Week 1 winners and losers: Bills, Bengals start season strong while Chargers stumble with baffling loss

Although Week 1 of the NFL season is just the start of the year, half of the league is joyous after a win while the other half is lamenting a loss. For some teams, players and coaches, though, Week 1 meant a little bit more as they face additional pressure.

With a handful of this week's games featuring a battle of playoff-caliber teams, the winners and losers from those games either added to or alleviated pressure moving forward. While Week 1 can't decide an entire season, it could create a certain kind of momentum for teams as they go through their seasons.

Here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from Week 1.

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Winners

Buffalo Bills

The Bills' Week 1 game against the Houston Texans could have major playoff implications, so Buffalo's win in Houston was a huge first step on the season. This marked Josh Allen's first ever win in Houston against the Texans, and Joe Brady got his first win as a head coach against perhaps the league's best defense.

Allen shredded the Texans defense in the air and on the ground, putting up 36 points while the offense held firm with zero turnovers. If this is a sign of things to come for the Bills, the 2026 season could be another impressive showing.

Cincinnati Bengals

Week 1 has traditionally been a nightmare for the Bengals, who've come out of recent season openers with either a loss or a major injury. So, the Bengals 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a huge success, as it was the defense that carried the way for a Bengals victory.

The Bengals forced four Buccaneers turnovers, three from quarterback Baker Mayfield, and gave the offense the benefit of not needing to do it all by itself. Joe Burrow will have better days, as his pick-six was the lone lowlight on the day, meaning this team could be one of the most complete in the Burrow era.

Declan Doyle

Despite going through a head coaching change, the Ravens have high expectations to return to the playoffs in the prime of Lamar Jackson's career. Baltimore's offense turned heads with an electric showing against the Indianapolis Colts, as offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's unit put up 41 points.

Wide receiver Zay Flowers produced 150 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with an injury, while Derrick Henry got into the end zone three times. If the Ravens offense is this effective throughout the year, it could be among the league's best units, with Doyle rising to the top of head-coaching candidate lists.

Mike LaFleur

LaFleur was not the only first-time head coach to win in Week 1, but he did pull off the week's biggest upset. LaFleur led the Cardinals on the road to beat the heavily-favored Los Angeles Chargers in a game where many didn't expect Arizona to have a chance.

The Cardinals were strong in all-three phases of the game, making big plays on offense, defense and special teams. That is a testament to LaFleur preparing his team for the moment, and could show that the Cardinals are a competitive team this season.

MORE NFL WEEK 1: 

• Latest news on Kyler Murray after suffering concussion
• Where Derrick Henry's 3-TD day puts him on all-time rushing TD list
• Bears drop 59 points to back up Ben Johnson's 'highest-scoring offense' talk
• Baker Mayfield's turnover-filled day dooms Bengals
• How brutal INT drop costs Texans against Bills
• Deshaun Watson's horrid Week 1 brings more Browns QB questions

Losers

Los Angeles Chargers

For a team with a deep playoff run in mind, the Chargers couldn't afford to drop one of their easier games on the schedule. Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles offense looked sluggish, while the special teams unit gave the Cardinals easy field position on a punt block.

The Chargers have a very difficult schedule, making this loss tough to swallow and putting the team in a hole already. In order to get to the level they expect, the Chargers need to fix what wasn't working in this game quickly before the toughest stretch of their schedule.

Cleveland Browns

It is not a surprise that the Browns got blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the loss further cemented the team's bind with Deshaun Watson. The veteran quarterback got off to a brutal start as he turned the ball over a couple of times, allowing the Jaguars to race out to a big lead before the first quarter was over.

If Watson continues to struggle like this, the only question will be when Cleveland will bench him in favor of Shedeur Sanders. For now, though, the Browns will have to deal with the aftermath of naming Watson as their starting quarterback.

Baker Mayfield

Mayfield got a new contract just before the season began, making it so he has to play like a $55 million-a-year player. His performance on Sunday, however, was the main reason that the Buccaneers lost, as his three turnovers were so detrimental in a six-point loss.

Tampa Bay's disappointing end to the 2025 season puts the spotlight on Mayfield and Todd Bowles to bounce back in 2026. Mayfield got what he wanted with his contract, so it's up to him to show everyone the Buccaneers made the right decision by extending him.

Matt LaFleur

While one LaFleur excelled, another LaFleur is now facing a scorching hot seat. Matt LaFleur's Packers not only blew a lead to the Vikings, Green Bay got outscored by Minnesota 29-3 in the second half and 22-0 in the fourth quarter.

Last year, the Packers ended the season on a five-game losing streak while blowing several leads in the process, very similar to Sunday's outcome. Since the Packers are a team that always has high expectations, LaFleur is facing pressure to fix Green Bay's fourth quarter issues.