After months of preparation, the 2026/27 National Football League (NFL) season kicked off last week Wednesday, and between then and Monday, all 32 teams faced Game 1 of the season, including the first-ever NFL game to be played in Australia.

The results were a vast mix of everything one would expect from competitors vying for such a coveted prize and provided a microcosm of what to expect for the rest of the season. There were surprising upsets, including the JustBet favoured Los Angeles Rams getting mauled by the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, a white-knuckle overtime slugfest, a couple of come-from-behind wins, noteworthy individual performances, and record-breaking scoring across the league.

The aforementioned overtime slugfest involved the New Orleans Saints visiting the Detroit Lions, where the home team appeared to be heading to a blowout win, after leading 21-0 in the third quarter. However, the New Orleans offence came to life in the third and what ensued was some of the most intense football anyone could imagine. The Saints’ quarterback (QB), Tyler Shough, threw for a total of 410 yards, and had three touchdowns in the second half and overtime, before New Orleans succumbed to a 30-31 overtime loss to a highly touted Detroit squad.

Arguably, the most significant individual performance came during Monday Night Football, at the hands (and feet) of running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker, who was voted as the Most Valuable Player for Super Bowl LX in February, turned his back on the Seattle Seahawks following their successful championship run because they didn’t match his contract demands, and landed in Kansas City on a three-year, US$43-million agreement, which now appears to be a steal. His first Chiefs’ outing was in Arrowhead Stadium on Monday against the Denver Broncos and the ball carrier exploded for 173 yards – the most by a Chiefs’ player since 2012 – plus a touchdown on 23 carries, and another 18 yards and a touchdown on three catches. This included a 60-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one in the third quarter that curtained the 31-10 victory.

All tallied, the Week 1 scoring tied the all-time Super Bowl-era record with 791 total points for the first week of the season, matching the mark previously set in 2012, which no one saw coming after the Seahawks and the New England Patriots kicked off the campaign with a 13-10 defensive battle, in a Super Bowl LX rematch. Most notable in this scoring explosion was the Chicago Bears bettering the Carolina Panthers 59–37, combining for 96 points (the most-ever in a Game 1 in league history), while Sunday’s 13 games combined for 693 points (averaging 53.3 points per game), marking the highest-scoring Week 1 Sunday ever.

This offensive frenzy is expected to continue into Week 2 as some mouthwatering matchups are on offer and, considering the results from the opening week, almost every encounter can be viewed as a must-watch event. That said, the New York Giants are set to tackle the Rams in SoFi Stadium on Monday night and the Week 2 closer maybe the most interesting matchup at this juncture. The Rams remain JustBet favourites to be crowned champions, despite being bushwhacked 27-7 in Australia last week Wednesday, while the Giants made the touted defense of the Dallas Cowboys look ordinary, in a 28-20 win last Sunday night.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 2,320 yards (290 yards per game) with 22 touchdowns against one interception, in eight home starts last season, en route to being named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Last week, Stafford passed for 155 yards, for no touchdowns and an interception in the loss against the 49ers, being last held without a touchdown pass in Week 17 of the 2024/25 season by the same opponent. Against the Giants, he is 5-2 in his career, and has won the four last meetings, but he is 6-11 on Monday nights.

The receiving pair of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams provide a potent tandem for Stafford, but they were held in check by the San Francisco defense, while the Los Angeles defense, minus the unretired Aaron Donald (who didn’t make the trip to Australia), failed to make the expected impression. Donald is questionable for the Monday night matchup and the newly acquired Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, will miss the game after undergoing knee surgery, leaving the Rams a little short defensively this weekend.

In the win over Dallas on Sunday, Giants second-year QB Jaxson Dart became the first player ever with at least three touchdown passes, a passer rating of 130 or higher (career-high 134.2), and 50 or more rushing yards (54) in a season-opening game. This will be his second Monday Night Football game, following his losing debut last year in Week 13, where the Giants suffered a 33-15 loss to the Patriots in New England. Based mainly on his carefree play, Dart visited the medical tent for concussion checks five times over the course of last season, and missed a few games due to concussion protocol, but appeared to be a little less reckless in his season opener. Second-year running back Cameron Skattebo has returned from the gruesome season-ending ankle injury suffered in Week 8 last season, with the same ferocity he displayed before the injury, finishing with 81 rushing yards on 18 carries against Dallas, while the receiving duo of Malik Nabers and the newly acquired Isiah Likely did what was required in Game 1 to enter Week 2 with a 1-0 record.

Defensively, Big Blue, the Giants, had only one interception and no sacks against the Cowboys, but they were like a blanket over CeDee Lamb and George Pickens through most of the game, and the pass rushers had QB Dak Prescott oftentimes on his heels. There is no guarantee that things will play out the way they did in the first week, especially considering the Rams were possibly suffering from jet lag, having arrived in Australia the day before the game but, all things considered, this should not be missed on Monday, and the other matchups over the weekend are expected to be blockbusters in their own right. Are you ready for some football?

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Super Bowl LXI Champion

– February 14, 2027

Team Odds

Los Angeles Rams 7.50

Buffalo Bills 10.00

Baltimore Ravens 10.00

Seattle Seahawks 12.00

Kansas City Chiefs 15.00

San Francisco 49ers 15.00

Cincinnati Bengals 18.00

Philadelphia Eagles 18.00

Detroit Lions 18.00

Houston Texans 20.00

*Only Top 10 odds are shown (see website for full list)

Note: Odds are subject to change