NFL teams on pace for highest scoring Week 1 since 1970 merger

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Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is on track to be the highest-scoring opening week since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Going into “Sunday Night Football,” teams combined for 50.1 points per game, according to the NFL. If this average holds, it will surpass his 49.4 points in Week 1 of 2012. That week involved a total of 791 points, and he is ranked 702 in this week’s rankings; With two games left.

After a few slow performances in Wednesday’s season opener and Thursday’s Australian opener, the Offenses are ready to hit the ground running on Sunday. A big increase came in Carolina, where the Panthers and Chicago Bears are Combined for 96 pointsa record for a season opener. The Bears set a franchise record with 59 points in the win, backing up a claim coach Ben Johnson said he wanted this summer. Highest scoring offense ever.

But even though Bears-Panthers may go down as Week 1’s most memorable shootout, scoreboards were flying around the country. A total of 10 teams have scored 30-plus points in Week 1, the third most since 1986 (12 teams) and 2002 (11).

The Detroit Lions survived overtime with a 31-30 decision over the New Orleans Saints. The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27. Baltimore Ravens beat Indianapolis Colts 41-23; Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdowns in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Buffalo Bills put up 36 points in a 36-31 win against a Houston Texans defense that hadn’t allowed that many points since 2023. And the Minnesota Vikings upset the Green Bay Packers 39-22 after Kyler Murray left early with a gruesome injury.

A Excellent 21 groups He made changes at offensive coordinator this offseason, though one of his high-profile ones — Mike McDaniel for the Los Angeles Chargers — didn’t produce much. LA was upset 26-14 by the Arizona Cardinals.