Each week, TeamFB7 will cull through the box scores and crunch the game film to rank the 10 best individual performances around the NFL.
On a week that saw the highest-scoring season-opener in NFL history, two former MVP quarterbacks lighting up the scoreboard, an ageless 32-year-old running back playing like he’s 22 and countless other stars stuffing the box scores, it was no easy task cutting the list at 10 for Week 1.
But that is the task, each and week with no exceptions.
So here goes — the 10 best individual performances around the NFL in Week 1.
1. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen
Josh Allen showed again Sunday he is the best player in the NFL, no matter the opponent or setting. What else is new …
Playing arguably the best defense in the league on the road in Houston, Allen completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and added 2 rushing scores in a 36-31 win.
That’s more points than the Texans gave up in any game last season when they yielded just 17.4 per game on average. Houston also didn’t let any quarterback pass for more than 278 yards — and only one pass for more than 235 yards — while returning every key piece of that defense.
That’s how good Allen was in Week 1.
2. Kansas City Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III
Kenneth Walker III was the reigning Super Bowl MVP for the Seahawks last season, but he rarely was asked to shoulder a heavy volume of carries during his time in Seattle.
In his debut with the Chiefs, Walker showed again (like in the Super Bowl) he’s plenty capable of being a bell-cow back.
He piled up 173 rushing yards and a TD on 23 carries and added 3 catches for 18 yards and a score in the Chiefs’ 31-10 win over the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt
T.J. Watt, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time Pro Bowl and four-time first-team All-Pro selection, sure looked to be back in prime form Sunday.
Coming off a down season with just 7 sacks in 14 games and a punctured lung that sidelined him down the stretch, Watt wasted no time reasserting himself as a difference-maker for Pittsburgh with 2 sacks (3 total tackles for loss) and a 35-yard interception return.
That pick-6 in the fourth quarter proved to be the decisive score in the Steelers’ 20-13 win over the Falcons.
4. Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams
Bears coach Ben Johnson has said he wants to set offensive records this year in Chicago, and starting with 552 yards in a 59-37 win over the Panthers is one way to back that up.
Third-year QB Caleb Williams led the way with 269 passing yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs along with 10 rushes for 65 yards and 2 scores.
It is not far-fetched to think the former No. 1 overall pick can contend for the MVP this year.
5. Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs
It figured Jahmyr Gibbs would see an even bigger workload with former backfield mate David Montgomery getting traded to Houston, but this is next-level.
Gibbs had 29 of the Lions’ 31 RB rushing attempts for 156 yards and 2 TDs and also caught 5 passes for 30 yards.
That’s probably not a pace the Lions want to continue considering Gibbs only had even 20 carries twice last season and hadn’t had more than 23 in a game since a personal-high 26 in a game as a rookie in 2023.
But Detroit needed all it could get out of its biggest star to hold on for a 31-30 overtime win over the Saints.
6. Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry
Per official records, Derrick Henry turns 33 years old in a few months, but he sure doesn’t play like any 32-year-old running back the NFL has ever seen.
Henry finished second in the league in rushing last season with 1,595 yards and 16 TDs and picked up right where he left off, rumbling for 144 yards and 3 TDs on 24 carries Sunday (plus 19 receiving yards) in a 41-23 win at Indianapolis.
Henry already ranks 10th all-time with 13,162 rushing yards and could pass Eric Dickerson (13,259), Jerome Bettis (13,662), LaDainian Tomlinson (13,694) and Curtis Martin (14,101) this season to climb as high as sixth on that list.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
The big question concerning the Jaguars was whether Trever Lawrence’s late-season flourish last year was an outlier or a true turning point for the former No. 1 overall draft pick.
Well, it was against the Browns, but Lawrence looked mighty good again in Week 1 while completing 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs in a 34-10 win.
Over the final six regular-season games of 2025, Lawrence averaged 266.7 passing yards per game with 15 TDs and 1 INT plus 4 rushing TDs.
8. Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty
After a frustrating rookie season, Ashton Jeanty sure looked the part of the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft during his 2026 season debut.
Jeanty led the Raiders in both rushing (23 carries for 102 yards) and passing (6 catches for 45 yards and 2 TDs) in a 27-13 win over the Dolphins.
It looks like Jeanty might just be a fine fit in new head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense.
9. Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year didn’t just put another incredible stat line for the Seahawks in the opener — Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the offense for Seattle in its 13-10 win over the Patriots.
Playing most of the game with backup QB Drew Lock, JSN tallied 8 catches for 122 yards and the Seahawks’ lone touchdown. No other receiver on the team had more than 2 catches for 35 yards.
Smith-Njigba showed that his elite play isn’t dependent on circumstances as he continued to make play after play despite the Seahawks offense slumping without Sam Darnold.
10. New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart
Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart looked in total command of a new Giants offense under head coach John Harbaugh and OC Matt Nagy.
Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs and rushed 11 times for 54 yards to lead New York to a 28-20 win over the favored Dallas Cowboys.
The dual-threat QB is the biggest reason to believe the Giants can exceed expectations in Harbaugh’s first season.
Honorable Mentions
Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson: 21 carries for 83 yards, team-high 8 catches for 90 yards and a TD, accounting for 173 of the Falcons’ 238 yards in a 20-13 loss to the Steelers.
Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: 324 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 INT and 40 rushing yards with a TD.
New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough: Overcame a terrible first half to throw for 410 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs, rallying the Saints back from a 21-0 third quarter deficit to force overtime in an eventual 31-30 loss.
Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift: 18 carries for 124 yards and 3 TDs plus 10 receiving yards in the Bears’ offensive assault on the Panthers.
New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave: 10 catches for 182 yards in that overtime loss.
