Week 1 of the regular season gives NFL fans the perfect opportunity to overreact one way or another. Teams that we thought would be good might've underperformed in Week 1, and teams that we thought wouldn't be as good might've impressed.
Sure, the Kansas City Chiefs lost the season opener, but does anyone really think they won't be right in the thick of the race to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl? The Indianapolis Colts were as dominant as any team in the NFL in Week 1, but does anyone really think they're anything more than a middling team at best?
With that in mind, here are four teams that NFL fans thought would be in postseason contention that look like they have a lot to work on after poor Week 1 showings.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals won their season opener for the first time since 2021, but it doesn't feel like the Bengals won this game. In fact, had Andre Szmyt not missed an extra point and a 36-yard field goal attempt, the Bengals might've lost. They certainly looked like a team that deserved to lose.
This team is built around its offense, and that side of the ball just didn't show up. Joe Burrow went 14-for-23 for 113 yards in the air while being outplayed by Joe Flacco, the dynamic duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for five catches for 59 yards, and Chase Brown ran for just 43 yards on 21 attempts, averaging roughly two yards per attempt. They managed to score just 17 points on the day, an amount that won't be good to beat many non-Cleveland Browns teams.
Admittedly, the Bengals' defense, which is what's supposed to be their biggest weakness, did impress, but slowing down a 40-year-old Joe Flacco with limited weapons isn't exactly a major accomplishment, and the only pass rusher who made his presence known was Trey Hendrickson, the lone star on this defense.
A win is a win, and it's always better to start 1-0 than 0-1, but if the Bengals are going to win enough to get to the playoffs, they're going to have to win shootouts more often than not. Their offense didn't look like one that's capable of doing that right now, so when their defense has to face a non-Browns team, that could prove to be very problematic.
3. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos were perhaps the biggest lock of the week on paper and they took care of business against the Tennessee Titans at home, beating them 20-12. A win is a win, but did this team look like one ready to take the next step from playoff team to one actually able to make noise in January (and maybe February)? I'd argue no.
Their defense showed up, holding Cam Ward to 12-for-28 passing for 128 yards, but we already knew this was one of the best defenses in the sport. Limiting Ward and a subpar Titans offense at home in Ward's debut is what was expected from them.
Where it might be worth sounding alarm bells, though, is with their offense. The Broncos scored just 20 points on the day, a number that won't be good enough to win most weeks, and turned the ball over four (!) times. Bo Nix threw two interceptions, lost a fumble, and had a QBR of 19.3. It was ugly.
This Broncos offense was supposed to take a leap this season, led by Nix in his second NFL season, but there were few, if any, signs of that on Sunday. There's ample time for them to improve, and perhaps giving RJ Harvey more than six carries will open up the offense a bit more, but in this game, the Broncos showed they're nowhere near true contenders yet.
2. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have the privilege of playing in arguably the easiest division in the NFL and should earn a home playoff game because of that. With that being said, matchups against non-AFC South teams could prove to be problematic. A showdown against the Los Angeles Rams, a fellow postseason contender, resulted in a frustrating Week 1 loss.
It was especially frustrating because the Texans' defense did its job, holding Matthew Stafford and Co. to just 14 points on the day. That should've been good enough for Houston to walk out of Los Angeles 1-0, and comfortably at that, but they lost the game because they scored nine points. They didn't record a single point in the second half.
C.J. Stroud completed 19 of his 27 pass attempts for just 188 yards. He didn't lead the Texans into the end zone a single time, and he threw a costly interception in their first second-half drive as well. The Rams deserve credit, but the Texans simply had to play better on this side of the ball, particularly in the air.
Being without Christian Kirk stung, but C.J. Stroud is a quarterback many believe is one of the eight or 10 best in the sport. In no game, especially when Nico Collins is out there, should a Stroud-led offense be held to single digits. The Texans' defense is elite, but their offensive line is a problem, there isn't much skill position player talent outside of Collins, and Stroud clearly needs more than what he has. This Texans team can still win the putrid AFC South, led by the defense, but any thoughts of more than that feel unrealistic right now after watching this game.
1. Detroit Lions
You knew they'd be here. The Detroit Lions had a lot to prove in this year's season opener, and they fell flat. Sure, beating the Green Bay Packers on the road in Micah Parsons' debut to kick off the season was a lot to ask for, but the Lions are supposed to be Super Bowl contenders. Super Bowl contenders win games against other good teams, even when they're on the road, or at least keep things close. The Lions did neither.
They lost 27-13, and didn't even get into the end zone until the game was out of reach late in the fourth quarter. Jared Goff couldn't get anything going downfield, the running game was ineffective, and their defense made things far too easy for Jordan Love and Co.
It's only Week 1, and this Lions team has more than enough talent to turn things around, but this was a statement game for them. They were supposed to show that they can still beat or even compete with the Packers after adding Parsons, and they were supposed to show that even with a weaker offensive line and without coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn that they're the class of the NFC North. They looked like a team that's a tier or two below Green Bay, and that's a problem.