With the help of the Opta supercomputer, we’re revealing the predictions for the Week 2 games of the 2026 NFL season.
Enjoy the offense of NFL Week 1? Week 2 kicks off Thursday night with another game that could provide plenty of points with Lions-Bills before the week concludes with Giants-Rams on “Monday Night Football.” Here are the predictions, as of Wednesday morning, and previews for each Week 2 clash.
Thursday, Sept. 17
Detroit Lions vs. Buffalo Bills
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Bills 69.8% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Bills 8-4-1 Last Meeting: Bills 48, Lions 42 (Dec. 15, 2024)Expect some fireworks when the Week 2 slate kicks off – both on the field and above. After more than a half-century of playing at the old Highmark Stadium, Josh Allen and Co. are moving across the street to play the first regular-season game in their brand-new digs, coincidentally also named Highmark Stadium. Bills Mafia certainly hopes the new residence provides a similar home-field advantage as the old one, as the team posted an NFL-best .780 winning percentage in regular-season home games (a 46-13 record) from 2019 through last season. Buffalo also went 7-2 in home playoff games in that span.
The Bills opened the new season with an impressive 36-31 win at Houston, racking up 409 yards and averaging nearly 7.9 yards per play against a Texans defense that allowed a league-low 277.2 yards per game last season. Allen had a passer rating of 130.5 while throwing for 334 yards, with Dalton Kincaid catching five passes for 130 yards and new Bill DJ More adding five receptions for 100 yards with a 43-yard TD.
The Detroit Lions also came away with a season-opening win, but there were some concerns in their 31-30 overtime victory over the visiting New Orleans Saints. They blew a three-touchdown, third-quarter lead, were on the favorable end of an overturned TD and needed to successfully defend a two-point try in OT to escape. Still, Jahmyr Gibbs showed why the Lions made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, rushing for 156 yards and two touchdowns with a Week 1-best seven runs going for 10+ yards.
In the last meeting between these teams in Week 15 of 2024, Allen threw for 362 yards with two touchdowns and also ran for a pair of short TDs in a 48-42 shootout. Jared Goff threw for 494 yards in that one and matched a career best with five touchdown throws, while Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with career highs of 14 receptions and 193 yards – 66 of them coming on a TD. The Bills have won five straight over the Lions since a 20-17 loss at Detroit in Week 6 of the 2006 season, with this being the Lions’ longest active losing streak against any single team.
Sunday, Sept. 20
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Texans 57.7% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Texans 7-5 Last Meeting: Texans 30, Bengals 27 (Nov. 12, 2023)The Cincinnati Bengals got an encouraging performance from their revamped defense in winning their season opener, while the Houston Texans’ supposedly stout defense was shaky in a Week 1 loss.
The Bengals forced four turnovers and limited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 282 yards in Sunday’s 33-27 victory, with new acquisitions edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook each forcing a fumble and recovering one. Mafe also had one of Cincinnati’s four sacks, while new tackle Jonathan Allen had one. The Bengals offense also played well, scoring on six of nine drives (two TDs, four field goals) behind an efficient performance by Joe Burrow, who completed 71.4% of his passes.
Burrow and Co. now face a Texans team that surrendered 409 total yards and failed to force a turnover in a 36-31 loss to the Bills. Sure, it came against one of the NFL’s top QBs in Josh Allen, but Houston stymied Allen last season and never allowed more than 360 total yards in a 2025 game behind the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense.
The Texans have won four of the last five meetings with the Bengals, notching a 30-27 victory in the last one in Week 10 of 2023, with C.J. Stroud throwing for 356 yards with a touchdown and an interception while Burrow passed for 347 yards with two TDs and two picks.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Bears 64.9% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Vikings 69-58-2 Last Meeting: Bears 19, Vikings 17 (Nov. 16, 2025)The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears are both coming off incredible showings in their openers, and it will be a tall order for both teams to replicate those performances in Week 2.
