Week 1 Predictions for the 2025-2026 NFL Season

How any of the Cowboys players are going to focus 100% in this game is beyond me with the thought of Micah Parsons not being there in the back of their minds. The Eagles opening their season at home in front of what will be a massive and raucous crowd and as defending champions this spells a long night for Dallas.

The defending AFC champs find themselves on opening day in Brazil. The NFL will have a handful of games overseas this season and this is the first. It takes place in Sao Paulo, and the Chargers have notoriously started seasons strong. Neither team has the home field advantage here, but my gut is pointing towards a Chargers victory.

The Falcons begin their first full season with Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback, but Tampa comes in with Baker Mayfield who has put together two consecutive seasons with strong numbers and his Bucs absolutely have the more talented team.

The Browns had four quarterbacks through the preseason then traded Kenny Pickett away making the decision to go with two rookies backing up starting quarterback Joe Flacco. Dillon Gabriel is QB2 and the controversial Shadeur Sanders backing him up. Joe Burrow and his offense looked amazing in the preseason and that will certainly carry over in this game.

Daniel Jones went from the NFC and the Giants to the AFC and the Colts and won the starting job over Anthony Richardson. Now Jones gets a chance to show he can be a viable starter in the NFL. In what will be a tight game, I like the Colts to squeak by at home.

For Trevor Lawrence this is his make-or-break year. Awarded with a rich contract, Lawrence has yet to show he can be one of the league’s elite quarterbacks. The Panthers are on the rise and showed much improvement over the latter part of the 2024 season. But with many looking forward to the debut of Travis Hunter, a two-way player that Jacksonville says will play wide receiver and not defensive back. Hunter will get a few plays on defense, but it is on offense where he will be seen the most. At home, the Jags should win this one.

Mike Vrabel makes his debut as New England’s new head coach and returns to one of the teams he played for most of his career at linebacker. The Raiders also have a new head coach as Pete Carroll returns to the NFL after coaching the Seattle Seahawks and getting them to the Super Bowl.

As rookie Tyler Shough waits for his NFL debut, Spencer Rattler opens the season at quarterback. There are more than a handful of players facing the crossroads in their career around the league and Kyler Murray is one of them. He’s been the starting QB long enough that by now he should have established himself as a star in pro football but that has yet to come. Saints fans are hoping for a rebirth.

This can be called a revenge game simply because Steelers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns to New Jersey to face his team from 2024 while on the other side, Justin Fields who started the first six games for Pittsburgh is now the starting quarterback faces the team he played for a season ago. I think many are underestimating the Steelers on the whole and Aaron Rodgers and I believe they will be smacking several teams in the face. That begins in New Jersey.

Washington is definitely among the top contenders for the Super Bowl in the NFC. Former Seahawk, Bronco, and Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson calls the signals for the Giants playing for his fourth team. Rookie Jaxson Dart will be breathing down his neck. The Giants just don’t have the talent to take down the Commanders on this day or any other Sunday.

There are many sports media types indicating the Denver Broncos could very well be a sneaky playoff contender in 2025. The defense is solid, and Bo Nix is coming into his own. On the other side, the Titans put rookie Cam Ward behind center on day one. Ward is very confident and now he gets a chance to showcase his skill set. The Titans are not quite ready for a more skilled team like Denver, especially on the road.

Quarterback Sam Darnold lit it up for the Minnesota Vikings last season then laid an egg in the playoffs. Now he has gone to the west coast to become Seattle’s starting QB. The 49ers are attempting to recover from a bad season in 2024 but as all teams know, playing in Seattle is tough.

It’s the debut of Micah Parsons wearing green instead of silver and blue of the Cowboys and his acquisition is felt by many as the piece of the puzzle that puts the Pack back in the Super Bowl. That remains to be seen and while it improves the Green Bay defense, I don’t think one player of any caliber instantly makes a team a champion. This game should be brutal as Detroit plays hardnosed football, and the Packers will have to step up their game to keep pace.

The Rams are using caution in playing starting quarterback Matthew Stafford who has been battling a back injury and if can’t make a go of it, Jimmy Garoppolo waits in the wings. The Texans made some positive changes adding Christian Kirk and Nick Chubb to their offense. This is a toss-up game and when I throw both teams in the air, for me it is the Rams who land first.

Buffalo enters yet another season as one of the AFC favorites and maybe this is the season they finally get another shot at the Super Bowl, something they have yet to win after four losses back in the 1990s. This might be the best game of all other games being played on opening day as the Ravens are also favored by some to reach the Super Bowl. This game will be a dogfight and whoever has the ball last might be the winner.

The first Monday Night Football game of the 2025 season marks the debut of quarterback J.J. McCarthy after missing his rookie season with an injury. The Vikings rolled the dice in naming him starter when Aaron Rodgers had indicated he wanted to play for the Vikes. Minnesota passed and put the ball in the hands of McCarthy who is unproven. For Chicago, Bears fans are all in for believing Caleb Williams is their franchise quarterback and he is facing pressure to prove it. McCarthy’s debut will not be a spectacular one.