5 NFL Teams that Looked the Most Impressive in Week 1
It was quite a first week in the NFL season this past weekend, featuring everything from high-scoring duels to nail-biting thrillers. While some teams that entered the 2025 season with high expectations had a somewhat disappointing showing in Week 1, other teams that flew under the radar in the offseason came out with surprisingly strong showings. Let’s examine and rank which teams had the most impressive showings in week 1
1. Indianapolis Colts
To say that a historic performance from this Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis Colts squad is a bit of a surprise would be an understatement. The former Giants first-round pick was able to lead the Colts on a scoring drive on every single offensive possession versus the Dolphins on Sunday. This was the first time that a team scored on every possession since 1991, a feat that I’m sure even surprised the most die-hard of Colts fans. The combination of Daniel Jones’ historic outing mixed with the Colts’ defensive domination of Miami makes Indy the clear-cut number one NFL team on this list.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Coming into the season, many people questioned the Steelers’ signing of Aaron Rodgers, seeming to doubt whether or not Rodgers had anything left in the tank after a dismal last two years in New York. The four-time NFL MVP showed on Sunday that he has more than enough gas left in the tank. Rodgers threw for an impressive 244 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Steelers to a thrilling finish against his former team. Although the Steelers’ defense has much to improve on after this game, the offense showed that it can pick up the slack compared to the last few seasons.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
While some people may be quick to point out the fact that the Raiders beat a still-rebuilding Patriots NFL squad, the silver and black nonetheless showed quite a bit of promise on the offensive side of the ball. Newly signed QB Geno Smith looked fairly comfortable being back in a Pete Carroll-coached system on offense, throwing for 362 yards and a touchdown to set the Raiders record for most passing yards in a Raiders debut. Although it is not very hard to see why Smith had so much success, the Raiders have plenty of great weapons to choose from on offense. The trio of Bowers, Meyers, and former Boise State standout Ashton Jeanty showed that the Raiders may be more competitive this season than previously thought.
4. Los Angeles Rams
The questions most people had about the Rams heading into the 2025 NFL season were whether this young Rams defense, led by last season’s DROY in Jared Verse, would take a step forward this year. After a stifling performance holding a potent Houston Texans offense to just 9 points on Sunday, this Rams defense will be a huge problem this season for teams. Also, with Stafford still under center on offense, and barring the injury bug hindering this team for the third straight year, the Rams could very well be in a prime position to win another Super Bowl this season.
5. Los Angeles Chargers
It’s hard to put into perspective how huge the Chargers’ win over their bitter NFL rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, really was on Friday night in Sao Paulo. Coming into the game, the Chiefs had won seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams, while winning every one-possession match. Chargers star QB Justin Herbert decided to flip the script in the Chargers’ 27-21 victory, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns while also scrambling on a 19-yard rushing play to seal the Chargers’ win. That last play by Herbet could very well represent a changing of the guard in the AFC West division, at least for this season.
Final Thoughts
As we now turn our attention towards week 2 of the NFL season, expectations may very well be raised for these respective teams. Only time will tell if some of these performances were a one-off outing or not; either way, keep your eyes glued on these teams moving forward this year. It will be interesting to see how things pan out this week, because there’s bound to be a shakeup.