All the Bears did in a 59-37 road win over the Carolina Panthers was score their most points in a game since 1980, while amassing 552 total yards with a league-best eight plays going for 20+ yards. Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also running for two of Chicago’s six rushing TDs, with running back D’Andre Swift rushing for 124 yards and three scores and Kyle Monangai adding 100 rushing yards and a TD. Monangai averaged a Week 1-best 7.70 yards before contact on his 10 carries, and on Swift’s 18 carries, he averaged 4.07 yards after contact – second only to Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III’s average of 4.27. Williams only faced a blitz on seven of his throws against the Panthers, but one can expect him to be pressured significantly more in Week 2 with Brian Flores’ defense blitzing a Week 1-high 89.1% of the time against the Green Bay Packers.
While the Bears delighted their fans throughout last weekend’s offensive explosion, the Vikings waited until the end of their season opener to thrill their fanbase, rallying from a 22-10 deficit late in the third quarter for a 39-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers, becoming the first team in NFL history to trail by 12+ points with less than 20 minutes remaining in regulation and win by 17 or more. Concerning for Minnesota, however, is quarterback Kyler Murray is in the league’s concussion protocol after being knocked out on the Vikings’ second possession. Backup Carson Wentz was solid in managing the game, throwing for three TDs, but Minnesota averaged the second-fewest yards per play of any team in Week 1 at 3.92. Chicago was more than double that at 7.89 yards per play.
These teams split their two meetings last season, with each team winning on the road. Minnesota won 27-24 at Soldier Field in Week 1 to extend its winning streak at Chicago to six games. This is the Vikings’ longest active road winning streak against any single opponent and the Bears’ longest active home losing skid vs. any team.
New Orleans Saints vs. Baltimore Ravens
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Ravens 73.0% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Ravens 6-2 Last Meeting: Ravens 27, Saints 13 (Nov. 7. 2022)The Baltimore Ravens came out firing in an impressive season-opening win, while the New Orleans Saints sputtered early before finding their stride, but it was too little, too late as they came up a point short in a season-opening loss.
In the Ravens’ first game with Jesse Minter at the helm, Baltimore amassed 506 total yards of offense and averaged an NFL-best 7.9 yards per play with Lamar Jackson returning to his MVP form, completing 17 of 25 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown while gaining another 40 on the ground, including a TD run on the Ravens’ first position. That drive started with Baltimore running play action, and Jackson finding Zay Flowers, who took the pass 42 yards down to the Colts 2-yard line. Flowers finished with 150 yards on five receptions, posting an absurd 28.31 burn yards per target – the highest by any receiver targeted more than twice. Last but not least, the ageless Derrick Henry rushed for 144 yards with three TDs, averaging 3.24 yards after contact – third in the NFL.
While the Ravens scored on four of their first five offensive possessions and had 326 total yards by halftime, the Saints went punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, interception, fumble on their first eight drives against the Lions, totaling 93 yards before finally getting the offense in gear. They managed to rally from a 21-0 third-quarter deficit to force overtime, but after scoring on Tyler Shough’s 8-yard pass to Noah Fant with 1:34 to go in the extra session, a pass play intended for Chris Olave in the right corner on the 2-point try failed, and the Saints left Detroit with a 31-30 loss. Olave finished with Week 1 highs of four receptions of 20+ yards and 182 receiving yards with 142 of those coming after halftime.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tennessee Titans
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Eagles 64.4% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Eagles 8-5 Last Meeting: Eagles 35, Titans 10 (Dec. 4, 2022)Week 1 streaks remained intact for the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans in 2026 openers. The Eagles held on for a 24-22 victory over the visiting Washington Commanders to improve to 6-0 in openers under Nick Siranni and Jalen Hurts, while the Titans struggled mightily in a 23-10 loss to the New York Jets to drop their sixth straight opener.
Against the Commanders, Hurts threw for 203 yards with two touchdowns to Dallas Goedert and one to Dontayvion Wicks, and he also ran for 46 yards. Saquon Barkley reeled off 42 yards on one run but gained just 41 yards on his other 14 carries, an average of 2.9 yards on those plays. Although Philadelphia had five plays go for 20+ yards, their overall successful play-rate of 32.1% was third-worst in the NFL.
