Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Bears -3, Total 47.5
Series Rewind: The Bears have won seven of the past eight meetings with the Panthers and are 9-3 all-time against Carolina.
Playoffs? Check. The Panthers won the NFC South for the first time since 2015. The Bears are defending NFC North champions after claiming the title for the first time since 2018. The principals involved in the 2023 trade that put the Panthers atop the draft order to select QB Bryce Young No. 1 overall, and the player the Bears selected with the top pick the next year — Caleb Williams — with the top selection acquired from Carolina in that deal, are squaring off in a Week 1 duel between division winners. The Bears are expecting WRs Rome Odunze (left calf injury) and Luther Burden III (left groin) to suit up. Williams led an offense ranked in the top 10 in total offense, rushing offense, passing offense and points per game last season. Young’s array of offensive support isn’t as vast, but he showed significant progress and enough of a gamer’s mentality in critical spots last season that Carolina picked up his option for 2027. The Bears led the NFL in takeaways last season thanks to a league-leading 23 interceptions.
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Jaguars -8.5, Total 40.5
Series Rewind: Cleveland has won three straight against Jacksonville, including two road games in 2020 and 2024, but the Jaguars lead the all-time series 12-8 in large part thanks to winning the first six matchups from 1995-2000.
Todd Monken officially begins his head coaching tenure with the Browns Sunday against a Jaguars squad led by Liam Coen, who anchored a sensational 13-4 debut-season turnaround in 2025. Jacksonville’s offense ranked sixth in the NFL in scoring (27.9 points per game) behind a return-to-form season from QB Trevor Lawrence. While former starting running back Travis Etienne is now with the Saints, the Jaguars return receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Travis Hunter. Hunter is back and recovered from the torn LCL that ended his rookie season and will again attempt to play receiver and cornerback for Jacksonville. Sunday’s game will be Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s first appearance since October 2024 due to two tears of his right Achilles tendon. The three-time Pro Bowler with Houston has played just 19 games over four seasons since Cleveland acquired him via trade. Healthy once more, he’ll get another chance to prove his worth after beating out Shedeur Sanders in a QB competition.
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Titans -1.5, Total 38.5
Series Rewind: The Jets have won four of the past five meetings.
There are a few opportunities for those “Hey, don’t I know you?” moments pregame with Titans coach Robert Saleh facing his former employer. Saleh was 20-30 before the Jets pulled the plug on his head-coaching tenure. As for his replacement? It wasn’t a great start for Aaron Glenn in 2025. The Jets went 3-14 and went backward in the mission to find a franchise quarterback, pulling their own former second-round pick from the time machine by landing Geno Smith in a deal with the Raiders. Smith makes his first start for the Jets since 2016. The Jets are not lacking talent on either side of the ball, but Saleh won’t be facing a few of his defensive stalwarts from his Jets’ depth chart such as Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner. They were both traded in deals that brought first-round picks and other loot back to New York to resume the quest for the Jets to find their Cam Ward. Well, he’s not an option, as the former No. 1 pick enters his second NFL season and works under former Giants head coach and new Titans play-caller Brian Daboll.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Bengals -3.5, Total 50.5
Series Rewind: This series has been one of runs, with the Bengals winning the last three matchups but the Buccaneers winning the six before that and owning a 7-6 edge in the all-time series.
The Buccaneers are looking to begin working toward a return trip to the postseason after their five-year playoff streak was snapped last season. The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to make their first postseason appearance since 2022 after the initial magic of Joe Burrow’s career has waned a bit. The preseason vibes started bad in Tampa Bay but have gotten better of late with franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield locked in through the 2029 season on a three-year extension signed this week. The Buccaneers bring in a five-game winning streak in Week 1 games. With Cincinnati already having locked in receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to extensions to give Burrow potent passing options, this offseason was about boosting the defense, including a trade of its first-round pick to the Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, to turn around a unit that ranked 30th in points allowed per game and 31st in yards allowed per game last season.
