I'm penning my first column of the season from New York and my plan all along was to lead on the meeting between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the hometown Jets, which we covered live on Sky Sports NFL. And I could get away with that, just about, because it turned into a classic with the Steelers winning 34-32 on Chris Boswell's 60-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining.
And the major headline was Aaron Rodgers' return to New York and throwing four touchdown passes against the team that didn't want him anymore.
But how can I overlook the antics of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson on Sunday Night Football? If this was a dress rehearsal for the AFC Championship Game, January cannot come soon enough.
The Ravens looked in control for much of this contest and there were some very special moments from Lamar, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins (what a one-handed touchdown catch that was) along the way. Baltimore led 20-10, 27-13, 34-19 and 40-25. At one point late in the fourth, the Ravens had a win percentage that was north of 99.
Bills fans would have been forgiven for heading to the exits and beating the post-game traffic. But you don't do that when you have Josh Allen under center. He broke the aforementioned win percentage computer! The reigning MVP of the league was sensational and undeniable, throwing for 394 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for two scores.
He is total box office. You cannot take your eyes off him for a moment and he is a transformative and generational figure who instantly makes everyone around him better. And the belief is always going to be there among his teammates when Allen is at the helm. Anything feels possible. That's the sign of a truly great quarterback, an all-time great quarterback. Allen has entered that realm – all that is missing is the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
That might have been the best game Josh Allen has ever played. And he's played a lot of great games in recent years.
On the other side, Baltimore need to find ways to close out these big games. They are in a lot of classics, but too often find themselves on the wrong end of proceedings. And it's in the details. At 40-25, rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed an extra point in a one-point loss. Then Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns on a day when he had dominated the Buffalo defense, lost a devastating fumble that allowed the Bills to tie the scores.
They have so many great playmakers that I believe the Ravens will be in the Super Bowl battle to the very end, but they let this one slip away in a manner that is going to sting for a while. I also wonder why they punted back to Josh Allen at the end of the contest. I know it was fourth and three on their own 38-yard line and it's easy to Monday Morning Quarterback this thing, but I want the ball in Lamar's hands, I don't want to rely on my defense against Allen.
A final thought on the Bills, given the way they defied the odds to win this game (teams who have trailed by 15 points with four minutes remaining since 2000 were 3-2,312 prior to Sunday night). The 2025 season is their last at Highmark Stadium. The 2025 season is taking place in the same year that their legendary head coach Marv Levy turned 100. Doesn't it already feel like there is something magical in the air?
Who's Hot…
Aaron Rodgers… There was a lovely moment in the second half of Pittsburgh's win over the Jets. Rodgers had just thrown his fourth touchdown pass of the game and he was sat on the bench, half-smiling to himself, looking around and taking it all in. MetLife Stadium was a cauldron of noise and passion and Rodgers – three quarters of the way through the first game of his 21st NFL season – was enjoying himself. He was having fun! It was a great back-and-forth game and what a story when Rodgers was presented the football down by one with just over three minutes left on the clock. He delivered the win and having earlier said this game was just one of 17, Rodgers admitted it was personal. You will recall Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was quick to move on from Rodgers in the offseason. After the game, Pittsburgh's new quarterback said: "I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets. There were probably people in the organisation that didn't think I could play anymore, so it was nice to remind them that I still can." Rodgers looked mostly comfortable in throwing for 244 yards and those four touchdowns. Yes, he is limited in terms of escaping pressure in the pocket at the age of 41, but there is nothing wrong with his brain and his arm. And he sure looked good on a couple of those half rolls called by Arthur Smith that resulted in touchdown passes. I spoke to Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith in the locker room after Sunday's win and he said the whole team believes down after down because Rodgers is at the helm. Their confidence in him is complete. It's going to be fascinating to see this season unfold for Rodgers and the Steelers.
The Green Bay Packers… Have the Packers laid down an early-season marker that they will be the Kings of the North in 2025? What was most impressive about their 27-13 victory over the Detroit Lions was how routine it looked. Jordan Love moved the ball efficiently at quarterback, Josh Jacobs remains dangerous at running back and the Lions were held in check for much of the contest. Of course, all eyes were on Micah Parsons and his late sack of Jared Goff was the icing on the cake for the Packers. But it was not his only play as he took the field for 45 percent of the defensive snaps as he works his way back from a back injury. Parsons' pressure forced Goff into an interception and the quarterback hunter was also a factor against the run (did you see that, Jerry?). It's early, but the Packers are in the NFC Super Bowl conversation… for now.
Baker Mayfield… I love how Baker Mayfield plays quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is a gunslinger who seems to put his entire being into every throw and every game. The Bucs needed a late 44-yard field goal miss from Younghoe Koo to escape Atlanta with a 23-20 victory, but it was another big day for Mayfield; who threw three touchdown passes after tossing a career-high 41 a year ago. Mayfield's winning strike to rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka was a thing of beauty… pocket collapsing, defenders in his face and he delivers a strike on a post down the middle of the field to the first-rounder. Egbuka had a couple of touchdown catches and I think he will be a player to watch as this season unfolds, especially as defenses continue to pay great attention – and rightly so – to Mike Evans (that was the case on the winning score with Jessie Bates doubling Evans to leave Egbuka in one-on-one coverage).