It was also a rough day for the Titans, who gained 195 yards in Week 1, with their longest pass play going for 14 yards – one yard more than their longest run. Cam Ward averaged a paltry 4.38 yards per attempt with only six completions moving the chains. The ground game was also nonexistent, as Tony Pollard’s 35 rushing yards were the fewest for any Week 1 team leader.
In the last meeting between these teams in Week 13 of 2022, Hurts completed 29 of 39 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns for a 130.3 QB rating in a 35-10 rout.
Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Panthers 51.9% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Falcons 37-25 Last Meeting: Panthers 30, Falcons 27 OT (Nov. 16, 2025)Despite losing by more than three touchdowns in their season opener, the were some positives for the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. The Atlanta Falcons also have a few things to build on from a season-opening loss, but getting their QB1 healthy would probably be the best way for them to get in the win column.
Against the Bears, the Panthers racked up 478 yards and 7.7 yards per play, with Bryce Young throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns, and the offense putting up their most points in a game since the 2024 season. That’s the good news. The bad news is a Carolina defense that had the fifth-ranked pass defense and third-ranked run defense in our preseason team ratings was gashed by Chicago, surrendering 552 total yards – including eight plays of 20+ yards – and allowed the Bears to convert 10 of 14 third downs in a 59-37 loss. It was still an encouraging performance by Young, who averaged 9.76 yards per attempt after averaging 6.30 yards per throw in 2025 to rank 30th out of 33 qualifying QBs.
The Falcons, meanwhile, averaged just 4.18 yards per play, went 2 for 12 on third down tries and never made it inside the red zone in suffering a 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Atlanta was delt a major injury blow two days before kickoff when Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out because of a hurt oblique, paving the way for Cooper Rush to start at quarterback. Rush averaged a mere 2.90 air yards – by far the fewest by any QB in Week 1 – and registered an unsightly 51.9 passer rating. At least Bijan Robinson managed to pile up yards in Atlanta’s one-dimensional offense, accounting for 173 of the team’s 238 total yards. He now faces a defense that was run over, allowing a Week 1-worst 7.46 yards per carry.
The Panthers won both 2025 meetings with the Falcons, though Carolina owes Atlanta a thank you, as the Falcons’ Week 18 win over the Saints allowed the Panthers to capture the NFC South crown due to tiebreakers. Robinson totaled 254 scrimmage yards in the two matchups last season.
Green Bay Packers vs. New York Jets
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Packers 54.5% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Jets 9-5 Last Meeting: Jets 27, Packers 10 (Oct. 16, 2022)Perhaps – actually, scratch that – without a doubt, no Week 1 loss stings more than the Green Bay Packers‘ astonishing 39-22 meltdown to the Minnesota Vikings. While the Packers are left picking up the pieces after watching a 12-point, third-quarter lead quickly turn into a 17-point loss, the New York Jets are brimming with confidence after they enter Week 2 with a victory under their belt for the first time in three years.
Taking three points off the board and accepting a penalty only to come up just short on the ensuing 4th-and-1 early in the fourth quarter may be a decision that comes to haunt the Packers come playoff time. After Jordan Love was stuffed on a QB sneak, the Vikings then drove 83 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown for a 25-22 lead, the first of their 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points. Love ended up throwing for 387 yards – two shy of a career high – but completed only half of his 42 attempts and his well-thrown rate of 65.0 beat out only Vikings backup Carson Wentz’s 63.2% for the lowest by any QB in Week 1.
Sunday’s counterpart Geno Smith, however, posted a well-thrown rate of 91.3% in the Jets’ 23-10 win over the Titans. Only Seattle Seahawks backup Drew Lock had a higher well-thrown rate in Week 1 at 95.5%, among qualifiers. Smith threw for 215 yards and Breece Hall ran for 102 yards with none going for negative yards after he was tackled 33 times behind the line of scrimmage in 2025 – third-most in the NFL.
