Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season began in Seattle, with the Seahawks raising their championship banner, continued in Australia, where the 49ers won the first NFL game Down Under over the Rams, and finished in Kansas City, where Patrick Mahomes made a triumphant return over the Broncos. In between, a host of NFL records were set and milestones were achieved involving teams, players, and the league as a whole.
Here are the top numbers, stats, and records to know from opening week.
Points Galore!
If it seemed as if there were several high-scoring contests in Week 1, your assumption was correct. A total of 791 points were scored in the season’s opening slate, and no Week 1 in the Super Bowl era has ever seen more. The total matches the scoring record set in Week 1 of the 2012 season, as the 16 games averaged 49.4 points per game.
Not the Same Old Bears
The Chicago Bears have always been known for ferocious defense, but seldom for explosive offense. That may change this season after Chicago defeated the Carolina Panthers, 59-37, on Sunday. The 96 combined points made it the highest scoring Week 1 game ever.
Related Stories
The 59 put up by the Bears was their most in a game since 1980, with most of those points coming via the ground game. D’Andre Swift rushed for three touchdowns, Caleb Williams found the endzone twice with his legs, and Kyle Monangai also had a rushing score. The Bears’ six rushing touchdowns tied for the most in a Week 1 game by any team in over 100 years—you’ll have to go back to the 1922 Canton Bulldogs to find the last instance.
Make It a Half Dozen
Jahmyr Gibbs entered the season with 49 touchdowns in 49 career games. In his 50th career game in Week 1 versus New Orleans, Gibbs not only notched his 50th score but also his 51st as well.
With 50 touchdowns through 50 games, Gibbs became just the sixth player in NFL history to accomplish that feat. The others are Steve Van Buren, Jim Brown, Chuck Foreman, Marcus Allen, and Larry Johnson.
Move Over, Mr. Allen
Allen may share company with Gibbs, but he’s in the trails of Derrick Henry. The Baltimore Ravens running back rushed for three touchdowns in the team’s win over Indianapolis, giving him 125 for his future Hall of Fame career. That allowed Henry to leapfrog Allen (123) for third place all-time among running backs. Barring an extraordinary season, Henry would likely have to wait until 2027 to move into second place as he’s 20 rushing TDs behind LaDainian Tomlinson (145).
Move Over, Mr. Witten
Travis Kelce is now in second place on a different kind of list. In Monday’s win over Denver, Kelce had three grabs for 71 yards, enough yardage to overtake Jason Witten on the all-time tight end receiving yards list. Kelce’s 13,073 yards are second-most ever at the position but still over 2,000 yards shy of Tony Gonzalez’s mark of 15,127 yards.
Playing Hot Potato with the Lead
It’s fitting that the first Sunday of the NFL season coincided with the final day of the U.S. Open. Tennis fans sitting at midcourt often swing their heads left and right, back and forth, in order to watch the action, and many fans watching the Bills vs. Texans game were doing the same.
That contest saw eight lead changes before the Bills ultimately prevailed, 36-30, after a defensive stand. Only one Week 1 game in NFL history has had more lead changes, and that came in a 2002 matchup between the Chiefs and Browns, which had nine lead changes.
A Debut for the Ages
Tampa Bay rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter has a father, Jeremiah, who was a four-time Pro Bowler and is in the Eagles Hall of Fame, and he also has a brother, Jeremiah Jr., who is a Super Bowl champion with those same Eagles. But neither father, brother, nor anyone else in NFL history, had a debut quite like Josiah Trotter. The second-round pick sacked Joe Burrow early in the third quarter of Tampa’s game versus Cincy on Sunday, then recorded a pick-six of Burrow later in that quarter.
All of this came in his first ever NFL game, which is about as rare as you would think. In fact, it had never been done before.
Josiah Trotter found a way to stand out from his famous father and brother by becoming the first player to record a pick-six and a sack in his NFL debut.
