We’ve been waiting months and months for the NFL season to start, and just like that, we’re 1/18th of the way through the regular season. Right now, 16 teams are very happy with how Week 1 went, while 16 others are scratching their heads, wondering what went wrong.

Every week, we try to define the NFL with words. Thousands of writers write tens of thousands of articles across hundreds of different platforms, but sometimes a few numbers can say more than words ever could. That’s why, every week, I will be breaking the NFL down by the numbers.

I’ve gone through every game and found four to five of the most important stats that played a big role in determining the outcome of that matchup. Here are the stats that defined Week 1.

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks

3: Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the season opener against the Seahawks. In 2025, he only threw multiple picks in one game – the Super Bowl against Seattle. Mike Macdonald has his number.

2.5: The Seahawks held New England’s running backs to just 2.5 yards per carry. Drake Maye had some success with his legs, but he had no real run game to help him out.

122: Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 122 receiving yards on Wednesday night, proving that no matter who the QB is, he’s going to perform. He also had 71 more yards than any other receiver in this game.

5.2-3.6: Rookie running back Jadarian Price averaged 5.2 yards per carry; his teammate, George Holani, averaged 3.6. Despite that, Price saw just two more carries than Holani. Hopefully this doesn’t become another Kenneth Walker-Zach Charbonnet situation.

23: The Patriots and Seahawks combined for 23 points on Wednesday, the lowest total for any Week 1 game (MNF had not yet been played). The next-lowest-scoring games were the Jets/Titans and Steelers/Falcons games, which saw 33 combined points.

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams

7: The Rams scored just seven points in their season opener, which is the second-fewest points they have ever scored with Matthew Stafford under center.

14-10: Kaelon Black out-carried Christian McCaffrey 14 to 10 in the 49ers’ season opener. CMC was more effective with 68 yards to Black’s 65, but I don’t think many people expected that to happen. Maybe this is San Fran’s way of easing CMC into the season after he dealt with an injury in training camp, but it’s something to monitor in the coming weeks.

155-0-1: In 2025, Matthew Stafford averaged over 320 passing yards and 3.5 passing touchdowns per game against the 49ers, with zero interceptions across two matchups. In Week 1, he threw for 155 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. Crazy what having Fred Warner and Nick Bosa back can do.

5.4-3.7: Blake Corum averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 10 carries to Kyren Williams’ 3.7 on 11 carries. Corum has been competing for a featured role for two seasons; 2026 may finally be his breakout year.

10: The Rams’ defensive front, which includes guys like Myles Garrett, Kobie Turner and Byron Young, pressured Brock Purdy on just 10 of his 36 dropbacks on Thursday. With that much talent on the defensive line, the Rams should have generated more pressure on Purdy.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals

4: The Bengals’ new-look defense forced and recovered four fumbles, including one that was returned for a touchdown. In 2025, Cincinnati’s defense forced eight fumbles all year. Great start for their new unit.

2-12: Ja’Marr Chase caught two passes for 12 yards in the season opener (R.I.P. my fantasy team), and the Bengals still managed to score 33 points and total 245 passing yards. That’s a pretty good sign for their offense moving forward.

14: The Bengals pressured Baker Mayfield 14 times on 36 dropbacks, and were led by two newcomers: Boye Mafe (4) and Dexter Lawrence (3). Jonathan Allen recorded a sack. Their new additions are already paying off.

11-1-1: The Buccaneers got a good one in Josiah Trotter, who recorded 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, in his first NFL game. Maybe replacing Lavonte David won’t be that hard.

0: While Trotter’s debut was very impressive, Rueben Bain Jr.’s was not. The Bucs’ first-round pick played 24 pass rush snaps and didn’t record a single pressure.

New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions

410: After an abysmal first half with two interceptions, Tyler Shough rebounded in the second half. He finished with 410 passing yards and three touchdowns, nearly leading a 21-point comeback on the road. He currently leads the NFL in passing yards. Yeah, New Orleans got a good one.

182: Another Saint who currently leads his position in yards is Chris Olave, who caught 10 passes for 182 yards on Sunday. With Jordyn Tyson out, Olave is the clear-cut WR1 in New Orleans, and should continue to see a heavy workload.

186: In his first game since becoming the NFL’s highest-paid running back, Jahmyr Gibbs went off for 186 total yards and two touchdowns in the season opener. Gibbs touched the ball 34 times, a fantasy-friendly workload, though durability concerns loom

5: The Lions sacked Tyler Shough five times on Sunday, and they all came from different places. Their defensive line had three, their linebackers had one, and they even got one from cornerback Roger McCreary.

54-1: Juwan Johnson was targeted seven times and had 54 yards and a touchdown (and nearly had two), and is rostered in just 60 percent of fantasy leagues. After a ton of tight ends stunk it up in Week 1, he is a must-add in fantasy football.

