Holy cow, did you see the NFL Week 1 scoreboard? Because offenses absolutely exploded, dropping a record-tying 791 points across the league! That’s a combined 49.4 points per game, matching the most for any Week 1 in the entire Super Bowl era. If you blinked, you probably missed a touchdown, and even coaches were caught off guard by the sheer volume of scoring.
The Scoreboards Were On Fire
Seriously, the numbers are wild. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson admitted he was “definitely surprised to look up at the scoreboard on Sunday and see some of the scores at halftime.” He even specifically called out the Carolina-Bears game, saying, “it was crazy. I typically don’t see that in Week 1.” And he’s not wrong! The Chicago Bears were up 31-24 on the Carolina Panthers at halftime and eventually won an insane 59-37. That was just one of six games that busted through the 60-plus total points barrier, which is two more than any other opening weekend in NFL history. Then Week 2 kicked off with the Buffalo Bills beating the Detroit Lions 41-31, and you start thinking, this isn’t a fluke, is it? Even Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski was so busy in postgame that he didn’t realize the magnitude until he watched the NFL RedZone’s wrap-up. He said, “RedZone does the touchdown montage at the end of the day, and I took a quick break… and you notice: ‘Man, this montage is going on forever.’” Get this: three teams,the Panthers, Houston Texans, and New Orleans Saints,scored 30 or more points and still lost! That’s only happened once before in Week 1, way back in 2002.
What The Heck Is Going On?
So, what’s happening? Why such a spike? Is this a trend, or just a Week 1 anomaly? The league is asking itself if this is a symptom of changing preseason approaches. Fewer starters play now to avoid injuries, and training camps don’t have nearly as much contact or actual tackling as they used to. That lack of physicality in preparing for an NFL season can make even the best defenses look completely rusty. Take the Denver Broncos: they had a top-three defense last year in points and total yards allowed, and they recorded a mind-boggling 28 missed tackles in their humbling 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Twenty-eight!
Robinson nailed it when he said, “It felt like guys just were making plays. There [were] a ton of plays being made after the catch… defenses are so limited with what they can do based on the rules [before] you get to live tackling, and it’s a different ballgame.” Offenses were just winning in those high-leverage situations, too. Last year, not a single NFL team converted half their third-down opportunities. In Week 1, *nine teams* did! It definitely feels like the scales are tipping.
If Week 1 and the start of Week 2 are any indication, defenses across the league better figure out how to prepare for this offensive explosion, and fast. Otherwise, we’re in for a season of absolute fireworks, and every single game is going to be a nail-biter.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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