[ad_1]
Our first look at the remaining 28 teams comes over the next few days. Answers to these three questions could shape 2026.
3. Can the Texans run the ball?
Combining the league’s best defense with a potent run game was the hallmark of legendary teams like the ’85 Bears, 2000s Ravens and Legion of Boom Seahawks.
Houston has half the equation, a defense that last year allowed the fewest total yards and first downs in the NFL … but also an offense that couldn’t run the ball.
Sunday will be telling, as Houston hosts a Bills team that had one of the league’s worst ground defenses. Did investments in running back David Montgomery and first-round interior lineman Keylan Rutledge pay off? If so, Houston is a legitimate Super Bowl contender. If not, C.J. Stroud could be in for a long year.
2. How does Kyler Murray fit in Minnesota?
The 29-year-old pairs with Kevin O’Connell, a respected offensive mind who coached career seasons out of Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. Murray also has elite receiving weapons in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. NFL quarterbacks rarely get second chances this good.
My concern is the Vikings offensive line, specifically the middle. Interior blocking is crucial for undersized quarterbacks like the 5-10 Murray. It’s also where Minnesota ranked last in pressure rate allowed last season.
Blake Brandel will start at center, a move the former guard was forced to make after now-retired veteran Ryan Kelly’s injury last season. Brandel had issues snapping the ball during his stint last year:
Then, during this August’s roster report, our Alec Lewis wrote, “Training camp revealed some troubles with the snap exchange,” suggesting this is still something to watch. Oof. Not ideal, especially with backup center Michael Jurgens on the IR.
Packers linemen Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave will test this interior in Week 1. How it holds up could determine Murray’s future.
1. Are the Chiefs contenders again?
Kansas City’s Super Bowl odds (16 to 1) haven’t been this low since 2018, Patrick Mahomes’ first season as a starter. Yes, the Chiefs might be underrated.
Week 1 will be telling. Kansas City hosts the reigning division-champion Broncos on Monday night, the first test for these three things:
1. Mahomes’ knee. He’s looked like himself in August, for what that’s worth, but now takes on Denver’s league-leading pass rush.
2. Mahomes’ blindside. Left tackle Kahlil Benson’s extraordinary rise makes him the first undrafted rookie to start Week 1 for Andy Reid’s Chiefs. The 6-6, 319-pounder took zero college snaps at the position, playing on the right side at Indiana. Now he’ll be opposite edge Nik Bonitto, who can do this:
3. KC’s revamped secondary. The Chiefs lost two top corners and a safety this offseason, then lost No. 6 pick Mansoor Delane for a chunk of the offseason with a shoulder injury. But few can reassemble a secondary like DC Steve Spagnuolo. Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton await.
Then there’s Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, whom our Jesse Newell reported was “getting the ball … all the time” in practice and is “primed for a huge year statistically if his body holds up.” Another tough test: The Broncos allowed the second-fewest rush yards in 2025.
The Chiefs are 2.5-point favorites in a game that will clarify their odds of playing in February. You can say the same about Bo Nix and the Broncos.
This article is from The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe.
Week 1 schedule
The full weekend schedule, and then over to Ted, who shares a blurb from his story on burning questions for all 32 teams.
What Ted’s Seeing: Giant question
Staying on the topic of questions we need answered, here is one for the New York Giants: Can Jaxson Dart relearn how to play quarterback?
After playing almost his entire Ole Miss career in shotgun, he played as a rookie in an offense that ranked sixth in shotgun usage (76.5 percent).
New coordinator Matt Nagy will ask him to play under center a lot more. In the preseason, the Giants offense was only in shotgun on 46.6 percent of snaps, indicating they’ll be under center more than in the gun. Dart will have to relearn footwork and timing in Nagy’s offense.
Also, quarterback option plays are being phased out of the league because teams are just too good at defending them, and it’s not worth putting the quarterback at risk without getting explosive plays in return. There might be growing pains for Dart, but they’ll be necessary for career longevity. My colleague Dan Duggan has the latest on Dart’s development here.
Back to Jacob. (Ted’s full list of 32 questions is here.)
Recap: Don’t sleep on the 49ers
“This is a humbling day for us,” Rams coach Sean McVay said after the 27-7 blowout. “… I make no excuses. Whether you want to say it’s about travel or whatever, we just weren’t good enough in that window.” Davante Adams was adamant that Los Angeles’ radically different travel schedule wasn’t a factor in last night’s loss.
The 49ers disagree. Fred Warner, whose team arrived about a week before their opponents, noticed a difference:
💬 “I think it definitely was a matter of us getting stronger as the game went on. Versus the opposing team. It felt like they kind of withered away, right?”
After that blowout, these teams faced nearly identical flights back home, but they’ll feel very different. The 49ers planned to “party it up,” Warner said, while the Rams need to figure it out.
Pick’Em 🎯
Predictions are hard, especially about the future. I’ve referenced that quote before because it’s one of my favorites, one that comes to mind whenever I hear an AI expert forecast impending doom. We once had similar worries about electricity.
Forecasting is just as difficult for NFL games, which is why I don’t bet money on them. Instead, I’m playing The Athletic’s free pick’em game. I’ve gone 2-for-2 so far, thanks to the time-adjusted 49ers. Click below to make your picks for Week 1.
Extra Points
🇺🇸 Football paused. Back in 2001, some NFL owners wanted to play games just five days after the terrorist attacks. Then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the NFLPA pushed back. It got complicated, as Michael Silver explains.
🛶 Survivor pools. Almost everyone I know is in one this season. The Chargers (vs. Cardinals) and Jaguars (vs. Browns) are the top picks this week. We’ve got a strategy guide here.
⏳ Saquon Barkley vs. Father Time. “When I look at the guys that I want to be in the category with when I’m done playing, they all played well when they got older,” the 29-year-old said.
🤷♂️ Packers skepticism. Major questions loom over Green Bay, where one of the league’s most talented rosters has uncertainty at offensive line, edge, running back and cornerback. To name a few.
▶️ Most-clicked: What was Drake Maye thinking during an awful 2026 debut?
📫 Enjoyed this read? Sign up here to receive The Athletic’s free NFL newsletter in your inbox.
Also, check out our other newsletters.
[ad_2]
Source link
