Obviously, week 1 can be a miracle. Teams that don’t play their starters in the preseason are rusty. The lack of film and how teams have changed over the course of the season could give some teams an advantage from a scheduling and personnel perspective. But it’s not all chaos. Some groups are legitimately reformed! Let’s take a look at the classes that surprised in Week 1 and find out how true their improvements are.
Is the Bengals defense real?
The Cincinnati Bengals looked like the perfect defense for an offensive team. On the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first drive, defensive coordinator Al Golden looked like he wanted to go back to his roots and play heavy man, but they got burned so he adjusted and went for most of the zone, one man splash.
After the first drive, they limited big plays, got pick-and-roll opportunities, and harassed the quarterback hard in the red zone. That was a big improvement for a unit that had some historically bad metrics last season. The Bengals’ revamped defensive line, with Dexter Lawrence, Boye Maffei and Jonathan Allen, dominated a very good Buccaneers offensive line most of the day as Baker Mayfield struggled all day. The secondary had a few busts but mostly stuck to man coverage and did a good job of connecting and tackling in zone coverage. The Corner DJ Tuner seems to be taking that step to the corner high. He had a game where he stiffened, rolled up and made the tackle – not usually a highlight play for a defensive back, but I liked the effort, and it’s an example of the attitude the Bengals defense wants to play with.
Their rush defense seems to have improved. They don’t shut down the run often, but they don’t give up explosive runs. They ranked 31st in rushes of 15+ yards last season. They didn’t give up on the Bucs’ rushing offense, which is expected to be explosive.
The Bengals don’t force four turnovers per game, but they played against a talented Bucs offense. This defense seems to be much better than last year. That should be enough to make the Bengals real contenders even if they return to the middle of the pack.
Is the destruction of the crows real?
The Indianapolis Colts defense is healthy and a talented team with two great corners on the defensive line and on the outside. That being said, the Ravens offense made the Colts look silly. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s debut earned a big A+. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was under center on 41 percent of the snaps, the highest mark of any of his career. One of Jesse Minter’s best hires was offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. The Ravens’ revamped offensive line created exceptional zone blocking and an incredible pass block for Jackson, who was less worried and had room to rotate if needed. Getting under center helped open the boot for Jackson, and the Colts’ defensive ends began to sit outside after Jackson tired of getting to the perimeter, opening up huge cutting lanes for Derrick Henry. You can see Ledford’s impact in the running game as the Ravens frequently complete the move to help double teams inside.
While the plan didn’t stand an easy chance, Jackson was still Jackson. He can still create secondary reaction plays at an elite level. Now his relationship with olives is unique. The two ad libbed were plays like Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.
Second-and-9 with 7:10 left in the second quarter
Here, flowers are lined up in the backyard to hold a poll. The Colts had a weakside blitz that was a good but powerful call knowing they couldn’t block. Safety AJ Haulcy had to replace No. 57 and basically matched Flowers.
Early on, Flowers settled into a hole in the zone, but Haulsey was running with a head of steam. With a free runner coming at him, Jackson had the patience to hit a fake Hawley to get him to jump. Flowers were on the same page and slid in.
Throwing him off the stage, Jackson gently hit Flowers and Flowers did the rest, cutting through the defense with an electric touch.
Zai flowers are fast.
54-yard TD!
BALvsIND on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/IQfU8vIXhY
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
The issue of this offense is the rejection of talent. Flowers had to leave the game because of a leg injury and is likely to miss time. Rookie Ja’Kobi Lane will miss time with a broken wrist. If Flowers can’t play against the New Orleans Saints next week, Doyle’s creativity could be tested early. Still, I’m buying stock in this Ravens offense. Right now, I’m buying more stock in this Doyle/Jackson partnership.
Is the Bills offense real?
Josh Allen has struggled mightily in his last two games against the Houston Texans. He may have had the best game I’ve ever seen him play this week. Although the Buffalo Bills were not a contender for improvement after finishing third in points last season, what they did at Reliant Stadium was special. It was the worst game in terms of total defensive EPA for the Texans in three years, and the Bills’ 7.9-yard average per game is the highest they’ve given up during that span.