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Bills -1.5, Total 44.5
Series Rewind: Houston has dominated the matchup of late, winning four of the last five and eight of the last 10 against Buffalo.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, fresh off a fourth straight top-five MVP finish, looks to begin his ninth season doing something he never has before in his NFL career: Win a road game against the Houston Texans. He’s 0-4 all-time, including a loss in his playoff debut in the 2019 season wild-card round when his Bills blew a 16-0 lead. Before his chance at that first, he begins this season with a new first, playing his first game with Buffalo without Sean McDermott as head coach. McDermott, fired after another disappointing playoff exit, was replaced by offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Houston All-Pro pass rushers Will Anderson Jr. (2 1/2 sacks) and Danielle Hunter (two) accounted for more than half the team’s eight sacks of Allen in last year’s 23-19 win over the Bills. The defense should again be excellent, but the question that will likely determine if Houston can return to the top of AFC South after Jacksonville jumped the Texans last year is the health and production of QB C.J. Stroud in his fourth season. Stroud was a rookie standout in 2023, passing for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing just five interceptions. But over the past two regular seasons, the touchdown-to-interception ratio slipped to 39-to-20.
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Lions -6.5, Total 49.5
Series Rewind: Lions head coach Dan Campbell played for the Saints and was an assistant coach under Sean Payton. He is 1-0 as a head coach against New Orleans, a 33-28 victory at the Superdome in 2023.
Lions QB Jared Goff is working under a different offensive coordinator for the third consecutive season but sounds confident Detroit won’t relive its fate last season, when it missed the playoffs. Drew Petzing was hired by head coach Dan Campbell in the offseason, after multiple play-callers — including Campbell himself — tried to replace Ben Johnson on the headset and came up short in 2025. With Goff at the controls, Petzing has a promising set of pupils. As long as a revamped offensive line holds up, the Lions are positioned to be an offensive juggernaut. Jahmyr Gibbs, recently signed to a three-year, $67.5 million extension, scored 18 total touchdowns last season and might be the league’s most talented all-around running back. Top wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has already been selected to four Pro Bowls, and Jameson Williams ranks as one of the league’s most feared deep threats. Tight end Sam LaPorta is back in action after missing a chunk of last season due to a back injury. Kellen Moore is in only his second season as head coach, but optimism is peaking entering the season in a division with no clear favorite, the NFC South. Tyler Shough took over the second half of last season, and the strong-armed passer showed plenty of promise. With RB Travis Etienne added in free agency, New Orleans should be capable of putting up plenty of points. The fate of the defense is not as clear. The Saints’ defense held opponents to 21 or fewer points in eight games last season. Chase Young and Cameron Jordan combined for 20.5 sacks, but Jordan will miss Sunday’s game due to a hamstring injury.
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Ravens -3.5, Total 47.5
Series Rewind: The Colts beat the Ravens 22-19 in overtime in the last meeting between these teams (2023). Indianapolis leads the all-time series 9-6.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor led the NFL with 20 total touchdowns and is the player every defense plots to slow down. QB Daniel Jones spread the ball around consistently before he was injured in November. Jones recovered from the torn right Achilles and enters the season with Alec Pierce sliding into the No. 1 receiver role. Pierce was largely absent from on-field team workouts in the offseason while recovering from a heel issue. The Ravens are still riding with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in the backfield, but Jesse Minter replaced John Harbaugh as head coach, and there is some mystery around how first-time playcaller Declan Doyle will attack defenses. Jackson was giddy discussing what’s coming from Doyle. Minter’s specialty is defense as he returns to Baltimore following a stint as defensive coordinator of the Chargers with plans to make the most of a versatile secondary.
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Steelers -4.5, Total 41.5
Series Rewind: Pittsburgh holds a commanding 16-2-1 all-time lead against Atlanta and has won the last five matchups, including a Week 1 game at the Falcons in 2024.
Mike McCarthy and Kevin Stefanski each look for wins in their retread coaching debuts for the Steelers and Falcons, respectively. The two coaches have drastically different quarterback situations. Aaron Rodgers, who began his career playing for McCarthy in Green Bay, is back for a second season leading Pittsburgh in what he’s announced will be his farewell campaign. The Steelers aimed to upgrade their attack around Rodgers by trading for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and adding former Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle, who gained 130 or more yards in three games last season. The Falcons were expected to start former Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa in the opener, but he was ruled out Friday with an oblique injury. With incumbent starter Michael Penix Jr. set to be inactive as he’s in the final phases of recovery from a 2025 knee injury, the starting nod goes to Cooper Rush. The journeyman backup played for McCarthy in Dallas, where he went 9-5 as a starter. The Falcons were second in the NFL with 57 sacks a season ago but will be without two of their top three 2025 sack leaders for much of the season with James Pearce Jr.’s half-season suspension and Jalon Walker’s season-ending knee injury sustained in training camp.
– Field Level Media