Bears, Bills and Ravens win on record-breaking Sunday

After kicking off the season with a Super Bowl rematch and a trip to Australia, week one continued with a record-breaking Sunday.

The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens showed why they are favourites to win the AFC Conference, and the Chicago Bears made a statement as they racked up 59 points.

Those wins contributed to an NFL record for the most points scored on the opening Sunday of the season since the league merger in 1970.

Here's what you need to know from the opening weekend.

Bills look sharp under new coach

The Bills changed their head coach in a bid to finally reach the Super Bowl with star quarterback Josh Allen, promoting offensive co-ordinator Joe Brady to the top job.

His first game was a big test, coming against last season's meanest defence, and the lead changed hands eight times in a thriller at the Houston Texans.

Running back David Montgomery scored three touchdowns on his Houston debut, but Allen ran in two touchdowns and passed for two more.

The 2024 season's Most Valuable Player was almost intercepted as he launched a hopeful pass into the endzone with less than two minutes remaining.

But on the next play 30-year-old Allen held his nerve with a 34-yard throw to Joshua Palmer that clinched a 36-31 win.

Buffalo's first five games are against potential Super Bowl contenders, so they needed to hit the ground running.

Bears bullish after record opener

After missing last season's play-offs the Baltimore Ravens brought an end to John Harbaugh's 18-year tenure as head coach, and they made a flying start under successor Jesse Minter.

Zay Flowers, who became the NFL's fourth highest-paid wide receiver in the off-season, made five catches for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone at the Indianapolis Colts.

Derrick Henry also scored twice before half-time to move into third on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns, then added another as the Ravens cruised to a 41-23 win.

But there was concern for Baltimore as Flowers and rookie receiver Ja'Kobi Lane missed the second half with hamstring and wrist injuries respectively.

The Ravens' impressive win was soon eclipsed by the Chicago Bears, who were level with the Carolina Panthers at 31-31 midway through the third quarter before romping to victory.

Running back D'Andre Swift finished with three touchdowns in a 59-37 road win - the highest-scoring week one game in NFL history and Chicago's highest score since 1980.

After leading the Bears to their first division title in seven years last season, head coach Ben Johnson has set some lofty targets.

"We want to be the highest scoring. We want to have the most wins. We want to win Super Bowls," he said.

Genuine belief in Giants

Harbaugh is now in charge of a promising young roster at the New York Giants, and his first game came on a poignant night at the MetLife Stadium, which hosted the football World Cup final in July.

Two days after the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Giants honoured New York's first responders and those impacted by the attacks with a series of tributes before Sunday's primetime game.

The Giants then produced a convincing 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys, with second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns, while fit-again running back Cam Skattebo rushed for another.

It was a balanced team performance with a disciplined defence, a trademark of Harbaugh's team throughout his time in Baltimore.

With the New York Knicks ending their long wait for an NBA championship this year, there is genuine belief that the Giants can also get back in play-off contention.

Cardinals stun Chargers

The Arizona Cardinals have been tipped by many to finish with the NFL's worst record, while the Los Angeles Chargers are seen as play-off contenders.

But the Chargers were humbled on their own turf at SoFi Stadium, which will host Super Bowl 61 in February.

The Cardinals are trying to make a fresh start having brought in Mike LaFleur as head coach and released quarterback Kyler Murray, and they dominated possession in a 26-14 win.

Murray, who went on to earn the starting role with the Minnesota Vikings, made a wretched start at home to the Green Bay Packers, coached by LaFleur's older brother Matt.

Murray's first pass with the Vikings was intercepted, and the former first overall draft pick then suffered a concussion before being replaced by veteran Carson Wentz.

Despite falling 22-10 down late in the third quarter, the Vikings fought back to win 39-22, with Justin Jefferson claiming two well-taken touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

The Vikings have had nine starting quarterbacks since Jefferson was named offensive player of the year for 2022, and the wide receiver looked back to his best.

Revamped Bengals look the real deal

Although the Cincinnati Bengals have one of the NFL's most potent offences, they have been let down by their defence in the past three seasons.

The front office tried to remedy that in the off-season, and the revamped defence was impressive in their opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Three of last season's 11 defeats came despite scoring at least 34 points, and again the Bengals had little trouble scoring against the Bucs.

This time their defence did their job too, though, recording four sacks and forcing four fumbles. All four were recovered by Cincinnati, with one returned for a defensive touchdown in a 33-27 home win.

If the Bengals can maintain that consistency - and quarterback Joe Burrow avoids another injury-hit season - they could have realistic hope of returning to the Super Bowl, having played the last time the big game was held in LA in 2022.