The NFL season has arrived, and what better way to celebrate that than by making some bold predictions about things that might happen in Week 1? Maybe not as bold as "the Rams absolutely butcher the idea of international travel and jet lag to a degree that they get embarrassed in the season opener" — but still, bold.
These three bold predictions for Sunday capture just how unpredictable the first week of the NFL season can be. Not everything we thought all offseason about teams will pan out.
Malik Willis puts on a big show in the Dolphins opener
The Miami Dolphins are expected to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick this season. In Week 1, though, new quarterback Malik Willis is going to get the team off to a hot start against the Raiders. I'm not saying Miami wins this game, because the defense could easily let them down, but Willis is going to show that the Dolphins offense won't be as bad as we expect.
First, this matchup should be solid for Miami. Yes, the Raiders defense still has Maxx Crosby and it's a good bet that he'll get home on Willis a time or two, but I'm not that scared of a defensive secondary that's full of rookies; in addition to starting safety Treydan Stukes, there are three more first-year players who are expected to rotate in as backups. It's a perfect spot for Willis to make some noise.
Plenty has been made of the lack of weapons in Miami, and I won't sit here and argue that this isn't one of the NFL's worst collections of receiving talent. However, Miami does still have De'Von Achane to take pressure off the passing game, and the fact that Miami is starting rookies Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas over new additions Jalen Tolbert and Ryan Miller shows me that there's some level of confidence in those young players. Miami's offensive line is actually really underrated, which helps too. The Dolphins are going to find a way to score points in this one, though the Raiders will probably also find a way to score points. What if this is the shootout of the week? Wouldn't that be funny?
C.J. Stoud shows that 2026 is his year
The last time we saw C.J. Stroud on a football field, Houston Texans fans (hi, it's me!) wanted to pour bleach in their eyes, because that pain would have been preferable to the pain of watching Stroud throw interception after interception. His two-game playoff run was one of the worst we've ever seen from a turnover and potential turnover perspective, and it's a credit to the Texans defense that the team even had two playoff games at all.
Is Stroud a bad quarterback? Is he a good one? The jury's still out both directions, and opening the season against a Buffalo Bills team that allowed the NFL's fewest passing yards last season is a tough way to begin things if he's hoping to change the narrative on his play. However, I think Stroud is ready to step up against this Bills secondary.
Stroud missed the Bills game last year, so I don't have any "look what he did last time he played them" data here. I don't really have anything to point to actually, other than vibes. People around the Texans have been effusive in praising how Stroud looked in camp — and, more importantly, how much he seems to have grown mentally this offseason. If he's actually a good quarterback, he almost has to show it on Sunday to make up for last season's playoff stinker.
New Orleans gets a big road upset
People seem to take the Detroit Lions beating the New Orleans Saints on the road this week as a foregone conclusion. ESPN has the Lions as the fifth-best survivor pick this week, and I've seen a lot of chatter about this being a great shot for Detroit to open the season strong as they look to bounce back from last season's disappointing playoff miss.
But, like ... I think people are really discounting that this Saints team can be good. Sure, not having rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson to open the season is a hit to the team's chances, but New Orleans didn't have him in 2025 either, yet the team was a solid 5-4 once Tyler Shough took over as the starter — including a pair of wins over the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers.
Assuming Shough continued to get better this offseason and that the Lions defense hasn't improved enough from 2025, when the team allowed the 11th-most points in the NFL, I think this game is going to be much closer than people think. The Saints won't win in convincing fashion, but they will find a way to win it.
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