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The Kansas City crowd is waiting for the return of their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. The three-time Super Bowl champs have their eyes back on the Lombardi Trophy, but first, the reigning AFC West champs come into town.

The Broncos added Jaylen Waddle in the offseason, giving Nix another explosive weapon as Denver looks to make another push toward the top of the AFC. 

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   How to Watch Broncos vs. Chiefs

• When: Monday, September 14, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
• TV: ABC, ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN Unlimited – Get the FOX One / ESPN Bundle

Players to Watch

Kansas City’s biggest question heading into this matchup is how clean the pocket will be, and that puts Mahomes at the center of everything. He is still on track to start the opener after knee surgery, with Andy Reid saying he has a pretty good chance to go. That matters even more because Josh Simmons has a good chance to sit, which could leave Mahomes dealing with extra heat off the edge.

When Mahomes is right, he changes the geometry of the field in a flash. If he handles pressure and keeps the Chiefs on schedule, Kansas City can control the tone of the game from the opening possessions.

Bo Nix has a new toy on the outside, and it drives really fast. Jaylen Waddle was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Denver Broncos in the offseason, and he brings a totally different element to Sean Payton’s offense. In Waddle’s last season with the Dolphins, he had 910 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Now, he joins a Broncos receiving corps of Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin and Evan Engram.

Nix could have a great welcome back to this offense with his new weapon in Waddle. If the Broncos want to return to the AFC Championship, they’ll want this Waddle acquisition to pay off big time.

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The 2026 NFL season opened with two of the NFC North’s rising stars putting together performances that had the league buzzing, and Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski were paying close attention.

On the debut episode of FOX Sports’ “Gronk & Jules,” Edelman and Gronkowski handed out their Week 1 “Employees of the Week” honors, and each host picked one star from teams in the NFC North.

Edelman went with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, while Gronkowski sided with Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs. 

Julian Edelman’s Employee Of The Week

Edelman rolled with the guy who quarterbacked the highest-scoring offense on Sunday as his “Employee of the Week.”

“Employee of the week for me, Caleb Williams,” Edelman said. “That was a fun game to watch. That’s what you want to see out of your offense. Week 1, 59 points, man. He threw it well. He rushed it well. He looked fast. The whole embracing the Chicago culture — that was a fun, cool win, man. That was big time.”

Williams torched the Carolina Panthers in a 59-37 win, completing 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns while adding 65 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. His 124.1 passer rating and four total touchdowns made him the first quarterback in Bears history to record at least 200 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 50 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the same game.

Gronkowski agreed, adding that Williams’ style of play is drawing eyeballs to Chicago’s offense.

“He’s gonna draw viewers in because of the way he plays the game,” Gronkowski said. “It’s special. It’s entertaining. That’s what people want to see. He’s electric, and when you’re electric, you know that’s a special trait to have. People are going to tune in. The city of Chicago is head over heels in love.”

Rob Gronkowski’s Employee Of The Week

Gronkowski then turned to his own pick, one that came from the other side of the division.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs authored a milestone of his own in a 31-30 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Gibbs carried 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns, adding five catches for 30 yards. His first score of the day was his 50th career touchdown in his 50th game, and he finished the afternoon with 51, making him just the sixth player in NFL history to reach 50 touchdowns within his first 50 games, joining Jim Brown, Marcus Allen, Chuck Foreman, Larry Johnson and Steve Van Buren.

“And for my employee of the week … Jahmyr Gibbs, I gotta go with him,” Gronkowski said. “He absolutely balled out. 156 yards, two TDs rushing. He contributed in the pass game as well. Fastest player to 50 touchdowns in history. He has 51 touchdowns currently because he scored two in this game in 50 games. This guy is a special talent, and just like Caleb Williams, he’s electric as well, and he’s fun to watch.”

Ben Johnson spent three seasons as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, helping build one of the NFL’s most productive offenses before Chicago hired him as head coach in January 2025. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

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With Williams and Gibbs showing out on Sunday, Edelman and Gronkowski couldn’t hold their excitement for the Lions-Bears matchups later this season.

“It’s going to be a helluva game when the Detroit Lions face the Chicago Bears,” Gronkowski said. 

Williams’ Bears and Gibbs’ Lions meet twice this season, starting with a Thanksgiving Day clash at Ford Field on Nov. 26 before meeting again at Soldier Field in Week 17 on FOX’s “America’s Game of the Week.” 

That matchup carries extra history for both teams given Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s roots in Detroit. Johnson spent three seasons (2022-24) as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, helping build one of the NFL’s most productive offenses before Chicago hired him as head coach in January 2025.

“Another reason why it’s going to be a battle? Ben Johnson came from Detroit,” Gronkowski said. “This rivalry is getting more special as it goes on.”

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Jalen Hurts delivered another signature Week 1 performance for the Philadelphia Eagles in their victory over the Washington Commanders, and he credited part of it to a conversation with Tom Brady before kickoff.

The game marked the return of FOX’s Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady calling America’s Game of the Week. When asked about taking over games late, Hurts shared what he went over with Brady when the pair sat down together for a production meeting ahead of the game.

“[I talked] about this on the production meeting leading up to the game with Brady,” Hurts said. “But when you play in a position, a lot of it is about making sure you’re in the right play. You’re doing the right thing, that takes no talent.”

Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 14 of 25 passing with no interceptions, good for a 122.2 passer rating, in Philadelphia’s 24-22 win over the Washington. He added 46 rushing yards on seven carries, including a 22-yard scramble on third-and-18 in the fourth quarter that set up a game-sealing touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert.

“It’s not something that’s forced,” Hurts said. “It’s the same focus that you have throughout the whole entire game. It’s the same poise that you play with throughout the whole entire game, and so it goes back to all of them being on the same page, and then me taking responsibility and the opportunities I have, the ball in my hand.”

Hurts said that consistency starts with the whole offense operating on the same page and pointed back to his conversation with Brady as a reminder of that.

“Are we in the best run? Are we protecting ourselves in protection? Is everybody aligned doing those little things first? I think that is the most important thing,” Hurts said.

From there, Hurts broke down what he means by staying within the play design rather than forcing something spectacular.

“It’s more of an operation and being able to set the table and manage the things you’re tasked with managing as a quarterback, and then all of the other things are to come,” Hurts said.

Saquon Barkley rushed 15 times for 83 yards and was kept out of the end zone in Week 1 against the Commanders. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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Hurts pointed to a similar example from Saquon Barkley, who clinched a game against the Commanders with a big play of his own.

“You could ask Saquon that same question, and I remember vividly, him taking the outside zone, cutting back, and closing the game versus Washington two years ago,” Hurts said. “That’s him taking over and making the play.”

Hurts closed by looking ahead to the rest of the season.

“I think it’s just about meeting the moment when your opportunity comes,” Hurts said. “I think collectively we got a lot to build on. Obviously, a lot to correct, and I’m excited to get back into the process of becoming the team that we’re supposed to become.”

Hurts and the Eagles carry that poise into Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their 14th consecutive playoff berth with a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night behind Tarik Skubal’s seven shutout innings and home runs by Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez.

Los Angeles tied the record set by Atlanta from 1991 through 2005.

The two-time defending World Series champions cut their magic number to three for a fifth straight NL West title and 13th in 14 seasons. The Dodgers became the third team assured of a playoff spot after Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.

Skubal (10-7) allowed three hits, struck out nine and walked one as he gained his second win against Cincinnati in seven days. Skubal allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings in a 3-2 victory on Sept. 8.

He is 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA in eight starts since the Dodgers (91-59) acquired him from Detroit Tigers on Aug. 2.

Elly de la Cruz hit a 457-foot homer to center off Evan Phillips in the ninth, the longest homer by a Cincinnati player this season and the longest this year at Great American Ballpark.

All three of Los Angeles’ hits ended up resulting in runs.

Tucker led off the second by driving an upper inside fastball from Nick Lodolo (3-5) into the right-field stands, his third home run in five games.

Tucker walked with two outs in the fourth and Hernández homered to right-center. Kiké Hernández added an RBI single in the seventh.

Lodolo allowed four runs and three hits in seven innings.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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NFL teams ran over 1,800 plays in Week 1. Unless you’re Sean McVay, you’ll probably forget 99% of them by the time Week 2 kicks off. And by October, that percentage will be even higher. But every Sunday gives us a handful of plays that will stick with us for the rest of the season.

Those kinds of moments inspired this new weekly feature, where I’ll take a deeper look at three plays that shaped the past week in NFL football. We’ll dive into the strategies, the matchups, and everything else that created Sunday’s most memorable moments – along with what those moments mean for the future.

This week, we’ll look at Josh Allen’s game-winner in Houston, Washington’s failed two-point conversion in Philadelphia, and the biggest play of the Bears’ 59-point outburst.

Josh Allen went down to Houston and exorcised some demons. The demons, in this case, were a Texans defense that has given him hell over the past two seasons, including last year’s two-interception, eight-sack stinker. Some of the lowest moments of Allen’s career have come in Houston, but Sunday’s win was one of the better games you’ll see out of the Bills star, and it was capped off by a 34-yard touchdown strike to Josh Palmer that put Buffalo ahead for good. 

Here’s the all-22 angle.

As Allen said after the game, the play wasn’t designed to go to Palmer. He was running a “clear out” route to open space for Dalton Kincaid’s intermediate route.

“That is not where the ball is supposed to go,” Allen said. “We have never once repped the ball going there. I just felt that those safeties started cheating to DJ [Moore] a little bit.”

The Texans played man coverage with just a single safety deep. With Moore isolated to the bottom of the screen, you can see that centerfield safety, Calen Bullock, hovers closer to Moore’s side. Based on the way Kamari Lassiter is cheating to the inside on Palmer, it appears he knows he won’t have safety help in the middle. 

Credit to Allen for noticing the subtleties of Houston’s positioning. Most quarterbacks see that look and don’t even consider throwing to Palmer. Based on everything they’re taught, it’s an absurd decision. But Allen isn’t a by-the-book quarterback. He’s an artist who specializes in absurdism. He sees a safety who’s out of position and a cornerback who will have to quickly flip his hips to keep up with Palmer’s post route. Still, it requires a high level of trust in both Palmer and his own ability to make the throw. Allen makes it look routine. 

The takeaway: That play didn’t just decide Sunday’s game; it also provided a promising sign for a passing game that could be bogged down by man coverage a season ago.

In 2025, Allen didn’t have receivers who could dictate coverage or deter defenses from playing aggressively in the secondary. Enter Moore. Allen’s shiny, new toy in the receiving corps caught five passes for 100 yards and a score in his debut. Moore gives Allen an answer for man coverage. And if teams want to throw extra safety attention at him, it just makes things easier for his teammates. Even on a play where Moore was helping out in protection, as he did on Palmer’s game-winner, the Texans felt the need to get eyes on him.

