown for 272 or more yards since throwing for a career-high 402 yards on Oct. 3, 2021, and he also posted the seventh-highest passer rating (115.9) of his career.

With Jonathan Taylor performing in his usual workhorse role (18 carries for 71 yards), veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr. (six catches, 80 yards, TD) and rookie tight end Tyler Warren (seven receptions, 76 yards) were Jones’ top targets in a promising new-look passing game.

But is it sustainable for Jones and the Indianapolis offense? Or was this just a good game against a woeful Dolphins team?

Jones’ underlying data points to reasons for optimism. Danny Dimes’ 81.9% well-thrown rate in 2024 was better than the 79.0% single-season league average among all QBs with at least 320 adjusted attempts (no spikes or throwaways) since 2016. And it was no fluke; his 84.5% in 2022 was the 23rd-best single-season rate over this span.

It is important to note that his air yards per attempt were just 6.47 in 2022 – well below the 8.19 single-season league average since 2016. But it was much closer to that mark at 7.43 in 2024 and he averaged 9.38 yards per attempt on Sunday.

Heading into Week 1, our preseason team ratings projected the Colts to have the 10th-best pass-protection unit in the NFL – and Jones was only sacked once against the Dolphins. In addition, it should help open up the passing game that we also project them to have the second-best run-blocking unit for Taylor.

The Opta supercomputer doesn’t give the Colts as many projected wins as the Jacksonville Jaguars or Houston Texans in the AFC South, but if the new-look offense continues to click with Jones at the helm, that could change in a hurry.

What’s Going on in These Backfields?

Many believed this was the year Bijan Robinson would break through and put up some big numbers with the Atlanta Falcons, but that might be difficult if Week 1 is any indication.

The Atlanta Falcons continued their reliance on a two-back system in a 23-20 loss to the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, giving Robinson 12 carries (24 yards) to Tyler Allgeier’s 10 (24 yards). And this obviously was not a one-sided affair that led to the team playing it safe with the star back.

Robinson, however, was a huge factor in the passing game, finishing with six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. It was his best receiving game in terms of yardage since he posted a career-high 103 at the end of the 2023 season.

There’s no disputing Robinson’s talent, but it’s also clear the Falcons aren’t going to turn him into a workhorse any time soon.

On the flip side, New York’s backfield belonged to Breece Hall on Sunday despite preseason rumblings about how the Jets might use Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis.

Hall looked healthy and strong in the opener, finishing with 107 yards on 19 carries (5.6 yards per carry) in the 34-32 loss to the Steelers. Allen, meanwhile, only had 9 yards on six rushes, while Davis ended up with 18 yards on a pair of attempts.

In that same game, Kenneth Gainwell got the start and ended up with just four fewer carries than expected starter Jaylen Warren. Though rookie Kaleb Johnson entered the season with some high expectations, he only got one attempt for minus-2 yards.

Gainwell displayed his overall value to the team by forcing a key fumble on the ensuing kickoff after Pittsburgh had cut the Jets’ lead to 26-24. Two plays later, the Steelers took a 31-26 lead on Aaron Rodgers’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III.

How many starting running backs have done that?

This doesn’t look like Warren’s backfield quite yet. He finished with 11 carries for 37 yards, while Gainwell had seven attempts for 19 yards. But will the Steelers run enough with No. 12 under center to make it matter?

In Washington, Jacory Croskey-Merritt announced his presence with authority in a 21-6 win over the rival New York Giants. The rookie from Arizona led the backfield with 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Yes, Austin Ekeler remains involved and had three catches for 31 yards, but he had four fewer carries than Bill. Of course, Jayden Daniels paced the Commanders with 11 rushes (68 yards).

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