Five things we learned from Sunday's Week 1 NFL games: Dolphins in deep trouble, Packers hype was deserved
Some veteran quarterbacks shined while others just couldn't get it done
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3 min read
The 2025 NFL season truly got underway on Sunday afternoon, with 26 different teams taking their first official snaps of the new campaign. It was a day chock-full of good quarterback play, but also some really poor quarterback play.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to MetLife Stadium against his old team and had himself a day against the Jets. The future Hall of Famer tossed four touchdowns in a vintage performance. Giants quarterback Russell Wilson was not as fortunate, as he was only able to lead New York to six points in his debut, which could lead to a change at quarterback in the near future for the G-Men as rookie Jaxson Dart is waiting in the wings.
Tua Tagovailoa also had a rough day for the Miami Dolphins in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts and Daniel Jones.
The Green Bay Packers look like the real deal and have a defense that could cause some serious issues for opponents in the NFC. Micah Parsons made his presence known as the Packers shut down the Detroit Lions in a battle of NFC North rivals.
All these storylines and more made for a very interesting first Sunday in the NFL. Below we dive into five things we learned on a busy Week 1.
1. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets are both in a better place
Rodgers got the last laugh Sunday, walking off with a win on the same MetLife Stadium turf that hosted his two-year slog as the Jets' quarterback. But his victory wasn't hollow; he looked pretty comfortable in his new threads despite also absorbing four sacks at age 41. And while Aaron Glenn and the Jets were forced to swallow that, they got an equally, if not more, promising debut from their own signal-caller, as the elusive Justin Fields was poised from start to finish against his old Steelers squad. It remains to be seen if either club is playoff-caliber, but both organizations are probably pretty content with where they're at under center right now.
2. The Miami Dolphins are in deep trouble
There was a time when the Mike McDaniel-Tua Tagovailoa pairing looked like the best thing since sliced bread -- a dream pairing of a calculated mind and razor-sharp arm, destined to put up video-game numbers for years. That time has long since passed. Miami has struggled to win meaningful games even when Tagovailoa has managed to stay on the field. Now it's not even clear they can beat anyone. Sunday's drubbing at the hands of the Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis Colts was hapless stuff from Tua, who gave the ball away like candy, and McDaniel doesn't necessarily have the defensive personnel to turn this wayward franchise around.
3. The Jaxson Dart era is all but imminent
The Washington Commanders were always expected to beat the New York Giants to open the year. One team was a title contender a year ago. The other was rebuilding (again). But Russell Wilson completing just 46% of his passes in a 21-6 loss, in which the G-Men averaged just 3.7 yards per play, doesn't bode well for his future as the starting quarterback. He was always meant to be a rental. And Dart's rise to the top backup gig this preseason foreshadowed his future takeover. Coach Brian Daboll refusing to rule out an upcoming switch now suggests the rookie really will be under center before long. And why not? New York needs a spark.
4. The Green Bay Packers hype was absolutely correct
It was a bit stunning to see so many of our experts dismiss the Detroit Lions as NFC North favorites after Dan Campbell's powerhouse cruised to the conference's No. 1 playoff seed a year ago. Then the Packers took Lambeau Field on Sunday. Even without Micah Parsons fully integrated on defense, Green Bay had no trouble with its rivals, suffocating Jared Goff and the Lions' vaunted ground game while Jordan Love uncorked one beauty after another. This might be your new NFC North powerhouse, folks. Coach Matt LaFleur was already a virtual lock for playoff contention. Now he appears to have the total package on the field.
5. Dave Canales might have himself a QB problem
Everyone and their mother celebrated when Bryce Young finally achieved a general level of competence in the back half of 2024, flashing the kind of composure that marked his successful college career. But the Carolina Panthers reverted back to mostly lifeless offense against the Jacksonville Jaguars -- not exactly world-beaters themselves -- to open Year 3 of the Young era. Canales acted quickly to bench his signal-caller a year ago. Might he do it again? All indications are Young is an honorable young man with the right intangibles to lead a franchise. Unfortunately, it still feels like such hard work for him to guide an NFL offense.
