5 best NFL Sunday afternoon games from Week 1

The NFL Sunday season opener put together some great matchups, and they didn't disappoint. There were numerous battles that went down to the wire and gave fans a thrilling Sunday afternoon.

There were games that went into overtime, came down to the final plays, and even produced video-game-like final scores. Week 1 delivered for fans who were eager to have football back on Sundays.

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Here were the five best games from NFL Sunday's first Week 1 afternoon slate:

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans

Aug 22, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) warms up before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Bills at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Texans came into the game with an odd trend of really having quarterback Josh Allen's number. Oftentimes, these are relatively low-scoring games. Not this time.

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Allen and C.J. Stroud went toe-to-toe in a shootout that came down to the wire. Houston had a chance late in the game but couldn't come through.

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The Bills pulled away with a 36-31 victory, and both teams got off to hot starts offensively.

New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions

Aug 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) on the sidelines before their preseason game against the Washington Commanders at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

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New Orleans and Detroit put on a show in Motown. After the Lions took a 21-0 lead halfway through the third quarter, Tyler Shough and the Saints made a furious comeback.

Both teams traded fourth-quarter blows and eventually went to overtime. That's when things got even more thrilling. The Lions took a 31-24 overtime lead.

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Shough and the Saints drove down the field and responded with a touchdown. With less than two minutes left in overtime, the Saints went for the win but came up short on the two-point conversion. This was the NFL's best game of the afternoon.

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Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers

Aug 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy talks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during warms up for a game against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Steelers' 20-13 victory wasn't pretty, but it was a close game the whole way through. Bijan Robinson put the Falcons on his back and single-handedly kept them in the game. On the other side of it all, T.J. Watt delivered in a big way.

Watt recorded a critical pick-six that proved to be the difference in a defensive grinder of a matchup. The Falcons don't have any pushovers on the defensive side of the ball. Their secondary is legit and gave Pittsburgh fits.

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The Steelers started the Mike McCarthy era with a win and a typical Steelers-type victory.

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles

Aug 15, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Eagles and Commanders didn't need a fifth period of play, but they did have a game that went down to the wire in Philadelphia.

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The Eagles couldn't quite put the Commanders away despite making big plays on offense throughout the day. Jayden Daniels had a chance to send his team to overtime late in the game.

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However, a questionable play call by Washington came up short, and Philly got the win.

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers

Aug 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

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This matchup is what happens when two middle schoolers play a round of Madden and put the settings on rookie. In all seriousness, it was a shootout from start to finish. Caleb Williams and Bryce Young squared off in a battle of former No. 1 overall picks.

The biggest producers, though, were the Bears' running backs. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 224 rushing yards and four rushing scores. Even though the Bears pulled away for a 59-37 victory, it was a pretty exciting game for fans to watch.

That is, of course, unless you prefer defensive battles. Then it was brutal to watch.