In Week 1 of the NFL season, several notable performances and milestones stood out across the league.
The Philadelphia Eagles extended their strong start streak by winning their sixth consecutive season opener. Head coach Nick Sirianni became the first coach in NFL history to win his first six opening games. This achievement marks the longest active winning streak in Week 1 contests, surpassing the Kansas City Chiefs, who previously held the record with eight consecutive season-opening wins from 2015 to 2022.
In a remarkable quarterback cameo, Carson Wentz replaced an injured Kyler Murray during the Minnesota Vikings’ game against the Green Bay Packers. Wentz threw three touchdown passes without interceptions, leading the Vikings to a 39-22 victory. This performance was historically significant, as only one other quarterback since 1950—Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton—had come off the bench in an opener to throw at least three touchdowns with no interceptions. Tarkenton achieved the feat in the Vikings’ inaugural game in 1961 against Chicago.
On defense, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt delivered a standout performance against the Atlanta Falcons, recording two sacks and returning an interception for a touchdown. Watt’s career total now includes 117 sacks and 10 interceptions, making him one of only two players in NFL history to reach at least 100 sacks and 10 interceptions. He joins Hall of Famer Julius Peppers in this exclusive group.
For the Falcons, rookie running back Bijan Robinson was the focal point of the offense in their loss to Pittsburgh. Robinson accounted for 83 rushing yards, 90 receiving yards, and scored the team’s sole touchdown. He was targeted 10 times in the passing game, representing over 65% of the Falcons’ offensive output. Such a high percentage of targets for a running back had not been seen since LaDainian Tomlinson, who caught 15 of 28 passes for the Chargers in a 2003 game against the Raiders.
These performances highlighted individual and team efforts that could set the tone for the weeks ahead in the NFL season.
