Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season delivered two of its best games on Sunday, with the Buffalo Bills surviving a shootout against the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars running away from the Cleveland Browns behind a big performance from Trevor Lawrence.
Bills edge Texans 36-31 in a classic
Buffalo needed every one of Josh Allen’s 324 passing yards and four total touchdowns (two through the air, two on the ground) to hold off Houston. The game featured nine lead changes before Allen found Josh Palmer for a 34-yard touchdown with 1:36 remaining to put the Bills up 36-31. Houston still had one last chance, but Greg Rousseau strip-sacked C.J. Stroud, and Terrell Bernard recovered the fumble with just nine seconds left to seal the win.
Trevor Lawrence and Jaguars run past Browns 34-10
Jacksonville made a statement in the early Sunday window, jumping out to a 24-0 halftime lead over Cleveland on the way to a 34-10 win. Trevor Lawrence was near-flawless, completing 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns, spreading the ball to four different receivers in the end zone: Parker Washington, Josh Cameron, Brenton Strange and Jakobi Meyers. The result moves the Jaguars to 1-0 to open the season.
Both results set an early tone for the season, with Buffalo showing the resilience that has defined Josh Allen’s tenure and Jacksonville signalling that its passing attack could be a genuine weapon in 2026.