Houston hardly played any man coverage on Sunday after spamming it in last year’s matchup. If Moore’s presence can just influence how much man coverage the Bills see, he’ll be a valuable addition to the team—and maybe the one who finally gets Buffalo over the hump.

(As a Maryland grad, I’m compelled to point out that the last time the Bills traded for a former Terps receiver – Stefon Diggs – Allen and the offense leveled up. We’ll see if Moore has a similar impact.)

The Eagles Stuff Washington On A Game-Tying Two-Point Conversion

Philadelphia’s 24-22 win was peak NFC East football. It may have lacked well-executed play for the most part, but it made up for it with a tense ending. After a sleepy performance, Washington’s offense rallied for a late touchdown and could have forced overtime with a two-point conversion. That put the Commanders’ first-year offensive coordinator, David Blough, in the spotlight. He made the bold decision to dial up a shovel pass to the backup tight end. 

It went as well as you’d expect.

Blough and quarterback Jayden Daniels have caught some heat for the outcome of the play, but I’m going to defend both. Let’s start with Daniels, who could have thrown the ball to running back Rachaad White in the flat for what looked like a walk-in touchdown.

Sure, that may have been the best option based on how things eventually played out, but Daniels can’t pause the play or peer into the future. And based on the look the Eagles defense gave him – and the design of Washington’s play—he made the correct choice. Philly had three defenders against two Commanders blockers to the perimeter plus linebacker Jalyx Hunt ready to help out. Daniels has only a fraction of a second to make the decision. 

Daniels saw a 4-on-3 in the Eagles’ favor and moved on before it became clear that White had an angle to the end zone. In the screenshot above, you can see that he’s already looking at Bates for the shovel. 

And, really, the shovel should have worked. The Commanders have the right numbers and blockers to open up a clear path for Bates to waltz into the end zone. 

Unfortunately for Washington and Blough, football is not played on a whiteboard with scribbled Xs and Os. Talent and execution matter, and on this play, Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo out-talented and out-executed the Commanders offensive line. Ojomo saw the down blocks and the pulling guard and knew immediately that he’d need to cross the face of the center, Nick Allegretti, to make a play on the ball carrier.

Just reading that all out in a second or two is impressive on its own, but then Ojomo pulled off a sweet spin move that left Allegretti blocking air before he enveloped Bates well short of the end zone.

The takeaway: Washington’s failed two-point attempt came on a sound play design, with the quarterback making the right decision; the Commanders just didn’t have enough talent to execute. Based on Sunday’s game, this won’t be the last time that’s the case. 

The offensive line might be worse than advertised without Laremy Tunsil at left tackle, and the wide receiver group didn’t make Daniels’ job easier. A change at play-caller isn’t going to make up for the talent deficiency. Without any clear avenues for improvement, it could be a long season for Daniels and this offense.

I could have picked any of the 10 explosive plays Chicago hit Carolina with on Sunday, but Monangai’s big run that stretched the Bears’ lead to double digits and put the Panthers away for good is a perfect encapsulation of what makes Ben Johnson’s run game so damn hard to defend.

Johnson had been setting up that run all afternoon. The Bears aligned in that same formation twice earlier in the game and had Luther Burden motion across the formation both times. Chicago ran “outside zone” to the weak side on both snaps.

On Monangai’s big run, the Bears come out in the same formation but snap the ball just as Burden starts his motion. And instead of running outside zone to the weak side, they run their “duo” play to the strong side. You can see the hesitation by the backside safety, who is expecting Burden to motion across the formation and for a run in the same direction. He takes one false step, but in a game of inches, that makes the difference between a 10-yard run and a 61-yard touchdown.  

We also have to give credit to the Bears receivers, who put on a blocking clinic and bullied Carolina’s secondary all afternoon. Burden makes an impressive mid-play adjustment to block safety Tre’von Moehrig and create crease for Monangai, while Kalif Raymond clears out the second level with a pancake block on Chau Smith-Wade, who was not a stationary target. 

Those blocks even offensive linemen would be proud to make. The Bears’ skill players made those plays all afternoon. 

The takeaway: Johnson says Chicago’s goal is to break the scoring record, and I’m not doubting him after what I saw Sunday. The Bears have a dynamic talent at quarterback, a strong offensive line, cutting-edge play calling, and skill players who have fully bought in. 

“No block, no rock” isn’t just a gimmick in Chicago. These receivers live it, and Johnson rewards them with play-making opportunities. Raymond graded out as the team’s best run blocker on Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus, so it’s no surprise that he also led the team in targets. The bigger names like Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland had quiet games in the box score but were still blocking their tails off in the second half. If they keep blocking like that, this won’t be the last 50-burger the Bears serve up this season.

Three And Out

1. I’m pretty sure Justin Jefferson went off script on his 39-yard touchdown catch. 

Based on the other routes on the play, Minnesota looked as if it was running a “dagger” concept, with Jauan Jennings running a deep crosser to clear out the coverage and T.J. Hockenson sitting down underneath.

That’s a staple of Kevin O’Connell’s passing game. But the superstar receiver saw the penalty flag, realized the Vikings had a free play, and took off for the end zone. Credit to Carson Wentz for also noticing the flag and giving Jefferson a shot to make a play. 

