The NFL's opening Sunday of the 2026 season produced record-breaking scoring as the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears all won on the road, with combined points across the day setting a new mark for the highest-scoring opening Sunday since the 1970 league merger. The results carried extra significance for teams under new leadership, with Buffalo's Joe Brady, Baltimore's Jesse Minter and the New York Giants' John Harbaugh all making winning starts in their first games as head coaches.

Josh Allen threw for 334 yards and ran in two touchdowns as the Bills edged the Houston Texans 36-31 in a game that saw the lead change hands eight times, while Derrick Henry scored three touchdowns to help the Ravens beat the Indianapolis Colts 41-23, though wide receiver Zay Flowers left with a hamstring injury. The Chicago Bears produced the standout performance, overturning a 31-31 tie to beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in the highest-scoring week one game in NFL history, Chicago's best score since 1980, with running back D'Andre Swift scoring three touchdowns. Elsewhere, Harbaugh's Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 in a game marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, with quarterback Jaxson Dart throwing for 230 yards and three touchdowns.