Winners, Losers And Takeaways from Opening Weekend

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Ed Oliver #91 of the Buffalo Bills tackles Derrick Henry #22 of the Baltimore Ravens during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

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The opening week of the 2025 NFL season has come and gone, and it was, arguably, one of the most memorable starts to the year ever. From the improbable comeback by Buffalo over Baltimore to the showdown in New Jersey between the Steelers and the Jets, there was no shortage of drama to kick off the season.

Fans were treated to walk-off field goals, breakout performances, and a few eyebrow-raising results that could have ripple effects well into the playoff race.

With all the games of the week finished and the run to Super Bowl 60 officially underway, here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.

NFL Week 1 Winners

Aaron Rodgers

What’s that one Cher song? “If I Could Turn Back Time”?

That’s exactly what Aaron Rodgers did against his former team. The 41-year-old veteran looked a bit like his former self, going 22-of-30 for 244 and four touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s win over New York.

He didn’t have the mobility he once had, and it’s tough to see that coming back at this point. But Rodgers showed quick decision making and was able to get the ball out fast to his targets. There was even a play late in the second quarter where Rodgers made a throw off his back foot with a defender’s hand in his face, and he placed it on a rope to Calvin Austin to put the Steelers in scoring position.

It’s unlikely that every game this season will play out the same way for Rodgers and the Steelers, but for one week, at least, he played like age really is nothing but a number.

Daniel Jones

Maybe Brian Daboll was the problem all along. In his first start with the Indianapolis Colts, Jones looked like the player New York Giants fans expected him to be when he was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Jones went 22-of-29 for 272 yards and a touchdown while adding two on the ground. But it wasn’t just the numbers that looked good for Jones. He led the Colts to scores on all seven possessions and looked comfortable in Shane Steichen’s offense. His decision-making was sharp, ball placement was crisp, and he looked nothing like the quarterback everyone saw in New York the last two seasons.

If this is the Jones that shows up for the Colts this year, then maybe going with him over Anthony Richardson wasn’t the worst decision after all.

Ed Oliver

The Buffalo Bills’ defense wasn’t good in their 41-40 win over the Ravens, but there was one player on that side of the ball who stood out for Buffalo. Fans have been waiting for the 2019 first-round pick to step up and become the star lineman he was drafted to become, and the season opener might have just been that game.

While Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry caused problems for everyone on the Buffalo defense, Oliver was the only one to make an impact. He was able to generate pressure, get timely sacks and tackles for loss, and force the game’s only turnover when he ripped the ball out of Henry’s hand with three minutes to go. Oliver finished the first game with six tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one sack, and a forced fumble.

Rookie Tight Ends

It was tough to choose between Indianapolis’ Tyler Warren and Cleveland’s Harold Fannin Jr, so why not go with both? Both rookie tight ends finished with seven catches in their debuts—Fannin Jr. totaled 63 yards, while Warren had 76.

But it wasn’t the yardage that was impressive about the performances; it was how they got them. The route running for both men was incredible, with them often looking more like receivers than tight ends.

Warren was a perfect safety blanket for Jones all afternoon. He sat low and found ways to get open for easy yards while still being able to make plays deep if needed. Warren even picked up a first down on a short run in the first quarter.

With Fannin, his day started a bit slow with an offensive pass interference penalty, but it picked up immediately after that. Like Warren, Fannin was able to find the openings underneath to give Joe Flacco a place to put the ball when needed. He even found himself, like Warren, running the ball in certain situations.

If the first week was any indication, these two could be the next superstar tight ends to take the league by storm.

NFL Week 1 Losers

Brian Daboll

When Brian Daboll took over as head coach of the New York Giants, so many spoke about the guy who helped Josh Allen become great getting the chance to lead a team himself. After three seasons with the aforementioned Jones and subpar coaching from Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge, it was believed that Daboll would be able to come in and duplicate the success he had with Allen. Unfortunately for them, that didn’t happen.

Now, Daboll is on the hot seat while Jones is leading the Colts. Week 1 saw him start veteran Russell Wilson, only for his offense to put up a measly 157 passing yards and two field goals in a 21-6 loss to Washington. Meanwhile, 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart is sitting on the bench when it might be safe to assume that he would’ve done a better job leading the Giants’ offense than Wilson.

Daboll is a coach who, if things don’t go well this year, will certainly be out of a job by the end of the season. You have a rookie quarterback as a last-ditch effort to save your job, and he’s not starting? It’s almost like he’s saving Dart for the next guy.

Mike McDaniel

Speaking of coaches who might be job hunting soon, is there anyone in the NFL whose players have so obviously quit on him like Mike McDaniel’s have? The Miami Dolphins seem to have grown tired of McDaniel’s schtick.So much so that defensive end Bradley Chubb admitted the team was, to paraphrase, “just making things up” on the field during their 33-8 loss to the Colts.

Though Chubb said the team will watch film to correct their mistakes for next week, it doesn’t lessen the sting of his comments. If players are freelancing on the field, on top of your franchise quarterback dodging accountability, it might be time to consider a leadership change sooner rather than later.

Baltimore Ravens

Sorry, Baltimore, but you deserve to be here. Everyone knows the history that was made on Sunday night. For 55 minutes, everything was going Baltimore’s way. They were dominating on the ground, torching the Bills through the air, and held a two-score lead for most of the game. Everything was there to show the world why the Ravens are the class of the AFC.

Instead, Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to score 40 points and rush for over 235 yards and lose. It was also the first time in NFL history that a team was down by 15 or more with four minutes left and came back to win in regulation.

And, sadly, it was yet another fourth quarter collapse for a John Harbaugh team that was leading by at least eight points. Since 2000, no coach has had more losses like that than Harbaugh (eight).

The Ravens had a chance to take an early lead in the race for homefield advantage in January. Now, they’re, technically, two games behind the Bills with a tougher schedule moving forward.