Hall made his first career start at Lambeau Field in Week 6 of the 2022 season, and rushed for 116 yards in the Jets’ 27-10 win. That loss dropped the Packers’ all-time record against the Jets to 5-9, and that .357 winning percentage is tied with their 5-9 record against the Buffalo Bills for the franchise’s worst against any current NFL team.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Patriots 63.2% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Steelers 15-16 Last Meeting: Steelers 21, Patriots 14 (Sept. 21, 2025)New England Patriots fans have had plenty of time to dissect what went wrong down the stretch of their Week 1 loss, with the team having been off since last Wednesday’s NFL opener. The Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, are coming off a season-opening win, but there is plenty of room for improvement following an uninspiring performance.
The Patriots are returning to the field for the first time since suffering a gut-wrenching, 13-10 setback to the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch. Drake Maye threw three fourth-quarter interceptions – his final one coming in the end zone on an ill-advised pass with just over 20 seconds remaining. Through the first three quarters against Seattle, last year’s NFL MVP runner-up completed 17 of 22 throws with a TD for a 105.7 passer rating. In the final quarter, though, he completed 6 of 11 passes with a 27.3 QB rating. Overall, he averaged 5.39 yards per pass after leading the league with an average of 8.93 yards per throw in 2025.
Aaron Rodgers averaged 5.52 yards on his 40 pass attempts in Week 1, throwing for 221 yards in the Steelers’ 20-13 home win over a Falcons team forced to start backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Pittsburgh’s successful play-rate of 31.3 beat out only the Miami Dolphins’ mark of 30.0, and the Steelers’ average of 0.9 yards before contact was the lowest by any team in Week 1. Rodgers was sacked twice and didn’t complete a single one of his nine passes while under pressure against the Falcons. He now faces a New England defense that registered a league-best 63.0 pressure rate in Week 1.
When these teams met a little less than a year ago in Week 3 of 2025, the Steelers prevailed 21-14, going ahead on Rodgers’ 17-yard pass to Calvin Austin with 2:16 to play in the game. The Patriots then drove to the Pittsburgh 28-yard line before turning the ball over on downs with just over a minute to play.
Cleveland Browns vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Bucs 71.9% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Browns 7-4 Last Meeting: Browns 23, Buccaneers 17 (OT) (Nov. 27, 2022)Baker Mayfield had a rough outing in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season-opening loss, but for his sake, he doesn’t have to deal with the vitriol of his quarterback counterpart on Sunday. Deshaun Watson, who the Cleveland Browns chose as their QB over Mayfield four years ago, will be back under center in Week 2 despite another subpar showing in a Week 1 loss.
Watson won the Browns’ starting QB job over Shedeur Sanders this preseason, but didn’t do much to reinforce coach Todd Monken’s decision with his performance in last Sunday’s 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished with 205 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 97.7 passer rating. That QB rating got inflated, however, after he completed all five of his fourth-quarter passes for 105 yards with a meaningless touchdown to Denzel Boston with 1:52 remaining with the Browns down 31 points. Through three quarters, he averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt and his QB rating sat at 56.0. As a team, Cleveland managed 132 total yards of offense through three quarters.
In Tampa Bay’s opener against the Bengals, the Buccaneers scored points on four of their five possessions that didn’t end with a turnover. Problem is, the Bucs turned the ball over four times, with Mayfield losing three fumbles and Bucky Irving losing one. Mayfield was also sacked four times in the 33-27 loss. When Tampa Bay wasn’t busy turning the ball over, it registered a successful play-rate of 48.1 – the ninth highest in the NFL with the league average at 43.7.
This will be Mayfield’s first time facing the Browns with the Bucs, with Cleveland beating Tampa Bay in the last matchup, 23-17 in overtime on Nov. 27, 2022.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Chargers 69.5% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Raiders 68-62-2 Last Meeting: Chargers 31, Raiders 14 (Nov. 30, 2025)According to our supercomputer, no team had a higher probability of winning in Week 1 than the Los Angeles Chargers, with their likelihood of beating the Arizona Cardinals calculated at 80.7%. So, of course, they came out flat in a 26-14 home loss. The Las Vegas Raiders, meanwhile, are coming off a 14-point win, though that 27-13 victory came against a Dolphins team that we’ve ranked dead last in our team ratings.
