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Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys came out victorious over the Cleveland Browns, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handled the Washington Commanders.
In the Sunday night game, the Detroit Lions won in overtime over the Los Angeles Rams.
Our NFL Nation reporters are reacting to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let's get to it.
Detroit 26, L.A. Rams 20
Lions
Has Detroit's secondary gotten better? Improving the defense, particularly the secondary, was an emphasis this offseason, but Rams receiver Cooper Kupp still managed to get 14 receptions for 110 receiving yards and a crucial fourth-quarter touchdown. The Lions secondary also gave up a 63-yard pass to Rams wideout Tyler Johnson to end the third quarter. The Lions did force an interception in the red zone at the end of the first half, but Rams QB Matthew Stafford picked the secondary apart in the second half of regulation, posting 198 of his 306 passing yards over the third and fourth quarters. This will be an area to watch this season for the Lions.
Buying or selling Jameson Williams' breakout performance: Buying. After an awkward start to his NFL career, interrupted by an ACL injury and a gambling suspension in his first two years, Williams looks poised for a breakout season. It showed against the Rams. Williams caught a 52-yard touchdown in the third quarter -- the longest TD catch of his career -- and finished with 100-plus receiving yards in a game for the first time. He displayed why he is expected to be a big part of the offense this season.
Describe the game in two words: A tone-setter. The Lions, who entered the 2024 season with Super Bowl aspirations, nearly fell flat front of the spirited home crowd, but closed out the Rams with a strong ground game in the end. Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs each scored touchdowns, including Montgomery's clincher in overtime. However, it was a rough night for All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught three of his six targets for just 13 receiving yards. -- Eric Woodyard
Next game: vs. Buccaneers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Rams
Can the Rams' offense recover from injuries? The Rams lost a key part of their passing game in the loss to the Lions when wide receiver Puka Nacua left in the first half with a knee injury. Los Angeles' offensive line -- already missing its top two tackles -- also lost tackle Joe Noteboom (ankle) and left guard Steve Avila (knee) during the game. The Rams scored 20 points against a good Lions defense, but might struggle consistently if any of these are long-term injuries, especially on the offensive line.
Describe the game in two words: Defensive growth. The Rams' young defense, playing its first game since Aaron Donald retired and under a new defensive coordinator, held its own for most of the game against the Lions. Los Angeles, without starting cornerback Darious Williams (who is on IR), gave up 26 points to Detroit in a game that went to overtime. The Rams sacked Lions QB Jared Goff twice and intercepted him once in the loss.
Buying or selling Tyler Johnson's breakout performance: Buying. Johnson gave the offense some life in the third quarter, with a 63-yard catch-and-run to put the Rams in position to kick a field goal and get within a score early in the fourth quarter. If Nacua misses time with the knee injury, Johnson should get opportunities as the third receiver in this offense. He finished with five catches for 79 yards. -- Sarah Barshop
Next game: at Cardinals (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET)
Dallas 33, Cleveland 17
Cowboys
Was this the script coach Mike McCarthy wants to follow all season? The Cowboys got production from everywhere Sunday in what McCarthy would call a sign of complementary football. Dak Prescott threw for 156 yards in the first half, which was more than what five quarterbacks had against the Browns in five games last season. He also threw a touchdown. The defense was dominant with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Eric Kendricks recording sacks. Kendricks had his first interception since 2016. And for good measure, KaVontae Turpin added a punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. It's a hard formula to beat.
Buying or selling CeeDee Lamb's breakout performance: Buying. It's hard to call Lamb's game a breakout performance, considering a year ago he led the NFL in receptions while setting Cowboys records for yards and catches in a season. But he had just a handful of practices to get ready because of his contract holdout, so Sunday might be an indicator of what's to come. Lamb finished with five receptions for 61 yards and had three jet-sweep carries for 25 yards, while playing more than 70% of the snaps through three quarters.
Eye-popping advanced stat: Turpin is fast. But even on his 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, he did not reach his top speed. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he reached 19.62 mph, which speaks to how well the blocking opened lanes for Turpin to score. It was the Cowboys' first punt return for a touchdown since 2017 and the first of Turpin's career. Turpin reached 19.66 mph on a kickoff earlier in the game. -- Todd Archer
Next game: vs. Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Browns
Where do the Browns go from here after an uninspiring debut for their offense? The Browns' revamped offense looked like it has for most of quarterback Deshaun Watson's previous 12 starts in Cleveland: disjointed and inefficient. Watson never got into a rhythm, and an offensive line missing tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin allowed five sacks and 21 pressures. But is their return from knee injuries enough to fix an offense that showed no signs of improvement in Week 1?