2. New Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is a star, and he won’t be in Baltimore for much longer if he keeps up the pace he set in Sunday’s win over the Colts. 

I could highlight so many plays from that game, but wide receiver Zay Flowers’ long touchdown stood out. 

Doyle had Flowers lined up in the backfield, which complicated Indy’s coverage assignments. All of the corners are playing outside, and you don’t want a linebacker on a receiver in space, so the Colts dropped a safety down to pick up Flowers, who was running an option route. Staying in front of Flowers is difficult enough. Doing so when he’s got a two-way go is even harder. And doing it from depth is downright impossible. 

3. Honestly, I think Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer showed restraint when reviewing his defense’s performance after Sunday night’s loss to the Giants.

The young defense was botching even the most routine concepts. As Schottenheimer points out, the Cowboys didn’t “push three times to the f***ing flat route,” and two of them came on consecutive plays. 

With the running back running out to the flat fast, the linebacker, Jashawn Barham, has to follow him out there. You can even see the safety pointing that out to him on the first play, only for it to happen again on the next one. That’s the type of thing you’d expect to see from a high school defense. The Cowboys have a lot to clean up.

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The Kansas City Chiefs closed Week 1 by turning back the clock. For at least one night, they looked like the AFC West’s dominant force once again.

After missing the playoffs, Kansas City came out of the gates in 2026 with a dominant win over the Denver Broncos, who won 14 games and were the AFC’s No. 1 seed last season. The Chiefs defense caused fits, impressively containing a capable Broncos offense.

Here are my takeaways:

1.

Would the healthy return of Mahomes also mean the return of the Chiefs as the dangerous postseason threat you knew them to be?

Mahomes made that clear from the first drive, taking off from the 15-yard line and diving into the end zone for a touchdown and an early lead on the Broncos. He got up in the end zone, brushed the proverbial dust off his chest and was back at home with the Arrowhead faithful.

Arrowhead Stadium came alive when Mahomes scrambled to find the end zone. (Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) –>

Overall, though, this was big-money acquisition Kenneth Walker’s night, with a 60-yard touchdown on the way to the best rushing game by a Chiefs running back in 14 years. In his Kansas City debut, Walker rushed for 173 yards and scored two total TDs.

Was it vintage Mahomes? Of course not. He completed two of his first 12 passes for 14 yards but found a spark before halftime, and his defense really took care of the rest. Even a bad interception out of his own end zone that set Denver up at the 5-yard line only resulted in a field goal for the Broncos, with the Chiefs defense again stepping up to help the QB out.

There was punctuation as well: On the first play of the fourth quarter, Mahomes found rookie running back Emmett Johnson for 25 yards on a third down, setting up a flip-toss touchdown to Walker for a 31-10 lead to put the game out of reach. Mahomes improved to 8-0 at home against Denver in his career, one of the longest home streaks for any quarterback against any opponent. After his shaky start, Mahomes went 11-for-13 for 145 yards and two touchdowns to pull away.

Exactly one year earlier, the Chiefs had lost at home to the Eagles to fall to 0-2. They’d dig out of that to get to 5-3 before losing eight of their last nine in a wholly disappointing season.

Are the Chiefs back as a pop-culture phenomenon? Taylor Swift was perched in a suite to cheer on her husband, Travis Kelce, on a 59-yard catch that was his longest in five years. Tom Cruise was sitting next to Swift, drawing cheers when he was shown on the stadium video boards.

A surprisingly resounding Week 1 divisional win, combined with the Chargers’ wobbly start losing to Arizona, and just like that, the AFC West goes through Kansas City again.

2.

Denver gave up a first-round pick to land receiver Jaylen Waddle from Miami, and the hope was that Bo Nix would have more of a downfield passing game in 2026.

That didn’t take shape Monday night, as the Chiefs — despite losing rookie corner Mansoor Delane after one drive — effectively took Waddle and Courtland Sutton out of the game. Midway through the fourth quarter, the two receivers had combined for 13 yards on eight targets.

Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense could not solve the Chiefs’ new-look defense. (Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) –>

Nix threw an interception on the opening drive, and there seemed to be a hesitation to gamble downfield, even with the Chiefs down a corner. A 19-yard touchdown to tight end Evan Engram was the only pass play longer than 13 yards entering the fourth quarter. Nix will get a better feel for Waddle, and they’ll connect as you’d expect.

That didn’t happen when the Broncos needed it to on Monday night, though.

3.

So much of Kansas City’s offseason was about departures in the secondary. Cornerback Trent McDuffie was traded to the Rams for a first-rounder, and fellow corner Jaylen Watson joined him in L.A. in free agency. Meanwhile, safety Bryan Cook signed with the Bengals.

And yet the Chiefs’ defense controlled the Broncos the entire game, even after losing Delane early. Kristian Fulton stepped up at corner, Nohl Williams had a sack, while L’Jarius Sneed had a great open-field tackle on Waddle on third-and-short. 

You go to seven Super Bowls, you’re going to get raided in free agency. For at least one game, though, the Chiefs don’t seem to be worse off at all. 

We’ll get to know these new players elevated into major roles, but they made a name for themselves keeping the Broncos in check Monday night.

3 ½. What’s Next?

Denver went 14-3 last year, and its upcoming schedule is daunting enough that it might have four losses by mid-October, without even really playing poorly.

