NFL Week One: 3 Can’t-Miss Matchups!

This game needs to be circled on everyone’s NFL Week One calendar. Not only is this the first game of the season, but it features the two teams from the previous Super Bowl. What makes this matchup even more intriguing is that the Super Bowl wasn’t a close game. 

The Seattle Seahawks trounced the New England Patriots 29-13 in a one-sided game. That raises the stakes for Drake Maye and company for Week One. New England must play a competitive game this Wednesday to avoid a repeat of what happened seven months ago. 

It’ll be interesting to see how Sam Darnold performs. After a shaky start to his career, he has stabilized over the last two years as he’s led his teams to 14 wins and is a Super Bowl Champion. Every year, he’s had to answer questions posed by critics. 

Is Darnold a Bust? Can Darnold be trusted to lead a team to win games consistently? Will he fold in the playoffs? Over the last few years, he has been able to answer many questions.

This year, it finally feels like Darnold is walking into a season with minimal doubt about his ability. His performance in Week One could tell us a lot.

An NFL Week One game that no one should miss. 

NFL Week One: Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans

The second NFL Week One game to keep a close eye on is the Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans. Both teams had a disappointing end to their seasons, largely because of quarterback play. CJ Stroud and Josh Allen each had four turnovers in the divisional round.

Now, the world gets to see them at the same time in their first appearance since those moments. For Stroud, he must play complementary football this season. Houston has an elite defense, so he needs to understand that and avoid what he did in the postseason last year. 

The intrigue around Allen is more game-specific. Everyone knows that he’ll play well in the regular season, and the ultimate goal is to get over the hump in the postseason. What may not be as obvious, though, is his struggles against this Texans defense. 

In two games against Houston since 2024, Allen has averaged just 192 passing yards per game with a 51.6% completion percentage and 62.2 passer rating. He’s thrown one touchdown and two interceptions in that same span. 

In one of the games, Allen was 9/30 passing, and in the other one, he was sacked eight times. It’ll be interesting to see if the addition of DJ Moore can help exorcize some of those demons for Allen. He must have a solid outing against that Houston defense before a potential meeting in the postseason. 

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs(Monday Night)

The Denver Broncos will be visiting the Kansas City Chiefs in the final NFL Week One game. This game features both quarterbacks returning from season-ending injuries. Patrick Mahomes with the ACL tear last December, and Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in January. 

The bigger question feels like how Mahomes will look in his return. Nix at least played briefly in a preseason game and looked solid. Mahomes, though, didn’t play in the preseason, making Monday his first return to NFL action in exactly nine months. 

The outcome of this game will feel heavy in the moment for either side. If Denver wins, it’ll feel like the torch has been passed in AFC West domination. The Broncos won 14 games and the top seed last year, while KC had its worst outing in the Mahomes era and won just six games.

If Denver then immediately goes to Arrowhead and knocks off a fully healthy Chiefs team to kick off the new season, it’ll feel like the Broncos are making their way to become the kings of the West. The alternate outcome, though, would also feel just as devastating for the orange and blue. 

If Mahomes and company defeat the Broncos in Week One, then 2025 would feel more like a blip rather than a trend. Once again, it’s only the first week, so things could change, but this would be the initial feeling for either side after this game concludes. 

End Of My NFL Week One Rant

It feels good knowing that the NFL is back this week. There are a lot of important storylines in this opening week alone. 

Which NFL Week One matchup are you most excited about?