Football is officially back! Tomorrow, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will kick off the season in a Super Bowl rematch before we get the NFL’s first-ever Australia game on Thursday night, meaning we get back-to-back nights of NFL football to open the season.

With the new year comes a ton of questions. Pretty much every team has reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming season, but you never really know how your season is going to go until you get out there on the field against another team in Week 1. Everyone, even the Los Angeles Rams, still have questions about their team heading into the new year.

Every week, I go through and identify one big question looming over every single NFL game, and there are never more questions than in Week 1, so here are the biggest questions I want to see answered in every game this week.

Patriots at Seahawks: What Does A.J. Brown Add to NE’s Offense?

The Patriots made one of the biggest moves of the offseason when they traded for All-Pro WR A.J. Brown. Despite finishing eighth in scoring last season and Drake Maye finishing as the MVP runner-up, the Pats needed to find a true WR1 with Stefon Diggs departing, and they gave up a good amount of assets to go get one. Maye hasn’t had a receiver like Brown in his NFL career, so I’m very interested to see if this move can help them become a top-five offense in the NFL.

49ers at Rams: How Do the Rams’ Travel Plans Work Out?

With the NFL playing its first game in Australia this year, we’re seeing the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams take two very different strategies when it comes to travel.

The 49ers departed on Wednesday, September 2nd, and arrived on Friday, September 4th (some weird international date line thing, don’t ask me for specifics), giving them five days to adjust before their game. Meanwhile, the Rams decided to fly out on Tuesday, September 8th, giving them just one day to adjust before they face San Francisco.

Will the Rams, who are the Super Bowl favorites entering the season, be fine with just one day between travel and the game? It feels like they’re cutting it close, considering Melbourne is 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles, but they pay people a lot of money to make these decisions, so we’ll see if they come out at full strength on Thursday night.

Buccaneers at Bengals: Will We See MVP Baker Again?

Through the first six weeks of the 2025 season, Baker Mayfield looked like the MVP of the league. He had 1,539 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns, both of which ranked top-four in the NFL, and had the Buccaneers sitting at 5-1. Unfortunately, Mayfield injured his shoulder, and while he played through it, he and the Bucs’ offense was never the same.

Mike Evans is gone, but the Bucs still have a strong core of offensive playmakers, so my question is, will we see the same Baker Mayfield as the beginning of last year? Because if so, Tampa could be dangerous this year.

Saints at Lions: Is Tyler Shough the Real Deal?

At the end of last season, Tyler Shough gave Saints fans something to cheer about for the first time since Drew Brees retired, and now expectations for him are sky-high entering his second season. The Saints did their best to make sure he succeeds by adding Jordyn Tyson, Travis Etienne, David Edwards, and others this offseason, so Week 1 is going to be a big test for the sophomore QB.

I don’t think Shough even needs to win this game to prove he’s the guy in the Big Easy. If he can go out there and keep it close and score 24+ points, I think the coaching staff and fans will feel very good about the future of their team.

Jets at Titans: How Vanilla Did Tennessee Keep it in the Preseason?

Cam Ward was one of the big losers of the preseason. After a rookie year where he struggled but showed some flashes, many were hoping to see him take the next step with Brian Daboll calling plays and the addition of a couple of wideouts in Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson. But that didn’t happen, at least in the preseason.

In two games, Ward completed 54 percent of his throws for 126 yards and zero touchdowns, but I don’t think the Titans were showing all their cards. Brian Daboll, one of the best offensive minds in football, used pre-snap motion on just 18 percent of Tennessee’s plays in the preseason, which was the lowest rate in the league. I think he was keeping it very vanilla so as not to give teams tape of their real offense.

If the Titans come out flat, don’t use a lot of motion and Ward isn’t great, then maybe we can start calling him overrated. But I think they’ll come out in Week 1 and shock some people with how good their offense is.

Ravens at Colts: How Does Daniel Jones Look Off His Achilles Injury?

Achilles injuries are tricky. Sure, you can be back on the field in about a year, but it takes a bit longer to really start feeling like yourself again.

Daniel Jones helped lead one of the best offenses in the league last season before he tore his Achilles, and some people are expecting the Colts to be red hot out of the gate, but I’m pumping the brakes. I think it’s going to take some time for Jones to be back at 100 percent, and therefore, their offense could struggle early in the season.

Falcons at Steelers: Can Tua Make Atlanta’s Offense Viable?

Another quarterback who didn’t have a great training camp/preseason was Tua Tagovailoa, who some suspected could end up being cut from the 53-man roster. Instead, he’s been named the starting quarterback for the Falcons in Week 1 while Michael Penix is still recovering from injury, and my question is simple: will he be any good?

The Falcons have Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson, who are all top-10 players at their respective positions, plus a solid offensive line. They have the talent to be good offensively, but if Tagovailoa struggles, it won’t matter.

Bears at Panthers: Are the Panthers a Real Threat This Year?