Who's Not…
The Miami Dolphins… If Sunday is an indication of the rest of this season, big changes will be coming for the Miami Lolphins in the not-too-distant future. Head coach Mike McDaniel is in serious trouble, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could be cleaned out at the end of the year and wide receiver Tyreek Hill likely gets traded in October. After an offseason in which Miami's toughness and in-house discipline was questioned time and again, they allowed the Indianapolis Colts to score on all seven possessions in a dominant 33-8 scoreline in favour of Daniel Jones and the team with the horseshoe on their helmet. Tua turned the ball over three times and Miami looked awful. It's going to take a serious effort to rebound from that. And McDaniel's seat is warming by the minute. His team needs to start looking tougher and more committed, that would be a good start.
The Cincinnati Bengals… What is it about the Bengals and the opening weeks of an NFL season? Heading into Sunday, Joe Burrow was 1-9 in the opening two weeks of the season during his NFL career. And he and the Bengals cannot feel great about that mark improving to 2-9 following a narrow 17-16 win over the lowly Cleveland Browns. At the end of the game, it was the Browns who were left feeling that they had let one slip away. Burrow threw for just 113 yards and the Bengals amassed just 141 offensive yards – the fewest since Zac Taylor has been in charge of this team. They allowed too much pressure and too many hits on Burrow and Cincinnati have no reason to feel good about being 1-0 today. Had Andre Szmyt not missed a 36-yard field goal late in the game, Cleveland would be the Ohio team celebrating a win on this Monday. At least we can credit Burrow for his brutal honesty of his own team when he said: "We stole one today."
Russell Wilson… The clock is already ticking on Russell Wilson's tenure as the starting quarterback of the New York Giants. He threw for just 168 yards and no touchdowns in Sunday's 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders and the Giants gained just 231 total yards. We all know Wilson is not going to be the long-term answer for New York and it's just a matter of Brian Daboll deciding when in the Giants' tough start to the schedule that he throws rookie first-rounder Jaxson Dart to the wolves. In my opinion, if you're going to lose games; you might as well lose with the youngster who you hope is going to be the future of the franchise learning on the job. There is very little to be gained rolling Russell Wilson out there week after week.
The Fast Five…
- Justin Fields looked really good as the quarterback of the New York Jets as he went toe to toe with Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. And it was a Jets team that showed a great deal of promise and fight in defeat. Aaron Glenn wants Jets fans to feel proud of their players. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but the Jets and their fans should feel good about what was on display in Week 1. The future already feels brighter.
- Denver showed what will be one of the driving forces of their Super Bowl challenge this year in their defense, which led the NFL in sacks in 2024. The Broncos recorded six sacks from six different players and held the Tennessee Titans to just 133 offensive yards during a 20-12 victory. Bo Nix will play better than he did on Sunday (two interceptions and just 176 passing yards), but that D will give him time to heat up.
- The Jacksonville Jaguars got physical during their 26-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, rushing for an even 200 yards and pressuring Bryce Young on 40 percent of his drop-backs. It was a solid start for head coach Liam Coen although tougher challenges surely lie ahead. As for Travis Hunter? It was 39 snaps on offense and six on defense. He caught six passes for 33 yards and made one tackle. His role will expand but the Jags do seem committed to playing the rookie on both sides of the ball.
- The San Francisco 49ers spent most of the offseason being overlooked and written off, but they opened with a hard-fought 17-13 road win in Seattle and their two big stars delivered. With the game on the line, Brock Purdy held the ball and held the ball and held it some more before delivering an inch-perfect touchdown pass to tight end Jake Tonges with 1:34 remaining. And then Nick Bosa closed it out with a strip-sack and the fumble recovery. The Niners are going to be in the NFC playoff mix, I believe.
- Last season saw the Los Angeles Chargers establish the run, almost to the point of minimising the impact of quarterback Justin Herbert at times. That was not the case during Friday's 27-21 defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil. The Chargers put the ball in Herbert's hands and he was brilliant, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Be tough and balanced, sure, but I say Herbert has to be this team's driving force moving forward.
Fact of the Week
Pete Carroll made NFL history on Sunday night when his Las Vegas Raiders ran out 20-13 winners over the New England Patriots. Carroll, who turns 74 next week, is the first head coach to win four debuts with a new team. He was also victorious out of the gate with the New York Jets (1994), New England Patriots (1997) and Seattle Seahawks (2010).
Final Thought…
Moments of brilliance and tactical decision-making can go a long way to deciding games. But it should also be noted that a bit of luck doesn't hurt either! This is not to demean the efforts of those lauded earlier in this column, but there is no getting away from two huge slices of luck that went in the favour of the Steelers and Bills on Sunday. On his game-winning march to victory, Rodgers threw a pass in the direction of DK Metcalf, who bobbled the catch. The ball then touched three other players, including two Jets defenders, before landing back in Metcalf's hands. Not exactly how Rodgers and Mike Tomlin drew it up, but it led to the winning points! In Buffalo, Josh Allen's fourth down pass to Dawson Knox was deflected into the air. If it falls incomplete, Baltimore are up by 15 with 3:56 remaining and in possession of the football. Game over. Instead, it floated into the hands of Keon Coleman for a 10-yard score and the Bills stayed alive. It just shows that you never quite know what drama is going to be served up in the NFL from down to down, let alone week to week; which is why the good teams know to keep fighting and scrapping. You never know when the ball is going to bounce your way, handing you a lifeline in the process.