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans

4-1: Jets rookie ED David Bailey made his mark in Week 1, racking up four pressures and one sack in his NFL debut. Not bad.

102: After an offseason where a lot of people doubted Breece Hall, he came out and rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries while adding a couple of receptions. If he can do that every week, the Jets’ offense will have a much easier time than it did last year.

0: The Jets’ offensive line gave up zero sacks on Sunday, which allowed Geno Smith to be pretty efficient. They’ve been getting better every offseason, and now they’re one of the better lines in the AFC.

38: The Titans invested pretty heavily in the wide receiver position this offseason, signing Wan’Dale Robinson and drafting Carnell Tate top-five, but both of them finished with just 38 receiving yards. Not what you want to see.

4.9: I thought Tennessee’s offense would be held back by its run game, but they averaged 4.9 yards per carry in this game. They just ran the ball 14 times while passing it 32, though.

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts

144-3: Yeah, Derrick Henry still has it. He rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener. Why did anyone doubt him?

324: Lamar Jackson had a day through the air, throwing for 324 yards on just 17 completions and 25 attempts. His 13.0-yard average leads the league by a full yard and a half.

5-150: The Ravens caught some flak for signing Zay Flowers to a massive extension, but he came out and put up 150 yards and one touchdown on five receptions in the first half of this game. Doesn’t look so bad now, does it?

98-2: Despite Indy’s offense looking pretty dead in the water, Jonathan Taylor still had a big game, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers

173: Bijan Robinson totaled 173 yards on Sunday – 83 on the ground and 90 through the air. That gave him 72.7 percent of Atlanta’s yards in this game.

29: Drake London finished the game with 29 receiving yards, showing everyone that without a quarterback, his fantasy value is going to continue to plummet.

2.8: The Steelers averaged 2.8 yards per carry despite the fact that Atlanta ranked 25th in opponent yards per carry last season, giving up 4.6 YPC.

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers

96: The Bears and Panthers combined for 96 points in the season opener, making it the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history.

291: The Bears rushed for 291 yards and six touchdowns behind a 7.5-yard average. You don’t even see those numbers when Alabama plays Kent State in college. That’s how ridiculous a day it was for Chicago’s offense.

8-13 8-2: Jalen Coker had himself a day, catching eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, clearly outperforming last year’s first-round pick, Tetairoa McMillan. The Coker fan club is having a good week.

1,030: The Bears and Panthers combined for 1,030 yards of offense in this game, with both teams eclipsing the 475-yard mark.

7.9: The Bears averaged 7.9 yards per play in this game, which is currently tied for the best mark in the league through one week. Carolina’s 7.7 yards per play currently ranks fourth.

30: Chicago had 30 more rushing yards (291) than passing yards (261) in this game. In today’s NFL, that’s virtually unheard of.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns

83: Parker Washington led all Jaguars receivers with five receptions for 83 yards, out-gaining Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr.’s combined total. For all the fantasy nerds calling him an “industry plant,” I think you’re wrong.

5: Cleveland’s newly assembled offensive line gave up five sacks in their first outing together. They have to get a lot better if they want to have success offensively.

4: Trevor Lawrence was one of four quarterbacks with 4+ touchdowns this week, joining Bryce Young, Josh Allen, and Caleb Williams.

4.4: I had some doubts about Bhayshul Tuten this offseason, but he averaged 4.4 yards per carry while the rest of his team combined to average 3.5. Maybe he can be a workhorse back in this league.

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans

36: The Bills scored 36 points against the Texans in Week 1. Last year, the Texans never gave up over 30 points in a single game. Not a great start for a defense many believe is the best in the league.

357-4: Josh Allen struggled against Houston last year, totaling 270 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He obviously learned from that game and bounced back this year with 357 total yards and four total touchdowns.

274-2: While Josh Allen stole the show, I was very impressed with C.J. Stroud. With an offensive line that was solid and a run game that went over 120 yards, Stroud was able to find his rhythm and throw for 274 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He did fumble twice, which hurt them in the end, but passing-wise, it was a strong opener for Stroud.

53: Jaylin Noel caught two passes for 53 yards on Sunday, but only had three targets. Meanwhile, Xavier Hutchinson had three catches for 32 yards, but was targeted eight times. These two seem to be in a battle for the WR2 spot with Jayden Higgins out. Kayshon Boutte still has some work to do to catch them.

19.5: Despite many thinking this would be a very defensive ball game, the Bills and Texans combined to score 67 points and smash the over by 19.5 points, which was the second-largest margin of the week behind Chicago and Carolina.

Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders

147-2: Ashton Jeanty, who just weeks ago appeared to suffer a very serious lower body injury, recorded 147 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ season opener. I think he’s going to be just fine.

12: 12 of the Raiders’ 21 receptions came from Ashton Jeanty or Michael Mayer, meaning fewer than half of their catches came from the wide receiver position. They’re going to have to add some bodies at wideout eventually, because that won’t be sustainable, even when Brock Bowers returns.