Kirk Cousins had an uneven performance, throwing for three touchdowns but also being intercepted twice while averaging a measly 5.33 yards per attempt. Ashton Jeanty was a bright spot offensively, rushing for 102 yards while catching all six of his targets for 45 yards with a pair of 13-yard TD grabs. Twelve of his carries went for at least five yards with only the Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs (14) having more in Week 1. Jeanty now takes aim at a Chargers team that allowed an average of 3.4 yards per carry in their opener – fourth-best in the league.
Los Angeles’ offense got off to a strong start on its first possession under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, marching 77 yards on eight plays to score a touchdown. But little went right after that, as it managed just one TD on its next nine possessions, totaling 191 yards the rest of the way. Justin Herbert threw for 209 yards with an 8-yard TD pass to Ladd McConkey in the third quarter, but McConkey later exited with a chest injury, taking away Herbert’s favorite target. It showed, as Herbert compiled a 150.0 passer rating on his seven throws to McConkey (with McConkey catching five for 82 yards), but on Herbert’s other 20 passes, his QB rating worked out to just 57.7.
Good news for the Chargers is Herbert has routinely frustrated the Raiders, posting a 72.5 completion percentage with seven TDs to one interception for a 113.8 passer rating while leading Los Angeles to four wins in the four meetings in the last two seasons. The Chargers have also won the last five matchups at SoFi Stadium.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Denver Broncos
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Broncos 54.1% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Tied 7-7 Last Meeting: Jaguars 34, Broncos 20 (Dec. 21, 2025)One year after capturing the AFC’s top seed and coming one win shy of playing in the Super Bowl, the Denver Broncos had a disastrous showing in their 2026 opener. The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, dominated in their first game, winning by more points than any other team in Week 1, though it came against one of the league’s bottom feeders. They’ll likely face a stiffer test this week in Denver – that is, if the Broncos can quickly fix their shortcomings.
Little went right for Denver on Monday on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, as they finished with Week 1 lows of 176 total yards of offense and 3.74 yards per play while converting 2 of 12 third downs. Playing in his first game since fracturing his right ankle in the divisional round, Bo Nix threw for 131 yards with a TD and an interception while being sacked four times. Denver boasted the NFL’s No. 2 defense in 2025, but it couldn’t come up with many stops at Arrowhead, especially on the ground with the Chiefs rushing for 220 yards – the most allowed by the Broncos since 2023.
The Broncos get to come home, where they went 8-1 in the 2025 regular season, but that lone defeat came at the hands of the Jaguars in Week 16. Coach Liam Coen’s squad overwhelmed Denver in a 34-20 victory, with Trevor Lawrence throwing for three scores and posting a 115.4 passer rating. Parker Washington had a career day, hauling in six receptions for 145 yards with a TD.
Those two again led the Jaguars offense in last Sunday’s 34-10 win over the overmatched Browns. Lawrence passed for 245 yards and four touchdowns to register a passer rating of a whopping 150.6 with Washington catching five passes for 83 yards – 30 coming on a diving catch in the end zone on Jacksonville’s first drive to open the scoring. Lawrence threw 13 passes traveling at least 10 yards in the air, completing 11 of them while compiling a 92.3 open-target percentage – the highest by a Week 1 QB with more than five throws of 10+ air yards.
Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Cowboys 58.8% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Cowboys 81-47-2 Last Meeting: Cowboys 30, Commanders 23 (Dec. 25, 225)It’s only Week 2, but the loser of this Washington Commanders–Dallas Cowboys matchup will face an uphill battle to find themselves atop the NFC East by the time the season ends. Each team lost an opener against a division foe, so another loss would put them in an 0-2 hole with both defeats coming against NFC East rivals.
Dallas, which was a trendy preseason pick by many – including our supercomputer, which projected its playoff probability in the preseason at 60.2% (it’s now at 42.5%) – mustered just 244 total yards of offense in Sunday night’s 28-20 loss to the New York Giants. (The Cowboys were No. 2 in total offense last season and never had less than 285 yards in a game). Dak Prescott threw for 175 yards and averaged 5.15 yards per attempt, which were somehow both more than what Jayden Daniels totaled in Washington’s season opener. Daniels passed for 164 yards with an average of 4.82 yards per pass in the Commanders’ 24-22 loss to the Eagles. Daniels now faces a Dallas defense that allowed Jaxson Dart to complete 79.3% of his 29 passes and post a QB rating of 134.2.