The Broncos’ next five games? Home vs. the Jaguars and Rams, at the 49ers and Chargers, then home against the Seahawks — all 2025 playoff teams expected to do the same this season. 

You could argue that the Chiefs, even at Arrowhead, were an easier opponent than any of those five. Denver could go from the top seed in the AFC and hosting a conference championship game to being under .500 at Halloween, unless they step up to a wildly difficult level of competition.

Kansas City, meanwhile, will play next Sunday night at home against the Colts, who are 0-1 after a loss on Sunday to the Ravens.

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The vaunted Rams … What happened?!

Drake Maye … What are you doing?!

Brian Flores … brings the heat! 

That Cowboys defense … yikes!

The Chiefs are … back?

After Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, I know you have strong reactions from the football you watched — both positive and negative. And it’ll be that way all year long. That’s why I’ll be giving you my best and worst superlatives every week. I’ll drill down into the best and the worst in a number of categories.

For Week 1, let’s talk plays, coaching and defense: 

Best Play This Week: Commanders Gunner Tyler Owen’s All-Out Effort On Punt Return

In the Commanders’ Week 1 loss to the Eagles, special-teamer Tyler Owens produced one of the best gunner reps you’ll ever see. 

He fought his way through a double team at the snap from Philly’s Jonathan Jones and Darius Cooper. He stiff-armed Jones about five yards downfield. Then he stiff-armed Jones and Cooper simultaneously. He threw Cooper to the ground. He threw Jones down about 10 yards later. And if all that wasn’t enough, he took down Eagles punt returner Britain Covey with a textbook tackle, driving him to the ground.  

On an individual basis, regardless of the phase of the game, it’s one of the most impressive plays in recent NFL history. The clip will be on a loop for football teams at all levels all week and referenced for years to come as an example of the kind of effort and finish coaches want to see on the field. 

Worst Play This Week: Drake Maye’s End-Of-Game INT

Each of Maye’s three picks were bad in the Patriots’ 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seahawks, but his final one, which sealed New England’s loss, was particularly puzzling. 

The Patriots faced a third-and-5 from the Seahawks 16 with 26 seconds left, trailing by three points. That’s where Maye forced a throw to a tightly-covered Mack Hollins in the end zone. 

Seeing that Hollins wasn’t open, Maye should’ve thrown the ball away, giving New England a chance to tie the game with a field goal. That’s quarterbacking 101. You cannot have a turnover (or take a huge yardage loss on a sack) in that situation. 

For a quarterback of Maye’s caliber to make a rookie-level mistake like that is baffling. His track record against great defenses isn’t good, so that will be something to watch as his third NFL season unfolds. 

Best Coaching This Week: Vikings DC Brian Flores

Flores concocted a brilliant defensive game plan to help the Vikings to a 39-22 season-opening victory over the Packers.  

The veteran playcaller was relentless in harassing Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who was blitzed on 78.3% of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. That’s the fourth-highest rate by a defense in any game in at least eight years. Minnesota generated four sacks and an interception on second-half blitzes.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves to bring pressure, and it turned the game around on Sunday against the Packers. (Photo by Elizabeth Flores/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

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Vikings linebacker Black Cashman had seven quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds), which was the most by a player at his position in a single game since at least 2018, per NGS. Third-year edge rusher Dallas Turner registered a career-high 10 pressures. 

Flores, the former Dolphins head coach, has been in the mix for head coaching openings for years only to be passed over — to the benefit of the Vikings. His complex defense has consistently ranked among the league’s top units since he became Minnesota’s defensive playcaller in 2023. I’m banking on that continuing in 2026. 

Next week, Flores takes on Ben Johnson and the Bears, the NFL’s highest-scoring offense in Week 1.

Worst Coaching This Week: Rams HC Sean McVay

The Rams’ decision to take a 16-hour flight and arrive in Melbourne, Australia, the day before their opener against the 49ers didn’t seem to make much sense. Sure enough, the Rams looked flat in their 27-7 season-opening loss in what’s being called “The Jet Lag Game.” 

Even if you chalk that up as an organizational decision based on advice from experts in sleep study, McVay fell short in other ways. 

His decision to call a goal-line quarterback sneak with 38-year-old Matthew Stafford, who has a history of back issues, was puzzling (Stafford was stuffed). But what stood out the most to me was McVay’s poor handling of star edge rusher Myles Garrett’s knee issue. 

After the Rams’ loss, a game in which Garrett went without a tackle for the first time since Week 11 of the 2024 season, McVay said the reigning Defensive Player of the Year’s knee was 100 percent to his knowledge. A couple of days later, it was announced that Garrett, who was held out for much of training camp due to his knee, would have arthroscopic surgery and be placed on injured reserve. That means he’ll miss at least four games. 

Best Defense This Week: Bengals

The Bengals’ new-look defense lived up to the hype. 

Cincinnati generated a league-high four turnovers, including on three straight possessions in the first half, to help the team to a 33-27 victory over Tampa Bay. Those four takeaways led to 24 points, including a defensive touchdown by linebacker Demetrius Knight, who registered the team’s first fumble recovery for a TD since 2022. 

All four of the turnovers forced by the Bengals were fumbles, which came from four different Cincinnati defenders — linebacker Barrett Carter, safety Bryan Cook, defensive ends Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe. That speaks to the depth of the defense, which gave up just 89 rushing yards.

After finishing 31st in total defense last season, don’t be surprised to see Cincinnati be top-10 good defensively this year.

