playNFL NationSep 13, 2026, 11:50 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.Multiple AuthorsOpen Extended ReactionsThe 2026 NFL season is already off to an exciting start.In the early window Sunday, the Bears and Panthers combined for 96 points, the most in a season opener in NFL history, per ESPN Research. The Jaguars easily handled the Browns in Cleveland in quarterback Deshaun Watson’s first regular-season game since October 2024. The Bills looked sharp offensively in Joe Brady’s head coaching debut against the Texans, and the Lions needed overtime to get past the Saints.In the late window, the Cardinals and Raiders won in the respective debuts of first-year coaches Mike LaFleur and Klint Kubiak.
The Commanders fell despite a comeback against division foe Philadelphia. And after losing quarterback Kyler Murray to a concussion early, the Vikings scored 29 unanswered to defeat the Packers. The New York Giants finished things off by beating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, marking the first time since 2009 both New York teams opened with a victory.Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Fantasy football analysts Matt Bowen and Tristan Cockcroft also have fantasy takeaways from every matchup.
Let’s get to it.Jump to: DAL-NYG | GB-MIN | WSH-PHI | MIA-LV ARI-LAC | CHI-CAR | BUF-HOU NO-DET | BAL-IND | ATL-PIT NYJ-TEN | TB-CIN | CLE-JAXCatch up on weekday games: SF-LAR | NE-SEAN.Y. Giants 28, Dallas 20Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapGiantsShould the Giants be taken seriously in the NFC East? This was a statement game for the John Harbaugh Giants. They looked like the better team in beating a Cowboys squad that had prevailed in 16 of its previous 18 meetings with the Giants.
New York’s offense looked dangerous with a power running game (165 yards) led by Cam Skattebo (18 carries, 81 yards), and quarterback Jaxson Dart was in command throughout. The defense also looked greatly improved. With neither the Eagles nor Commanders looking dominant in Week1, the Giants could be a real threat in the NFC East. For the first time in years, it’s not an outlandish thought.What to make of the QB performance: Brilliant.
Dart was in control throughout, running and throwing with precision. He finished 23-of-29 for 230 passing yards with three touchdown and added 54 rushing yards. The chemistry that Dart showed all summer with new tight end Isaiah Likely translated to the opener. Likely caught eight passes on eight targets for 78 yards with two touchdowns and helped ice the game late with two big third-down receptions. — Jordan RaananNext game: at Rams (Monday, 8:15 p.m.
ET)CowboysWill this serve as a wake-up call for the Cowboys? After a drama-free offseason, the return of a top-tier offense and a revamped defense, expectations were high. Though there are 16 more games to go, the loss to the Giants showed the Cowboys have a lot of work to do. An ill-timed Dak Prescott interception at the end of the first half led to a Giants’ TD.
There were far too many penalties in the first half (seven, tied for the most in an opener since 2008) and a costly one in the fourth quarter, as Javonte Williams’ taunting penalty led to a missed extra point attempt in a one-score game. The Giants were able to control the line of scrimmage and the clock in the second half to win a game that went according to the Giants’ desired script.Most surprising performance: Things were supposed to be different for this Cowboys defense. Not necessarily a massive move to the top of the league, but they were disappointing throughout Christian Parker’s first game as playcaller. The end-of-half work that saw New York go ahead 14-7 was filled with coverage breakdowns.
The second half opened with the Cowboys needing to call timeout because they had only 10 defenders on the field, and they could not come up with any stops in the final two quarters. With eight new starters from last season’s opener and another handful of new key contributors, it’s clear it will take time for it to come together. — Todd ArcherNext game: vs. Commanders (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)Fantasy football takeaway: Likely paced the Giants with eight catches — the most by any Giants tight end in nearly three years — with two going for touchdowns.
His 27.8 fantasy points led the position, and are an indicator he’ll be involved enough to be a weekly TE1. — CockcroftMinnesota 39, Green Bay 22Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapVikingsWhat now at quarterback? For the second consecutive season, and for the third campaign in the past four, the Vikings are dealing with an injury to their quarterback. This time, new starter Kyler Murray made it only 11 plays — and they were 11 shaky plays, at that — before suffering a concussion at the end of a first-quarter scramble. Backup Carson Wentz, named the No. 2 quarterback last week after he was a bystander in the competition between Murray and J.J.
McCarthy this summer, was understandably rusty at the outset but hung in to throw three touchdown passes and avoid a turnover. Wentz will be the starter until Murray is cleared to return.Trend to watch: The Vikings blitzed Packers quarterback Jordan Love on nearly every first-half snap (15-of-18, or 83%), and Love burned them repeatedly en route to putting up 19 points. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores adjusted with more variety in the second half, taking down the blitz rate to 63%. It wasn’t the only reason the Packers struggled to score thereafter, but it made the blitzes the Vikings did execute more effective. — Kevin SeifertNext game: at Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m.
ET)play0:22James Pierre comes up with a pivotal INT for the VikingsPackersDid the Packers learn nothing from last year? So much for all that offseason talk about finishing. Week 1 followed the same script from late last season: Grab the lead, make major mistakes in the second half and let the opponent back in the game. The blunders were many in this matchup: a special teams miscue (allowing a 69-yard kickoff return); a blown coverage (leaving tight end T.J.
Hockenson wide open for a touchdown); bad penalties (three of them on the Vikings’ go-ahead drive that wiped out a pair of would-have-been third-down stops and nullified an interception); shoddy offensive line play; and a poor coaching decision (opting to take a field goal off the board on a penalty then failing on the ensuing QB sneak).What to make of the QB performance: Love, despite a 387-yard passing game, barely had a chance, especially down the stretch, thanks to a disastrous performance by his offensive line. Being without starting left guard Aaron Banks (knee) wasn’t the reason the Vikings recorded 15 QB hits on Love; it was because the Packers couldn’t handle the myriad of blitzes. When the Packers needed a fourth-quarter drive to regain the lead, Love was sacked on back-to-back plays, losing a fumble on the second one that was returned to Green Bay’s 1-yard line. — Rob DemovskyNext game: at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)Fantasy football takeaway: Christian Watson’s 32.7 fantasy points were the second most among wide receivers in Week 1 through the late window.
He caught 6-of-8 targets for 147 yards and two touchdowns for the Pack. With an expanding route tree and big-play speed, Watson can be safely played as a lower-tier WR2 for Week 2. — BowenPhiladelphia 24, Washington 22Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapEaglesDid the Eagles’ new offense pass the test Week 1? There was a boom-or-bust element to it, but the explosive plays carried them to a passing grade and a win over Washington. From WR Dontayvion Wicks’ 64-yard reception (a career high) to QB Jalen Hurts’ 22-yard scramble on third-and-18 to TE Dallas Goedert’s
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