The Cowboys won both meetings last season and have taken eight of 10 since the start of the 2021 season, with the two losses coming in Week 18 games. Prescott is 13-2 all-time against Washington, throwing 32 touchdowns against five interceptions for a 107.4 passer rating.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Seahawks 57.1% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Seahawks 31-22-1 Last Meeting: Seahawks 44, Cardinals 22 (Nov. 9, 2025)The Seattle Seahawks began the season in the early Wednesday opener by posting a gritty win over the Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch. Meanwhile, the most surprising win of Week 1 belonged to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals traveled to SoFi Stadium to face the Los Angeles Chargers with just a 19.3% win probability, according to our supercomputer. The Cards then posted a 393-268 yard advantage, won the turnover battle 2-0 and held a 37:31-22:29 time of possession advantage in cruising to a 26-14 victory in Mike LaFleur’s coaching debut. Jacoby Brissett completed 27 of 37 passes for 277 yards with a touchdown to All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, who finished with nine receptions for 95 yards.
It was an impressive win for the Cardinals, but replicating that showing against the Seahawks won’t be easy after Seattle shut down New England late with three fourth-quarter interceptions of Drake Maye in its 13-10 victory. Josh Jobe sealed the win with an interception in the end zone with just over 20 seconds remaining and the defense sacked Maye three times. The biggest concern for the Seahawks is Sam Darnold suffered a soft tissue glute injury on Seattle’s first series and appears unlikely to play. Drew Lock was serviceable as his replacement, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards with a 45-yard touchdown to 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Rookie running back Jadarian Price also had a nice NFL debut, averaging 3.70 yards before contact on his 10 carries. He now faces an Arizona defense that yielded just 1.5 yards before contact – tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second-best rate in Week 1.
The Seahawks have won the last nine meetings with the Cardinals, tied with the Chiefs’ nine-game winning streak against the Commanders for the longest active winning streak by one team over another. In the last meeting in Week 10 of last season, Seattle scored touchdowns on its first three offensive possessions and scored a pair of TDs on fumble returns to seize a 35-0 lead less than midway through the second quarter en route to a 44-22 victory.
Miami Dolphins vs San Francisco 49ers
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: 49ers 82.9% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Dolphins 9-6 Last Meeting: Dolphins 29, 49ers 17 (Dec. 22, 2024)For the first time this season, the San Francisco 49ers will play a game on American soil, and they appear to have a soft landing in their return to the States. After pulling away for a 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, the 49ers return home to face a Miami Dolphins team we’ve ranked last in our overall team ratings.
Brock Purdy completed 25 of 34 passes for 205 yards with three touchdowns in the season opener with new 49ers receiver Mike Evans catching six passes for 49 yards and a TD while Deebo Samuel Sr. caught six balls for 48 yards with a TD in his San Francisco return. Christian McCaffrey only carried the ball 10 times, but tore through the Rams’ defense, averaging 4.60 yards before contact – the second most among those with at least 10 rushes.
De’Von Achane also didn’t get as many carries as one might expect in Week 1, especially after the Dolphins gave him a four-year, $64 million extension over the summer, presumably making him the focal point of the offense. Achane, who averaged an NFL high of nearly 5.7 yards per carry in 2025, had just 11 carries with just 2.18 yards before contact. Malik Willis averaged 8.15 yards per attempt on his 27 throws in his Miami debut but completed only 55.6% of his passes and was routinely under duress, getting sacked five times. The 49ers didn’t record a sack in Melbourne a year after finishing with a league-low 20 sacks, but they also shut down an explosive Rams’ offense, limiting them to just a single scoring drive and only two plays of more than 20 yards.
The last time these teams met in Week 16 of 2024, the Dolphins won 29-17, with Achane rushing for 120 yards on 17 carries, scoring on a 50-yard run.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Chiefs 67.4% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Colts 14-10 Last Meeting: Chiefs 23, Colts 20 OT (Nov. 23, 2025)Of the 16 teams to emerge from Week 1 with a victory, perhaps no 1-0 team made a bigger statement than the Kansas City Chiefs. And up next for the Chiefs, an Indianapolis Colts team that was an utter mess defensively in losing its opener.
