NFL - Week One Recap

 

Bills QB Josh Allen led the huge comeback win. 

The Sunday night game in Buffalo was THE GAME OF THE WEEK and for most of the evening it was all Baltimore Ravens until the final five minutes as they blew a 15-point lead and lost, 41-40 to the Bills as Matt Prater drilled a 32-yard field goal as time ran out. Ravens running back Derrick Henry dominated most of the game with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns while QB Lamar Jackson had 209 passing yards and two TD passes as well as 70 rushing yards and one running TD to lead the charge as Baltimore piled up 432 yards in total offense. But the Bills amassed 497 yards in offense in the wild comeback win. 

Baltimore led 40-32 with 3:56 left, but then Henry fumbled the football and the Bills defense recovered to help them eventually trim the 15-point deficit down to two points when QB Josh Allen (394 passing yards and two TD passes along with two rushing touchdowns) scored from one yard out with 1:58 remaining. But the two-point try failed . . .  however the Ravens then went three-and-out, which allowed Allen and company to get the ball back. From there, the Bills drove downfield for 66 yards in nine plays to set up the game winning field goal by Prater.  

 

The 2025 NFL season got underway last Thursday night in Philadelphia and the home team and defending Super Bowl champion Eagles won, 24-20 against the Dallas Cowboys in a game that was interrupted for over an hour by lightning and heavy thunderstorms during the second half. Only three points were scored in the final two quarters as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had two rushing touchdowns to lead the offense. Dallas running back Jamaal Williams scored two rushing touchdowns in the loss. 

The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-21 on Friday in Brazil as QB Justin Herbert had three touchdown passes (two to wide receiver Quentin Johnston and one to Keenan Allen) along with 318 passing yards while also sealing the win with a 19-yard scramble run for first down with under two minutes remaining. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for a score and ran for another in defeat. 

The Green Bay Packers served notice they are a new team with edge rusher Micah Parsons on the roster this season as he had a sack and the defense pressured Lions QB Jared Goff in a 27-13 win at Lambeau Field. The Packers defense limited the Lions to only 46 rushing yards and also had one interception as neither team cracked 300 yards in offense. Green Bay QB Jordan Love had a pair of touchdown passes and RB Josh Jacobs added a scoring run in the win. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a 60-yard field goal from Chris Boswell with 1:03 left in regulation to defeat the host New York Jets, 34-32 with QB Aaron Rodgers throwing four touchdown passes along with 244 passing yards. Jets QB Justin Fields had a TD pass and two scoring runs in the loss. 

In Seattle, the San Francisco 49ers rallied late in the game for a 17-13 win as QB Brock Purdy (277 passing yards, two TD, two INT) threw a four yard scoring pass to Jake Tonges with 1:34 remaining. The Seahawks led 13-10 and had intercepted Purdy twice in the second half, but couldn't seal the deal when it mattered most. Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet had a rushing TD in defeat. 

The Cincinnati Bengals escaped Cleveland with a 17-16 win thanks to a kissed PAT kick and also a missed 36-yard field goal by Mike Szmyt. Bengals QB Joe Burrow had a TD pass, but was limited to 113 passing yards and Cincy managed only 141 yards in total offense. Browns QB Joe Flacco also had a scoring pass, but was intercepted twice in defeat. 

The Indianapolis Colts buried the visiting Miami Dolphins, 33-8 with QB Daniel Jones passing for 272 yards and one TD pass along with two scoring runs to lead the rout. The Colts defense forced three turnovers (two INT and one fumble) and held the Dolphins to 211 yards in offense.

 

 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a 23-20 thriller on the road against the Atlanta Falcons as QB Baker Mayfield (pictured right) had167 passing yards and three touchdowns to rally the team from behind with a 25-yard TD pass to WR Emeka Egbuka with 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Falcons had a chance to force overtime, but kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field goal in the closing seconds. Falcons QB Michael Penix (298 passing yards) had a TD pass and run in the setback.

 

Washington knocked off the visiting New York Giants, 21-6 as their defense dominated and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels had a scoring pass along with 233 passing yards and 68 rushing yards in the win.  Deebo Samuel clinched the win with a 19-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter. The Giants had 231 total yards in offense in the loss. 

The Arizona Cardinals beat the host New Orleans Saints, 20-13 behind two scoring passes from QB Kyler Murray to help offset a 18-yard scoring run by Saints RB Alvin Kamara. 

A 20-13 road win by the Las Vegas Raiders against the New England Patriots was led by QB Geno Smith (362 passing yards, one TD, one INT) and a three-yard scoring run by rookie RB Ashton Jeanty in a hard fought game. New England QB Drake Maye had a TD pass along with 287 passing yards and one interception in the loss. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the visiting Carolina Panthers, 26-10 as RB Brian Thomas had a nine-yard scoring run along with a six-yard TD pass from QB Trevor Lawrence to Hunter Long and four field goals from Cam Little to pace the victory. Panthers QB Bryce Young threw for a score and also one interception in the loss. 

In Denver, the Broncos defense dominated in a 20-12 win against the Tennessee Titans as they amassed six sacks and two takeaways to go with a balanced offense which included 151 rushing yards and 166 passing yards. Broncos QB Bo Nix had a TD pass and running back J.K. Dobbins had a 19-yard TD sprint to aid the win. Tennessee managed just four field goals and only gained 133 yards in total offense. 

The Los Angeles Rams won a 14-9 yawner game at home against the Houston Texans with RB Kyren Williams scoring on a one-yard run in the second quarter while QB Matthew Stafford had a TD pass to help make the difference. Stafford went over the 60,000 passing yards mark in his career as well in this one. The Texans had three field goals in the defeat as they were shut out in the second half and had two turnovers.

The Monday night game in Chicago saw two different games within the one as the Minnesota Vikings woke up in the fourth quarter to beat the Bears, 27-24 with quarterback J.J. McCarthy overcoming throwing a "pick six" interception (3rd quarter) that gave Chicago a 17-6 lead, by throwing for two scores in a span of less than three minutes in the final quarter and then adding a 14-yard touchdown run with 2:53 remaining to ice the game. Bears QB Caleb Williams (210 passing yards) rushed for a touchdown and threw for another to go with Nashon Wright's 74-yard interception return for touchdown, but it wasn't enough. 

 

WEEK ONE RESULTS 

Philadelphia 24, Dallas 20  

L.A. Chargers 27, Kansas City 21 (game played in Brazil)  

Arizona 20, New Orleans 13  

Cincinnati 17, Cleveland 16 

Indianapolis 33, Miami 8 

Pittsburgh 34, N.Y. Jets 32 

Washington 21, N.Y. Giants 6 

Las Vegas 20, New England 13 

Tampa Bay 23, Atlanta 20 

Jacksonville 26, Carolina 10 

Green Bay 27, Detroit 13 

L.A. Rams 14, Houston 9 

Denver 20, Tennessee 12  

San Francisco 17, Seattle 13  

Buffalo 41, Baltimore 40 

Minnesota 27, Chicago 24