The NFL season officially kicks off tonight. Here are 5 things to watch in the first week of games

By CNN Newsource

Published September 9, 2026 5:00 AM

By Andy Scholes, CNN

(CNN) — The Los Angeles Rams are loaded, Patrick Mahomes has a new knee, the Super Bowl champs are somehow underdogs and Buffalo Bills fans are once again convincing themselves this is the year!

It’s all happening in the NFL. Here are five things to know about Week 1 of the 2026 season.

The Rams are big, big favorites

The Los Angeles Rams enter the season as huge favorites to win the Super Bowl, which will be played in LA for the first time since… the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2022.

It’s been a blockbuster offseason for the Rams. They made a huge trade, sending three draft picks, including a first-rounder, to the Browns for superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett. They also made a big trade with the Chiefs, sending four draft picks, including a first-rounder, for star cornerback Trent McDuffie.

Those moves instantly made the Rams one of the scariest defenses in the league. And that was BEFORE arguably the best defensive player of all time decided to come out of retirement.

For the first time since the 2023 season, Aaron Donald will suit up for the Rams. The 35-year-old, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, now teams up with Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Good luck to the offensive lines facing the Rams this season.

Sean McVay’s team is the overwhelming favorite to win the Super Bowl at +500. That may not be great news for the Rams, though, because teams that have been so heavily favored are 0-20 over the last 30 years.

The big question for this team, other than whether it can stay healthy: Can Matthew Stafford repeat last year’s MVP performance at 38 years old?

The 49ers’ wild off-season

The Rams will open the season against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia on Thursday on Netflix.

It certainly has been an interesting offseason for the Niners.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a serious car accident in July that left him with a severe concussion, a broken nose, three broken ribs, a broken hand and a large gash near his right eye that required more than 40 stitches.

Then owner Jed York was arrested in an undercover prostitution sting in Ohio. York was charged with misdemeanor counts of engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools, referring to his cellphone. The prostitution charge was amended to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and York pleaded no contest to both disorderly conduct and possession of criminal tools. He received a two-day jail sentence, with credit for time served, and was ordered to pay $1,150 in fines.

Then came the Daeshon Love saga.

Love was arrested by the FBI on August 24 for allegedly executing an elaborate, multiyear romance scam in which he posed as a 49ers wide receiver. Love has nothing to do with the actual 49ers, but the story just added to one of the most bizarre offseasons for a team in a long time.

On the field, the 49ers still have Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey and added star receiver Mike Evans. They are expected to be good once again, but they play in the toughest division in football, the NFC West.

(And yes, they still practice next to the electrical substation.)

The Seahawks think no one believes in them

It’s pretty rare for the reigning Super Bowl champion to not even be the favorite to win its division the following year.

The Seahawks dominated the playoffs last season and destroyed the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, but somehow they still have that “no one believes in us” attitude.

The reigning champs return nearly everyone from last year’s team, minus Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, who signed with the Chiefs in the offseason.

Right now, Seattle has the third-best odds to win it all, behind the Rams and Bills.

Much is made of the Seahawks’ “12th Man,” the name for their fans, who give the team a great home-field advantage in Seattle. But head coach Mike Macdonald has proven he knows how to get his squad ready on the road, too.

Through two seasons, Macdonald is 15-2 on the road, the second-best record all time for a coach in his first two seasons, behind only George Seifert.

The Seahawks will open the season Wednesday at home in a Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots.

Mahomes’ return from ACL injury

Last season marked the end of the Chiefs’ dynasty run.

Mahomes, Andy Reid and company had gone to seven straight AFC championship games, five Super Bowls and won three of them during an incredible run from 2018-24.

But last year was a struggle.

Mahomes and the offense never looked right … and then, in December, Mahomes tore his ACL, effectively ending the Chiefs’ season and halting the team’s run of 10 straight years in the playoffs.

Now the question is: Can Mahomes and the Chiefs recapture that magic?

Mahomes is on target to start the season despite being just nine months removed from the ACL tear. Travis Kelce is back, fresh off marrying Taylor Swift in the offseason. And, as mentioned, the Chiefs added Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, giving them their best threat out of the backfield since they had a young Kareem Hunt back there.

The Chiefs also get to play a third-place schedule, which should help this season.

But the AFC West is expected to be very tough, with the Broncos and Chargers also hoping to contend for a conference title.

The Chiefs open the season at home on Monday Night Football against the Broncos.

Is it finally Josh Allen’s year?

Every year for a while now, the Bills have been one of the preseason favorites. And every year their season somehow ends in disappointment.

Josh Allen is the best quarterback in football. He pretty much guarantees you have a chance.

But Bills fans are hoping that FINALLY the ball will bounce their way and they will find themselves in the Super Bowl.

Their last Super Bowl appearance was in 1994, when they lost their fourth straight championship game.

This is Year Nine for Allen. His worst record since his rookie season is 10-6. You can pretty much book it: The Bills are going to somehow win 10 to 13 games in the regular season.

But that’s getting old in Buffalo. The fan base is yearning for a Super Bowl run.

This season, they have a brand-new stadium – with some questionable obstructed-view seats – to enjoy.

Allen is arguably the best quarterback ever to not play in a Super Bowl.

So it’s going to happen at some point… right?

This season will be a battle. The Bills have a tough schedule, and it starts in Houston against the Texans’ stellar defense in Week 1.

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