Worst Defense This Week: Cowboys

Yes, the Panthers gave up 59 points. But I think that says more about Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the dynamic Bears offense. 

So my focus here is on the Cowboys, who spent all offseason telling us that this year’s defense wasn’t the same as last year’s only to … look like last year’s. 

They appeared to be completely overwhelmed and unprepared against the Giants in Week 1. Dallas gave up 165 rushing yards and three drives of at least 12 plays to end the game. New York went 9-of-10 on third down, excluding the game-ending kneel down. Quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 79.3% of his passes. There were coverage lapses everywhere. The Cowboys had a four-man pressure rate of just 10.0%, their lowest in a game in five years, according to Next Gen Stats. 

I think Christian Parker, the Cowboys’ 34-year-old defensive coordinator, is a good young coach. Defensively, Dallas is better on paper. But Monday’s performance was putrid. 

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Aaron Judge hit a three-run home run that capped a six-run eighth inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 8-3 Monday on a night they clinched their 61st postseason berth and ninth in 10 seasons.

Judge had been 3 for 20 with 11 strikeouts since returning last week after missing 84 games because of a fractured rib. Judge hit a cutter from A.J. Minter 415 feet into the second deck in left field for his 18th home run this season, his first since May 24.

His drive came a few minutes before Detroit beat Toronto, clinching a playoff berth for the Yankees.

New York (87-63) has won six of seven and moved a season-high 24 games over .500. The Yankees are 3 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay (90-59).

Josh Bell homered off Tim Hill (5-2) and Emmanuel Rodriguez had a two-run triple for the Twins, who have lost eight of 11 while fading from postseason contention.

Jose Caballero hit a go-ahead homer in the third inning and a single off Andrew Morris (4-8) that tied the score in the eighth. Ben Rice added a two-run bloop single and, after a Cody Bellinger infield single, Judge elicited a hearty roar from the large contingent of Yankee fans with his no-doubt drive.

Austin Wells homered in the ninth. John Schreiber earned his second save with 1 1/3 hitless innings.

In his second-longest start since being acquired from Baltimore Aug. 1, Minnesota’s Dean Kremer allowed two hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings. New York starter Will Warren scattered five hits and struck out six over 5 2-3 innings in his fourth straight strong outing — third start.

Up next

New York LHP Max Fried (4-4, 2.73 ERA) and Minnesota RHP Bailey Ober (7-5, 4.28) start Tuesday.

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Our weekly collection of the best of the NFL weekend is back, but with a twist this year. 

Instead of picking Sunday’s best performers, we’re picking our All-Stars from Thursday night through Monday night each week. We also have a new name, too, as we pick which players stood out at each skill position and defensive position while also highlighting the best offensive line in the league. 

This was not an easy week, and there were players who missed the cut at multiple positions who would make the list many weeks. We’re trying to be equitable between several teams’ strong offensive showings to open the 2026 season, as there was a tie for the most points scored in Week 1 in NFL history. Here goes …

How good was the quarterback play this week? Trevor Lawrence threw for four touchdowns in a little more than a half, and it’s hard to really give it real consideration because it was against the Cleveland Browns. Caleb Williams had four touchdowns in a 59-point outburst for the Chicago Bears in their win over the Carolina Panthers.

But we’ll go with Allen, who threw for two scores and ran for two more in a 36-31 win over the Houston Texans, who perhaps have the league’s best defense. By volume, it might be Williams, but given the strength of the opponent, we’ll go with Allen as he developed a strong connection with D.J. Moore in their first game together. 

There are some really good days missing out here. Jahmyr Gibbs had three touchdowns and 186 total yards in the Detroit Lions’ win over the New Orleans Saints. Ashton Jeanty had two touchdowns and 147 total yards in the Las Vegas Raiders’ victory over the Miami Dolphins. 

And poor D’Andre Swift. If this were like last year and we published the list after Sunday’s games, the Chicago Bears running back would’ve made this team. He ran for 124 yards on 6.9 yards per carry and three touchdowns as part of a 291-yard rushing day for the Bears in their 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers. 

There were a pair of other running back performances that were just a bit stronger than Swift’s, though. Derrick Henry, who continues not to show his age and dominate, had 24 carries for 144 yards and three touchdowns in the Baltimore Ravens’ win over the Indianapolis Colts.

And Kenneth Walker III stole Swift’s spot on this team with his impressive performance in his Kansas City Chiefs debut on Monday night. His 60-yard touchdown helped the Chiefs pull away from the Denver Broncos early in the second half. He finished with 173 rushing yards, the most for any Kansas City back in 14 years, when Jamaal Charles went for 226 in 2012. He added a second touchdown on a short flip from Patrick Mahomes. 

In a strong week for backs all around, Walker forced his way onto this team, as Monday’s performance also doubled as a career-high in rushing yards. 

We could reach back to Wednesday night and pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was electric with 122 yards and a touchdown in the Seattle Seahawks’ opening win. And Gibbs wasn’t the only Lions star to put on a show on Sunday, recording two touchdowns in their win over the Saints. 

A familiar name had one of his best performances in a while on Sunday, though. Justin Jefferson helped the Minnesota Vikings pull out a wild division win despite losing quarterback Kyler Murray early to a concussion. Carson Wentz came in and played well, with Jefferson getting 92 yards and two touchdowns as he had eight catches on nine targets. 