The Bills decided to go big or go home. They couldn’t play with fear and canceled the traditional run game, giving the ball away just 15 times. Joe Brady wisely didn’t try to “set up the run” before going on a hard play. 40 percent of the Bills’ dropbacks were play action and Allen hauled down the field. His average yards per attempt was 13.68, the highest against the Texans in the past two years. Brady developed a strong defensive scheme with physical chips, fake chips and pulls to handle the Texans’ dynamic edge rushers.
0:58 left in the first quarter, first-and-10
The Bills have used this guard scheme frequently in their play-action concepts. On the right side of the line (left in the picture), the tight end cuts off the edge, causing left guard Alec Anderson to slow down to pull to him. Left tackle Dion Dawkins is believed to block Will Anderson one-on-one, but the line slides toward him, giving him some inside presence.
With the line sliding toward him, Dawkins could play Anderson on the outside because he has potential help inside. Center Connor McGovern was caught here, but he had his eyes on Anderson on the inside move and could help as the right guard reached the block.
The plan helped give Allen the time he needed to put the haymakers in the field.
DJ Moore isn’t an elite receiver, but he’s the best clean breakup Allen has had in a while and he’ll respond in man coverage where he struggled last season. A healthy Dalton Kincaid would help in that department as well. If elite defenses can’t save the Bills offense, watch out!
Is the 49ers defense real?
The San Francisco 49ers have declined defensively over the years. They have repeatedly experimented with a high attacking front scheme, but they simply don’t have the defensive skills to play that style, so it’s a priority to make things easier for players to play faster. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was a chameleon so it was a bit of a mystery what his defense would look like against the 49ers. The 49ers defense we’ve seen in Australia is the most modern we’ve seen in a long time.
8:58 left in the second quarter, third-and-10
The 49ers showed a deep safety early on with an interception by Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on third-and-10.
Stafford runs a corner route and figures to have one-on-one coverage on Puca Nacua, which is a good way to throw against Cover 1. However, the defense drops into a cover-2 zone to Nacua’s side, with cornerback Renardo Green playing the flat underneath Nacua.
Stafford released the ball without seeing a cover change and dropped the ball onto the green.
Against the high-powered Rams, the 49ers had the fourth-best defensive EPA per drop (0.28) in Week 1. Morris called the defense two-high on 51.72 percent of drop backs, the highest mark for the 49ers in the Kyle Shanahan era (going back to 2017). Also, the 49ers played with a 14 percent offensive back dime (six defensive backs), something they had rarely done before. They also fielded an unusual front line, using rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger as an edge player. The 49ers lack a deep defensive unit and are prone to the run, but if the 49ers offense can force opponents into passing scripts, Morris’ defense has a chance to surprise.
More points
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Athletics Dan Pompey says he wants to break the 2013 Denver Broncos scoring record (37.9). So far so good. The Bears opened the season with a 59-point blowout against the Carolina Panthers. With a defensive line that gave up 37 points, they may have to break the record to get back to 2025 with 11 wins. The Panthers ranked 22nd in DVOA last season and have poured their resources into improving this season. I don’t think this is the bottom of the league the Bears are in right now. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 72.4 percent of his passes, reducing his off-target percentage from 14.6 percent to 10.3 percent. His timing seems better, and when you combine that with his ability to play off-script, Williams could have an MVP-type season ahead of him.
Mike McDaniel’s debut as offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers did not go as planned. The Chargers’ offense ran the ball well, averaging -0.19 yards before touchdown and struggled to protect. The interior of the line looks to be one of the worst in the league. That’s something McDaniels was able to coach around Miami’s plan. However, in Miami, Devon Achan regularly has the speed to win around the rim and Tua Tagovailoa has a quick release. Even though Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has a very high ceiling, he needs protection to unlock the rare throws he can make down the field. It’s only week 1 so it’s not time to panic, but the interior should improve quickly.