Describe the game in two words: Offensive eyesore. The Browns ended the first half with 54 yards of offense and one first down. Watson didn't complete a pass that traveled more than 5 air yards in the first two quarters, and Cleveland couldn't capitalize after their third-quarter touchdown drive, turning the ball over on downs twice.
Eye-popping advanced stat: Watson was 2-of-11 on passes that traveled 10-plus air yards. With the arrival of receiver Jerry Jeudy and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, the Browns were hoping for a more dynamic passing game. Instead, Watson looked out of sorts as he left downfield passes off-target and out of bounds. -- Daniel Oyefusi
Next game: at Jaguars (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Seattle 26, Denver 20
Seahawks
Can QB Geno Smith and the Seahawks withstand a big hit to their O-line? Entering the season, the offensive line was already the team's iffiest position group, and now there's another reason for concern after right tackle George Fant went down with a knee injury. He was quickly ruled out, which is never a good sign. Fant is one of the players the Seahawks can least afford to lose, as they'll be without Abraham Lucas for at least the first four games. If Fant's injury is serious, they'll have to turn to Stone Forsythe.
Eye-popping advanced stat: Smith faced pressure on 47% of his dropbacks in the first half, according to ESPN Stats & Information. For context, his pressure rate of 34.7% last season was seventh highest in the NFL. He was 1-of-4 with an interception while under pressure in the first half.
Describe the game in two words: Ugly win. The Seahawks are fortunate they were at home against a rookie quarterback making his NFL debut, because under less favorable circumstances, they probably wouldn't be able to overcome all the mistakes they made in the first half. The two big ones were Smith's early interception and Dee Williams' muffed punt, both of which set up Denver field goals. -- Brady Henderson
Next game: at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Broncos
Are the Broncos ready for QB Bo Nix's growing pains? The Seahawks frustrated Nix and often kept him throwing off his back foot before he wanted to. The reality is Payton might have to simply run more than he wants to because of the rookie quarterback. Nix was clearly wobbly Sunday -- an early interception, two near misses on picks and two sacks in the first half -- but Payton kept calling passes. By halftime, Nix was averaging around 3 yards per attempt on 22 throws, and the Broncos had run 16 times. Nix's best moment didn't come until late in the fourth quarter when he rushed for a 4-yard touchdown.
Describe the game in two words: A grind. Until Nix finds a better comfort level, the Broncos will have to slug it out on both sides of the ball. And that means they'll have to defend the run better than they did in the second half. Sunday is likely a preview for the Broncos of the kind of games they'll be in until they find some rhythm on offense.
Early prediction for next week: The Steelers will come after Nix -- a lot. The Steelers' defense, which sacked Kirk Cousins twice and intercepted him twice Sunday, will certainly turn the rush loose to get to Nix. The Broncos might simply have to consider more play-action than Nix, who played out of the shotgun in college, is likely to want. But if the Broncos don't slow the Steelers down better than they did the Seahawks, it will be another long day. -- Jeff Legwold
Next game: vs. Steelers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)
L.A. Chargers 22, Las Vegas 10
Chargers
Should the Chargers be concerned about their offense? In the first three quarters, the offense was dreadful. The Chargers ran six red zone plays, which gained only 6 yards, as the team struggled to protect quarterback Justin Herbert and create lanes for its running backs. That changed in the fourth quarter when J.K. Dobbins rushed for a touchdown and a Ladd McConkey receiving score closed out the win. Still, the way the offense struggled is somewhat concerning, though much of it could be attributed to starters getting comfortable after not playing in the preseason.
Buying or selling Dobbins' breakout performance: Buying. Dobbins was the Chargers' best offensive player Sunday, having one of the best games of a five-year career that has been hampered by injury. He finished with 135 yards on 10 carries, and his 61-yard rush in the fourth quarter was his second-longest play from scrimmage in his career.
Early prediction for next week: Herbert will throw for more than 250 yards. The Chargers came into this game with no active receiver who had more than 1,000 yards in a season in their career. That inexperience showed in the first half, as the Chargers struggled to throw the ball, with Herbert's 67 passing yards being the second fewest in the first half in his career. But he did slightly better in the second half, finishing the game 17-of-26 for 144 yards and a touchdown. He will have a much more favorable matchup next week against the Panthers, who surrendered three first-half touchdown passes to Derek Carr in their opener Sunday. -- Kris Rhim
Next game: at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Raiders
How can the Raiders get their work-in-progress offense going next week against an angry Ravens team? Stop turning the ball over, for one thing. Fumbles by QB Gardner Minshew -- who lost a second-quarter fumble on a pump fake gone wrong -- and RB Zamir White, who was stripped in the third quarter as he broke through a hole on a potential big gainer, set the Chargers up for a pair of field goals. Minshew also threw an interception late in the fourth quarter to seal the Raiders' fate. These turnovers were costly against a Chargers team that also struggled offensively. Repeating it against a Super Bowl contender such as the Ravens would be a killer.