5-94: How about rookie receiver Caleb Douglas, who caught five passes for 94 yards in Miami’s first game of the season? There was a lot of speculation about who the Dolphins’ WR1 would be this season, and it was Douglas who was the most impressive in Week 1.

3.3: De’Von Achane, one of the best running backs in football, averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on 11 carries in Week 1 against a Raiders defense that isn’t supposed to be very good. It could be a long season for Achane in this offense.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

147-2: When Christian Watson is healthy, he’s capable of being one of the best receivers in the league, and that showed on Sunday when he caught six passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The only problem is, he’s rarely healthy.

3.1: The Vikings averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in this game and only had 133 passing yards, but they still managed to score 39 points and win by 17. Shows how good their defense is.

4: To make things even crazier, a total of four players caught a pass for the Vikings in this game, and they still nearly dropped 40.

82.1: Brian Flores called a blitz on 82.1 percent of the Vikings’ defensive snaps. For reference, the second-highest blitz rate in Week 1 was Dan Quinn at 50 percent. Only five other teams were even above 40 percent.

31: Because of their heavy blitz rate, the Vikings racked up 31 pressures and four sacks on 46 dropbacks. How could anyone expect Jordan Love to win that game? And the fact that he threw for 387 yards and a couple of scores is incredibly impressive.

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles

53: DeVonta Smith finished third on the Eagles in receiving with 53 yards, trailing Dallas Goedert and Dontayvion Wicks. Just how we all saw it going, right?

64: How about another rookie receiver having a pretty strong debut in Antonio Williams, who caught four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. He’s going to be a beast in this Washington offense.

15: Stefon Diggs was flagged for a 15-yard penalty after jumping and hugging the goal post on his touchdown. Instead of being able to go for two to tie the game, the Commanders had to kick the PAT and trail by one. Philly would go on to score again, and the Commanders responded with another touchdown, but failed on the two-point try to tie the game. This boneheaded mistake very well could’ve cost Washington the game.

-5: The Eagles traded up in the first round to draft Makai Lemon, who had a disappointing offseason and an even more disappointing debut, catching three passes for -5 yards. Not what I was expecting from the USC standout.

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers

12: The Chargers didn’t just lose to the Cardinals, who many thought could be the worst team in football this year, but they lost by 12 points. They were 10-point favorites coming into this game, and they got their butts whooped.

3.6: Omarion Hampton, who a lot of people had high hopes for entering the season in Mike McDaniel’s offense, averaged just 3.6 yards per carry against one of the worst front sevens in the NFL. Maybe we should’ve given the Chargers more flak for not signing or drafting any impactful offensive guards after they were horrible on the interior last year.

5-82-1: On the bright side, Ladd McConkey looked like himself again, catching five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

19-13: Tyler Allgeier was Arizona’s RB1 in the season opener, out-touching Jeremiyah Love 19 to 13. Love will continue to see more touches as the season progresses, but I didn’t expect that large of a discrepancy.

1: Marvin Harrison Jr., the great receiver prospect in NFL history to some, caught one pass on Sunday. Maybe it’s time to be worried about him.

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

394: Many, myself included, expected the Cowboys’ defense to be much improved after all the changes they made this offseason, but they came out and gave up 394 yards and four touchdowns to their NFC East rivals. Not a great way to start the year defensively.

175: Dak Prescott threw for 175 yards in the Cowboys’ season opener, which would’ve been his lowest total last season outside of the season finale where he attempted just 11 passes and exited early.

8-78-2: Isaiah Likely might end up being the Giants’ most targeted player this season. He hauled in a team-high eight catches for 78 yards and two scores in their win over the Cowboys.

11: Dallas’s revamped pass rush was only able to log 11 pressures and two sacks on Sunday. If they want this defense to be better than it was last year, their front seven needs to get more pressure on the quarterback.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

173: Kenneth Walker, who signed with the Chiefs this offseason, ran for 173 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Walker’s 173 yards are the most by a KC running back in the Patrick Mahomes era. Looks like a solid addition so far.

2: The Broncos had one of the most efficient pass rushes in NFL history last season, but they were only able to sack Patrick Mahomes twice on Monday night. That’s what having a strong run game can do for you. It makes it hard for your opponent’s edge rushers to pin their ears back and get after the passer.

2: Everyone was excited to see Jaylen Waddle with Bo Nix as his quarterback, but in his Broncos debut, Waddle caught just one pass for two yards. Very disappointing start to the season for Waddle.

8-3: It was a small sample size, but J.K. Dobbins out-carried RJ Harvey eight to three. It certainly feels like Dobbins is still the RB1 in Denver.

31: Denver’s defense gave up 31 points in the season opener, which would’ve been the third-most points they allowed in a single game all of last season.