After making the playoffs last year with a losing record, the Panthers spent big in free agency, bringing in guys like Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips to bolster their roster in hopes of returning in 2026, but are they actually going to be a threat? Bryce Young had a career year in 2025, but he still wasn’t great, and now they have a real test right out of the gate with Chicago.

I don’t think Carolina has to win this game to prove they’re legit, but they can’t get blown out at home in Week 1. That would demoralize their fan base, which has such high hopes for this year.

Browns at Jaguars: Can Deshaun Watson Show Anything?

The Browns’ quarterback battle has been closely watched by many this offseason, but it seems like it was decided from the moment Todd Monken stepped into the building. Despite a disappointing preseason and some questionable comments about the fan base, Deshaun Watson is Cleveland’s starting QB in Week 1, but he’s going to have to fight to keep it.

Week 1 isn’t an easy test for Watson, who is coming off back-to-back Achilles tears. The Jaguars had one of the best defenses in football last season, and if the Browns fall behind early, he’s going to have to throw a lot more than he’d like to.

Can Watson show something and hold onto his QB1 spot? Or will he struggle and Shedeur Sanders take over in a few weeks?

Bills at Texans: Who Wins? Josh Allen or Houston’s Defense?

Last year the Texans’ defense got the best of Josh Allen and the Bills, winning a tight, 23-19 ballgame on primetime. Now, two of the top teams in the AFC will clash in Week 1, and it will come down to who can win: Josh Allen or Houston’s defense.

Allen is the best quarterback in football right now, but even he struggled against the Texans last year, throwing for 253 yards and two picks while being sacked eight times. A similar performance in Week 1 would almost certainly result in a loss for Buffalo, but if he can learn from last year and throw for 250 and two scores, Buffalo could easily take this one to open the season.

Dolphins at Raiders: Can Klint Kubiak Get Off to a Hot Start?

Looking at the Raiders’ schedule this year, it doesn’t seem like they’re going to win too many games, but this is the perfect opportunity for the Klint Kubiak era to get off to a hot start. I think the Dolphins are going to be the worst team in the league this season, and their defense is going to be very susceptible.

Unfortunately, Fernando Mendoza isn’t starting this week, but Kirk Cousins is a very capable quarterback, and with weapons like Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers at his disposal, this could be a big week for the Raiders’ offense. I hope Kubiak can get off to a hot start, because if this team can build confidence early, maybe they can pull off a few upsets.

Packers at Vikings: What Does GB’s Run Game Look Like?

Josh Jacobs is on the commissioner’s exempt list, and without him, I have no idea what Green Bay’s run game is going to look like. Will Marshawn Lloyd be the RB1? Will it be the guy they just traded for, in Kaleb Johnson? Nobody knows, but neither of them has rushed for more than 100 yards in their career, and now they face a really good Minnesota defense. It could be a long day (and season) for the Packers’ offense if they can’t get their run game going.

Commanders at Eagles: Is Rookie Year Jayden Daniels Back?

Jayden Daniels had one of the best rookie seasons we’ve ever seen from a quarterback in 2024, but in 2025, he dealt with injuries, not just to himself, but to his offensive teammates, which caused him to have a very disappointing second season. However, I think we could see 2024 Jayden Daniels again this year.

Terry McLaurin is back, but the Commanders also added Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams to his receiver room, while also getting him a new tight end in Chig Okonkwo. He has better playmakers than he did as a rookie, and I think Washington’s defense could be much better this year.

Don’t be shocked if Daniels plays well in Week 1 and pulls off the upset over Philly.

Cardinals at Chargers: How Much Better is LAC’s Offense?

The Chargers’ offense fell off a cliff last year when Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater both went down early in the season, but now that their two star tackles are back and they brought in one of the best offensive play callers in the NFL, Mike McDaniel, how much better will this offense be in 2026? I think they’ll be much, much better.

I know a game against the Cardinals isn’t a great litmus test for how good your offense is, but a strong start to the year could build their confidence and help them roll through the year.

Cowboys at Giants: Can the Giants be a Playoff Threat This Year?

A lot, and I mean A LOT, of fans are very high on the Giants this year. They have Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, who everyone seems to love, but I think there are still a lot of holes on this roster. They need offensive linemen, receiver depth, linebacker depth, and secondary help, but I’m supposed to think that just because they hired John Harbaugh that, they’re all of a sudden going to be a playoff team?

If the Giants can come out and beat the Cowboys in Week 1, I’ll buy into the hype, but until then, I’m holding out on dubbing them a real threat in the NFC.

Broncos at Chiefs: How Does Kenneth Walker Transform This Offense?

It feels like Patrick Mahomes has never had much of a run game in his career, especially in recent years. He’s had to do a lot of the work on his own, but the Chiefs invested heavily in Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker to ensure that doesn’t happen again in 2026.

While he hasn’t put up massive numbers in recent years and his deep ball percentage has dropped, nobody has been thrilled to play against KC’s offense in recent years, and with Walker now in the mix, I’m sure that hasn’t changed. I personally think Walker can transform this offense back into a top-five unit, but we won’t really know until they take the field on Monday night.