Plenty of questions surrounded the Chiefs heading into Monday with Patrick Mahomes returning from a torn ACL coming off a season in which Kansas City failed to reach the AFC title game for the first time since 2017. Mahomes quickly quieted any skeptics by scrambling for a 15-yard touchdown on the Chiefs’ first offensive possession to set the tone in a resounding 31-10 win over the Broncos. Mahomes also threw for two touchdowns, but it was the play of new Chief Kenneth Walker III who provided the biggest impact to Kansas City’s offense. Walker caught a short touchdown pass, ran for a 60-yard score and rushed for 173 yards – the most by a Chief since 2012, the year before coach Andy Reid arrived in Kansas City. Walker averaged 7.5 yards per carry, and the Chiefs now go up against an Indianapolis team that permitted 5.46 yards per run in a 41-23 loss to the Ravens in Week 1.
The Colts attempted to bolster their defense with free agent signings this offseason, but it was run over for 506 yards, allowing a Week 1-worst 7.91 yards per play. Things weren’t much better on the offensive side of the ball, as Indianapolis had only 112 yards with two turnovers on eight first-half drives. Jonathan Taylor, however, had a solid debut, rushing for 98 yards and two TDs with an average of 5.2 yards per carry while also catching three passes for 23 yards. He was unable to find much room to run in last season’s 23-20 overtime loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 12, finishing with 58 rushing yards on 16 carries.
That game marked Kansas City’s best offensive performance of the 2025 season, as it amassed 494 yards with Mahomes throwing for 352 and the ground game piling up 158. The Chiefs only managed one touchdown despite six trips into the red zone, settling for five Harrison Butker field goals – the last coming with less than two minutes to go in OT.
Monday, Sept. 21
New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Rams
Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Rams 70.6% All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Rams 29-16 Last Meeting: Rams 26, Giants 25At the conclusion of the first week of the season, there’s only one winless team in the NFC West – the Los Angeles Rams. Just as everyone expected. Or not. And across the country, there’s the New York Giants – a team that finished last in the NFC East each of the last two seasons, but opened many eyes on Sunday night with a resounding win over a divisional rival with playoff expectations. These teams coming off significantly different Week 1 showings conclude the Week 2 slate on Monday night.
The Rams have been off since their whirlwind trip to Australia in which their plan to arrive 24 hours before kickoff appears to have backfired as they appeared sluggish in last Thursday’s 27-7 loss to the rested 49ers. They finished with just 290 total yards of offense and Sean McVay pulled 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter with the offense unable to find its footing. Adding to the Rams’ woes is the team announced Sunday that blockbuster offseason acquisition Myles Garrett needs knee surgery and is expected to miss at least four games. They could get three-time AP Defensive Player of the year Aaron Donald in the lineup this week after he skipped the trip to Australia in his return from a two-year absence. The Rams could use all the help they can get on the defensive front after generating a pressure rate of 19.4 – tied with the Dolphins for the second worst in Week 1 – especially against a Giants team that registered a Week 1-best 57.4 successful play rate.
John Harbaugh’s Giants debut went about as well as anyone could’ve expected, as New York outgained the Cowboys 394-244 and converted 9 of 11 third-down attempts in a 28-20 win. Jaxson Dart threw for three touchdowns, with two going to new tight end Isaiah Likely, and registered a passer rating of 134.2, while Cam Skattebo rushed for 81 yards and a 3-yard TD to stake New York to an early 7-0 lead. Skattebo averaged 2.41 yards after contact against the Cowboys, while the Rams allowed 4.3 yards before contact for the second-worst Week 1 mark by any team.
The Giants have lost the last four meetings with the Rams immediately after Los Angeles had won the prior seven matchups. When they last met in Week 17 of 2023, the Rams escaped with a 26-25 win, as Mason Crosby missed a 54-yard field goal with just over 30 seconds to play.
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