Describe the game in two words: Ugly, uglier. A matchup between two of the prettiest, most iconic uniforms in the league deserved better, right? A defensive battle devolved into a game of attrition, and the Raiders' defense, which dominated the first half, finally gave way. The Raiders actually led the time of possession battle 31:44 to 28:16, but some explosive plays by the Chargers late sealed the deal.
Early prediction for next week: Facing a mobile QB in Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, the Raiders need to sign an additional edge rusher. The Raiders are thin on the edge after moving Malcolm Koonce to IR on Saturday with a potential season-ending knee injury at practice, then losing Tyree Wilson to a knee injury Sunday. The Raiders finished with only three defensive ends -- Maxx Crosby, practice squad call-up Charles Snowden and Janarius Robinson -- and will need to scour the waiver wire for reinforcements, especially if Wilson's injury causes him to miss additional games. -- Paul Gutierrez
Next game: at Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Tampa Bay 37, Washington 20
Buccaneers
What will the secondary look like in Week 2 at Detroit? The defense played well in the opening victory, but it finished with just one healthy corner in Jamel Dean. Zyon McCollum (concussion), Josh Hayes (ankle) and Bryce Hall (ankle) all left with injuries. Nickelback/safety Christian Izien stepped in. Outside of Izien, rookie undrafted free agent Tyrek Funderburk would be next up, and he was inactive Sunday.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Stopping Commanders' QB Daniels on the ground. All week, Bucs defenders talked about the need to contain Daniels in the pocket, and yet he gashed them on runs of 16, 22 and 12 yards on a single drive in the second quarter. The Bucs chose not to deploy a spy on Daniels, despite the rookie rushing for 1,134 yards last season at LSU. He finished with 88 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
Buying or selling offensive coordinator Liam Coen's breakout performance: Buying. The Bucs punted just once all game. Mayfield threw two touchdowns to Mike Evans, along with TDs to Chris Godwin and rookie Jalen McMillan. Godwin looked reinvigorated back in the slot and was a third-down machine, and the one-two punch of Rachaad White and Bucky Irving averaged 5.76 yards per touch. -- Jenna Laine
Next game: at Lions (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Commanders
Does Washington have enough talent around Jayden Daniels? The Commanders had one offensive play for more than 30 yards, and it came off a short pass to Brian Robinson Jr. The receivers struggled to get open and the running game had a few holes. Washington made a big deal of not wanting Daniels to do too much, but he'll have to continue to do more than desired if those around him don't improve. It's a bad formula.
Describe the game in two words: Rough start. The vibe was better this offseason under coach Dan Quinn. But the play was the same as 2023. The Commanders, with only 21 holdovers from last year, struggled to run (50 yards from the backs); the defense was bad on third down (9-for-13); kicker Cade York missed two field goals. The game was all-around bad.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The inability to get receiver Terry McLaurin more involved. McLaurin had two targets until late in the third quarter -- including a deep ball that was overthrown and should have resulted in a touchdown. He caught his first pass with 3:35 left in the third. The offense is better when he's involved early. -- John Keim
Next game: vs. Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
New Orleans 47, Carolina 10
Saints
Is this Saints offense the real deal? It was a solid debut for Klint Kubiak and the new Saints offense. New Orleans had 30 points by halftime for the first time since the Drew Brees era ended. Taysom Hill was used heavily, Rashid Shaheed showed off his speed and the protection held up for quarterback Derek Carr. Did the Saints simply pile on the hapless Panthers, or will this be the new normal? They'll have to prove that again in Dallas next week.
Describe the game in two words: No mistakes. Carr had three touchdowns, Blake Grupe made all of his field goal attempts and the defense forced multiple turnovers. The Saints badly needed a fast start in Year 3 of coach Dennis Allen's tenure, and they were almost perfect in that regard, jumping all over the Panthers and never letting up. The Saints set a franchise record for most points in a season opener.
Eye-popping advanced stat: Per NFL Next Gen Stats, cornerback Alontae Taylor had the team's top speed in one of its blitzes, topping out at 20.64 miles per hour. It's a good indicator of how Taylor, who had three sacks, could take a step forward in his third season. -- Katherine Terrell
Next game: at Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
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