For the first time in eight months, there is a full plate of NFL action to digest. Week 1 rolled along on Sunday with an unforgettable opener between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans, an offensive showcase from the Chicago Bears and, on the not-so-positive end, a clunker from Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns. While the small sample size of one game can cloud reality, there are some cases where Week 1 tells the football world all it needs to know about a particular team or individual player.
In Watson's case, a poor season debut might be all it takes to write the book on his run as the Browns' starting quarterback. For the Bears, a 59-point onslaught is compelling evidence that they are in for a monster year. In an 18-week season, there is still ample time to right wrongs and for strengths to devolve into weaknesses.
But for now, some are off to hot starts while others could not have opened the year in a worse fashion. Here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday's Week 1 action. The Deshaun Watson experience in Cleveland might not last too much longer.
While coach Todd Monken called it "unfair" to place all the blame for the Browns' 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on the starting quarterback, he conceded that he needs to "evaluate everything" before he commits to Watson as the starter for Week 2. The evaluation is as simple as this: Watson threw an interception on the Browns' opening drive and coughed up a fumble (which Cleveland recovered, to be fair) later in the first quarter. He also took five sacks in a game the Browns lost by four possessions.
Nothing about those numbers indicated that Watson is capable of orchestrating a serviceable offense. In his defense, Watson completed 73% of his throws and connected on a 46-yard deep ball to Denzel Boston for a garbage-time touchdown. But it was with him on the field that Cleveland fell into a 31-0 hole by the 12:08 mark of the third quarter.
The Browns were entirely non-competitive and looked more like a team that will fight for the No. 1 overall draft pick than one that will capitalize on its young talent in 2026. Shedeur Sanders could be in the starting lineup by the home opener in Week 3. Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson has goals beyond just a Super Bowl, and he took a major step toward fulfilling them in the season opener.
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