Jalek Coker, meanwhile, didn’t help his team to victory. His numbers were too strong to leave him off the list, though. He had eight catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns as Carolina tried to keep up with the Bears.

A real three-wide battle here. Isaiah Likely had some spectacular catches in the New York Giants’ prime-time win over the Dallas Cowboys, getting eight catches for 78 yards and two scores after following John Harbaugh to New York. 

It’s a close nod over the Philadelphia Eagles’ Dallas Goedert, who had 77 yards and two touchdowns in a close win over the Washington Commanders. And he’ll be on here a lot, but Trey McBride was his usual self in the Arizona Cardinals’ surprising win over the Chargers, with nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.

OL: Chicago Bears

We can’t completely shut out an offense that put up 59 points in a game this week. We also can’t leave out the unsung part of any team’s offensive success, so each week we’ll name the starting five for the league’s best line. Chicago went off for 59 points and eight touchdowns, so give credit where it’s due: left tackle Braxton Jones, left guard Joe Thuney, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Jonah Jackson and right tackle Darnell Wright. We could have easily gone with another 500-yard effort from the Ravens, or a solid debut from a new-look line for the Lions as well. 

Some huge showings here. We’ll mention the Bills’ Greg Rousseau getting two sacks, two forced fumbles and five quarterback hits in a monster game. But we have to start with T.J. Watt, who came through with a pick-six in the fourth quarter to help the Steelers fend off the Atlanta Falcons, to go with two sacks and three tackles for loss on the day as well. And the Minnesota Vikings were only up three with five minutes to go when Van Ginkel not only sacked Jordan Love but forced a fumble and returned it to the 1, the biggest play in Minnesota’s 29-point burst to end a big division win.

Josiah Trotter is the first rookie to make the list this season. The second-round pick from Missouri became the first player in NFL history to get a pick-six and a sack in his debut, stepping up as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tried to rally back against the Cincinnati Bengals. Roquan Smith had 11 tackles and a pick for the Baltimore Ravens, but we’ll go with the Bucs rookie — whose father Jeremiah had two pick-sixes in his career — for an auspicious first game.

You have to go back to Wednesday, but an enormous play from Josh Jobe secured the win for Seattle. New England was in range for a tying field goal, took one more shot at the end zone, and with 21 seconds left, Jobe made an acrobatic toe-tap interception off Drake Maye to give the Seahawks a big win in the much-anticipated Super Bowl rematch.

If you haven’t seen the highlight yet, take a minute and look up Owens, who drew double-coverage from Philadelphia as a gunner for Washington, stiff-arming two Eagles players to the ground and dropping the returner with a WWE-caliber takedown. The 25-year-old is in his third season as a special-teams ace for Washington, with 21 special-teams tackles in his first two years.

We should also give a nod here to Cardinals receiver Simi Fehoko, who blocked a Chargers punt to the 2-yard line in the fourth quarter of a two-point game to help Arizona pull off a great upset win. 

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NEW YORK — The home dugout at Citi Field still faces the same way. The bullpen in right-center still sits where it always has, and the flags still fly in the same order past the outfield wall. 

Pete Alonso was supposed to be a fixture in the Mets organization, just like all those parts that make the building feel whole. But New York’s former Polar Bear stepped out of the visitor’s dugout on Monday night, wearing an unfamiliar black and orange jersey, onto a field that he called home for seven years. 

The Mets fan base stood up for Alonso every time they saw him, and even when they didn’t. They chanted his name 20 minutes before the first pitch, when he was still inside the Orioles clubhouse. They gave him a standing ovation every time he stepped up to the plate. They cheered when he hit a 381-foot fly ball to left field that looked like it was staying fair before it hooked late on the wrong side of the foul pole. They booed when Mets pitcher Jonah Tong walked Alonso instead of serving up a meatball for a home run. There was no shortage of respect for their 2019 National League Rookie of the Year, five-time All-Star and former face of the franchise. 

Alonso, who returned to Citi Field for the first time since he left for Baltimore, was noticeably teary-eyed during the Mets’ tribute video that chronicled the countless memories he gave the fan base. He tipped his cap to the crowd and tried to lock in for the game. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz could tell during pregame warm-ups that Alonso was emotional.

“Seeing everything happen in that quick little snapshot, and then seeing the reaction, the video I know is probably two minutes-ish,” Alonso said. “For me, I blinked, and the seven years went by. It really felt so quick. I’m just really grateful for the years, the experiences, the people. It’s really, really cool.”

(Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Alonso could feel the love from the Mets fan base, even if he didn’t receive the same sentiment from Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns over the winter. 

There were two chants at the stadium throughout Monday night: “Pete Alonso” and “Fire Stearns.”

Mets fans showed immense warmth — and heartbreak — as they greeted their former franchise hero with loud, sustained cheers that reflected his legendary status in Queens. One sign from a fan in the stands read: “Polar Bear is back in his habitat.” Another sign read: “Hello from the other side,” with a cartoon drawing of a tearful face. Another said: “Wherever you roam, New York will always be your home.” Loyalty and anger. These were conflicting emotions for Mets fans. As much as they loved Alonso, they knew exactly where to direct their ire. 

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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“For the Mets, I respect their decision,” Alonso said. “The guys running the team, it’s their prerogative to do whatever they think is best. I respect it professionally. And I’m so stoked to be an Oriole and be a part of this organization.”

