The NFL's first full Sunday of the 2026 season got underway with 13 games spread across the afternoon and evening, following Wednesday's kickoff clash in which the defending champion Seattle Seahawks edged the New England Patriots 13-10 in the league's official season opener.
Henry Chasing History In Indianapolis
One of the day's marquee storylines centers on Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who enters the season sitting one rushing touchdown shy of tying Marcus Allen for third on the NFL's all-time list, as the Ravens visit the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis enters the matchup boasting the league's most red-zone interceptions from a season ago, adding extra intrigue to every trip Baltimore's offense takes inside the 20-yard line.
New Systems, New Expectations
Both teams are working in new schemes this year, with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looking to bounce back from an injury-hampered 2025 season under a new offensive coordinator, a change that has twice before coincided with an MVP campaign for the star quarterback. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, meanwhile, is aiming to build on a strong stretch of play from last season that was cut short by injury before Indianapolis stumbled to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year.
A Full Day Of Football
Sunday's early and late afternoon windows feature a full slate of matchups across the league, including AFC and NFC divisional rivals looking to open the season on the right foot, before the day wraps up with Dallas hosting New York in the traditional Sunday Night Football slot on NBC. The Cowboys enter as slight favorites in a matchup that has become a Week 1 staple in recent NFL scheduling.
Setting The Tone For Week 1
With the Broncos-Chiefs matchup still to come Monday night to close out the week, Sunday's results will offer an early gauge of which teams enter the 2026 season looking like genuine contenders, and which are already facing questions just one week into an 18-week grind toward Super Bowl LXI in February.