The first NFL Sunday of the 2025 season is in the books, so we look at some of the winners and losers from Week One…
Winners
Ed Oliver – DT, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen will deservedly take the plaudits as the demigod quarterback behind Buffalo’s comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, but Ed Oliver reigns as an unsung hero of Saturday Night Football at the heart of the Bills defense.
Oliver was an unyielding nuisance in the face of a rampant Derrick Henry performance, his persistence rewarded by a defining moment in the game when he stripped the Ravens running back down the stretch. The defensive tackle wrestled the ball from the hands of Henry with three minutes to play and his team trailing 40-32, Terrell Bernard recovering at the Ravens 30 and setting up Allen’s one-yard touchdown run to close the gap to two just four plays later.
He would finish the night with six tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble as the sternest resistance to a two-faced Ravens offense boasting the ability to beat you with both finesse and brute force.
During DeAndre Hopkins’ touchdown celebration, Lamar Jackson shoved a fan after his helmet was slapped.
Lou Anarumo – DC, Indianapolis Colts
Sure, Daniel Jones may have turned into prime Peyton Manning on his Indianapolis Colts regular season debut, but how much can we read into his performance against THIS Miami Dolphins team? Time will tell. What is without its doubts is the mind of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who had Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense stuck in mud all afternoon.
Anarumo had been famed for blunting the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks and most explosive offenses during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals, handing even the best version of Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs torrid memories of his puzzle. Among the staples had been simulated pressure, which Anarumo drew on to force Tagovailoa – usually among the NFL’s quickest releasers of the ball – into second-guessing himself through defensive lineman dropping into coverage at the snap. Time and time again he blew smoke into Tagovailoa’s field diagnosis, the result being a hobbling Dolphins offense and a red-hot seat for Mike McDaniel. Little, if anything, had been expected of a Jones-led Colts; they just dismantled Miami with some ease, while limiting them to eight points, just 12 first downs and 211 yards on offense with three sacks and three turnovers.
Aaron Rodgers – QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
If you claim to have projected fireworks between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, you are only lying to yourself. What was billed as a defensive war of attrition refreshingly evolved into a slug-match as Aaron Rodgers ignited a long-lost Steelers passing attack and as Justin Fields, Breece Hall and Tanner Engstrand orchestrated the slickest Jets offensive performance in some years.
But it was No 8, back against his old employers, who snatched bragging rights as he threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns, two of which came in the space of 50 seconds, to lead Pittsburgh to a 34-32 win. Rodgers has typically favoured the ability to attack a defense face-on in his career, where he deciphers coverages and premeditated coverage rotations. But on Sunday it was play-action that proved his route to success as he neutralised the Jets pass rush with throws on the move. His declining mobility showed when pressure did breach the pocket, but already he appeared comfortable in Arthur Smith’s offense while the Steelers run game flat-lined. The intelligence and the arm talent is still there to hurt teams.
“I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets,” said Rodgers on his return to MetLife Stadium.
Aaron Rodgers gets his first TD pass for Pittsburgh Steelers and it came against his former team, the New York Jets.
Losers
Jaxson Dart – QB, New York Giants
Is it possible to be a winner and a loser? With the New York Giants, it might just be. Head coach Brian Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen entered the season knowing they are teetering on the brink of needing to look for new jobs, which might be all the more reason for them to roll the dice on their rookie quarterback earlier than anticipated this season.
New York’s feel-good preseason vibes evaporated spectacularly fast on Sunday as they were out-classed by the artistry of Jayden Daniels in a 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders. Across from flashes of future dominance from Abdul Carter remained a limping offense led by Russell Wilson, whose early failure to spark an effective Giants offense is already testing the patience of wide receiver Malik Nabers. An inability to throw over the middle of the field has long been a criticism of Wilson, but it has been accentuated more behind the league’s worst offensive line, which desperately misses Andrew Thomas. For all the excitement to see a rookie quarterback come in and play without fear, there is the fear Dart walks into a viper pit with zero protection.
Isaac TeSlaa makes an incredible catch in the match between Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
Cam Ward – QB, Tennessee Titans
The NFL might be looking at the case of a Ferrari engine in a Fiat Punto with Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans. Amid the rubble of mess that is Tennessee’s offensive line and weapons room, the No 1 pick quarterback played with the poise of a veteran, displayed phenomenal accuracy, anticipation and velocity on throws outside of the numbers and over the middle of the field, and flashed a proclivity for absurdity with a remarkable pocket-climbing flip pass.
Ward finished with just 112 passing yards as the Titans were beaten 20-12 by the Denver Broncos, during which he was sacked six times by what was one of the league’s best defenses in 2024. It is a season devoted entirely to learning about what Ward is and what he can be, but smooth development looks a daunting ask within one of the NFL’s worst rosters.
Highlights from the Dallas Cowboys at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week One of the NFL season.
Non-Geno Smith believers
The Las Vegas Raiders are about to be bundles of fun, riding the unwavering energy of a soon-to-be 74-year-old Pete Carroll and the next instalment of Geno Smith’s staggering career revival.
Smith threw for 362 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Raiders beat the New England Patriots 20-13 on Sunday, breaking the 45-year franchise record for passing yards on debut in the process. In doing so he raised the curtain on a Chip Kelly offense in which the blocking duties of second-year tight end Brock Bowers look poised to be relaxed in favouring of unleashing the beast that is his threat as a big-bodied receiver.
His comeback story should never be underestimated. Smith made just five starts in the NFL from 2025 to 2021 as a borderline-journeyman quarterback whose days as a first choice had been written off after a foiled start to his career with the New York Jets. Spoiler: It might have had something to do with the New York Jets.
He is now a certified starter in the league piloting what has the potential to become one of football’s most destructive dunk-on-them passing attacks, supplemented by a new star running back in Ashton Jeanty.
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