The Mets didn’t lose Alonso by accident. They made a calculation that his plate production and connection to the fan base could be replaced by someone else. On Monday night, in the building where Alonso became the franchise all-time home-run leader, that same fan base made a statement when they gave the slugger a standing ovation all three times he took an at-bat. 

It was a miscalculation all along. And, with every passing month, the Mets’ decision to overlook Alonso looks increasingly difficult for them to defend. 

“To have Pete come in as a visitor, a guy that’s played here for a long time, it was from batting practice, people chanting his name, the video, everything,” Albernaz said. “It was a really cool moment. It shows how much impact a player can make on the fan base, the city. Obviously he’s doing that already here in Baltimore. But to come back, Pete deserves every bit of that.”

Alonso is having another productive year. The Orioles first baseman has hit 35 home runs, collected 100 RBI and, as usual, has played in every game of the season. Alonso is one of two major-league players who has played every game since the start of the 2024 season. The other is Braves first baseman Matt Olson. Alonso walked into his old stomping grounds on Monday one shy of 300 career home runs — same as his former teammate, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.

“That could be really cool,” Alonso said when asked how meaningful it would be to hit No. 300 in Flushing. “I know Paco is chasing down that same milestone. It would be really cool if both of us could do it in the same game. And if that happens, I think it would be the first time ever. Hopefully, we win the game. If we were to do it the same day, that would be really sick.”

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, the Mets have failed to replace what they lost.

Over the winter, they let their beloved, homegrown slugger walk away without an offer. Alonso went to Baltimore on a five-year, $155 million deal. The Mets subsequently signed infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract.

Polanco missed significant time, over 77 percent of the season, with injuries, ultimately playing in just 37 games. He hit .148/.201/.230 with two home runs and six RBI. Last month, his season ended with ankle surgery. He played only two games at first base despite being signed with the expectation that he could help fill that role.

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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The Mets’ reasons for letting Alonso walk in free agency were, they believed, legitimate. With Alonso entering his 30s, they had concerns about his age-related decline and the team’s roster flexibility. Stearns & Co. could reasonably believe that committing five years and $155 million to a first baseman whose value is heavily tied to power carried significant aging risk. They presumed his production could be replicated more economically through Polanco for a couple of years before turning to a homegrown product. 

While those arguments might sound sensible for a smaller-market team with limited resources, they don’t hold up in the backdrop of Steve Cohen’s mega-rich universe. 

Cohen, the Mets owner since he bought the franchise from the Wilpons in 2020, has a net worth of over $23 billion. Two years ago, he signed outfielder Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract that’s the largest in professional sports history. The Mets have had a top three payroll in MLB for five consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2026, but that strategy hasn’t worked.

Since Cohen took over, the Mets have made it past the wild-card round of the playoffs just once, in their magical 2024 season that Alonso extended when he hit a go-ahead home run off then-Brewers closer Devin Williams in the wild-card series in Milwaukee. On Monday at Citi Field, Alonso called that home run his favorite moment as a Met.

“Two things can be true at the same time,” Alonso said. “I’m very appreciative and happy of my time that I spent as a Met. And I’m very — I’m beyond grateful and appreciative for the Baltimore Orioles.”

(Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Rather than spending the money on Alonso and keeping a homegrown star and fan favorite in a Mets uniform through his entire career, the Mets front office figured it could spread Alonso’s production across a reconfigured roster. Stearns turned to Polanco to help fill the void created by Alonso’s departure. But the fit was always unusual. Polanco has essentially no first-base experience, having spent his career primarily at second base and shortstop. And he has struggled to stay healthy for a full season.

Then, everything that could go wrong did.

Polanco battled Achilles and ankle problems all year. The Mets suffered a disastrous 12-game losing streak in April that derailed their season early. Lindor and Soto, two lineup staples who take pride in being available and playing every day, missed significant time with injuries. By the time the roster was healthy and whole, the Mets season was lost. The hole they dug themselves into in the first half of the season proved too enormous to escape.

(Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images)

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Fittingly, Alonso’s Orioles officially eliminated the Mets from postseason contention with their 2-1 win in the series opener on Monday.

“I hate to say it,” Alonso said of his former team’s disappointing season. “But it happens.”

Like Alonso said, two things can be true. The Mets may have been right to worry about the back end of a long-term Alonso contract. And they were wrong to underestimate how difficult it would be to replace the front end of all that Alonso gave them.

Alonso gave New York a known quantity. He showed up, played every day, occupied the middle of the lineup and provided exceptional power. The Mets replaced that certainty with a collection of assumptions about roster flexibility, health, Polanco’s bat, and other internal production that didn’t show up until it was too late. 

And now, with Alonso getting showered with love and admiration from the Mets fan base, as he’s tied for the American League lead in RBI while flashing an OPS of .863, with the Mets eliminated from the playoffs for the second straight year, the opportunity cost is impossible to ignore. 

Ironically, the Mets may eventually have to spend big again to recreate the production they already had, and all that Alonso gave them. Even if Cohen, Stearns, and the rest of Mets upper management eventually learn from the mistake of letting Alonso go, the reaction from the crowd on Monday was telling. He will always mean a great deal to them. Just as much as the city means to Alonso.

“New York is always going to feel like some sort of homecoming,” Alonso said. “For me, the city is really special. It’s all special, professionally, and with life and family ties. I feel very fortunate that I’ve represented the Mets for the time that I did.”

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