The NFL Week 1 Time Capsule

NFL Week 1 has come and gone!

We finally have some tape to overreact to!

We can get off all of our takes after the first game of a brutally, physically violent game that will tell us EVERYTHING we need to know about the season and will most definitely hold up throughout the year!

In all seriousness, we’re incredibly happy that football is back, everyone. It’s celebratory! However, there is still a ton of season left to play, and maybe the ugliest of all football happens during Week 1. It’s by far the weirdest week of the season, where we look back at the end of the year and say, “How did THAT happen?”

With that in mind, we’re going to go down a time capsule of the week 1 games from 2024 and see what results from this year could mirror how we felt exactly one year ago.

Which game was which?

2024: New Orleans Saints 47 Carolina Panthers 10

2025: Colts 33 Dolphins 8

Remember when the Saints had the most electric offense in history for two weeks under Klint Kubiak, and Derek Carr threw three touchdowns, and we thought his career was going to be revived? The defense even picked off Bryce Young twice! Well, the Saints ended up going 5-12 and truly just beat up on a downtrodden Young, adjusting to a new coach, and Derek Carr is now retired!

Daniel Jones was absolutely electric in what some are claiming is a revival now that he’s not a Giant! He was the first QB to record 2+ rushing TDs, 1+ passing TD, and 0 INTs in his first start with a new team since…Daniel Jones did it in his first start with the #Giants on Sept. 22, 2019. All we’re saying is let’s pump the brakes a little bit on the Colts’ love in that they eviscerated at home a Dolphins team where the preseason vibes and belief surrounding the roster in and out of the locker room couldn’t have been worse.

2024: Patriots 16 Bengals 10

2025: Texans 9 Rams 14

The Texans came into this season desperately needing to fix the infrastructure around Stroud on offense, and they did so by canning the entire offensive line made of papier-mache from last year and hiring Nick Caley after firing Bobby Slowick. The game against the Rams was an absolute rock fight where Stroud was touchdown-less, the leading receiver had 32 yards, and Nick Chubb was the leading rusher at only 60 yards. It’s concerning, given that the defense is Super Bowl caliber under Demeco Ryans, but they couldn’t get any momentum at all against the Rams‘ defensive front. That being said, we could be talking about the Texans’ offense the same way the Bengals got off to a slow start against what would go on to be a terrible Patriots team that picked in the top 5.

Higgins and Noel are rookie receivers that need time to marinate, Nico Collins just had 3 catches, and new coordinators need time to gel more than ever, with September still pretty much being preseason. The difference is that the Rams barely eked out this game with a peanut punch on the final drive, and the Texans have a much better defense than last year’s Bengals.

2024: Buccaneers 37 Commanders 20

2025: Steelers 34 Jets 32

Jayden Daniels was a massive part of a collective change for the Commanders franchise, not just on the field, making it to the NFC Championship in his rookie season, but from a culture standpoint entirely. He started off 0-1 against a Bucs team where Baker Mayfield and company had already been cooking together for quite some time, but the magnetism of his dual-threat capability was only the beginning of what would go on to be a 12-5 season despite the week 1 loss.

It’s fair to ask if that is already happening with the Jets after the first week! New coach Aaron Glenn actually made Justin Fields and the offense… fun? Justin Fields finally looked like the dual-threat quarterback that we wanted to see as a prospect, whereas as a seasoned QB, he was finally not forcing the ball or taking sacks, and looked poised to step up in the pocket! He went 16-22 for 218 yards, and his weapons, they’ve taken high in drafts, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, finally got work after being put into the shadow realm of doom and gloom veteran vibes of Aaron Rodgers!

Rodgers did go on to win the game by destroying the Jets‘ secondary as the bad man he’s always been, but for the Jets to hang up that number in their loss against a great defense for Justin Fields in a new place was highly encouraging for a franchise that just needed to get a clean slate.

2024: Lions 26 Rams 20

2025: Chargers 27 Chiefs 21

PHOTO: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters/Imagn Images

The game was the inverse of the Lions beating Sean McVay and the Rams on Sunday Night Football last year, which was the coming-out party for the Sonic and Knuckles run-based offense for Goff and company to pivot to, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs highlighting what was a prolific offense for Detroit. Roman and Justin Herbert pivoted to where it looks like the cannon arm that the analytics gurus love is actually going to sling it!

Despite having just drafted Omarion Hampton, Herbert tossed around the rock 34 times for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, and was taking over by throwing the ball on early downs as the point guard of the offense to beat the Chiefs for the first time since 2021. The Chargers minimized him and had another first-round playoff exit last year. Just as the Lions went as Montgomery and Gibbs did running the ball in 2024, they’ll go as Herbert does this year.