The National Football League came back with a bang for Week 1 of the 2026 season.
791 points were scored between 32 teams, tying the highest-mark in the Super Bowl era as scoreboards from around the league were lit up to open the new year.
Week 2 is back with every team in action and six games being carried on the TSN Network, highlighted by the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and Chicago Bears all looking to stay in the win column and move to 2-0 on the year.
Here is a look at each game on TSN this week and where to find them on the network.
Lions vs. Bills - Thursday Night Football
Week 2 gets underway with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills welcoming Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions to town on Thursday Night Football.
The Bills got off to a 1-0 start to the season by exercising their demons in Houston last week with a 36-31 over the Texans.
Buffalo had gone nearly 20 years without a road victory over the Texans, including four consecutive losses with Allen under centre, but used some late heroics to rally back for the season-opening win.
Allen finished the game with 334 passing yards and four total touchdowns, including a 34-yard strike to Brampton, Ont. native Joshua Palmer with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to stun the league’s best defence from a year ago.
New pass-catcher D.J. Moore made an impact of his own with a 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown in his team debut, while Dalton Kincaid brought in a five catches for a team-high 130 receiving yards.
The win also served as Joe Brady’s first as an NFL head coach after he was tabbed to take the reins from Sean McDermott on the Bills’ sideline following his nine-year stay in western New York.
“You saw a lot of the conviction, everything we sort of talk about,” Brady said after the win over Houston. “We didn’t care how pretty. There’s no such thing as an ugly win.”
Continuing a trend of firsts from last week, Buffalo will mark a new chapter in their franchise history as they get set to officially open their new $2.2 billion stadium.
Like their Week 2 opponents, the Lions also got the new season off on the right foot with a 31-30 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Detroit built up a 21-0 lead over New Orleans with two rushing scores from Gibbs and a receiving touchdown from Amon-Ra St. Brown, and looked to be on their way to an easy victory in the season opener.
The Lions’ defence then crumbled down the stretch, surrendering 24 points from the 4:27 mark of the third quarter and on as the Saints would go on to force overtime.
In overtime, St. Brown would haul in his second touchdown of the day to give Detroit the lead and the eventual win after New Orleans failed on their two-point conversion with 1:34 left in the extra frame, preventing the would-be biggest collapse in franchise history.
“We hung in there and made the last play to win and that’s the most important thing,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game.
While safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch remain on the PUP list to open the year, Detroit’s secondary was gashed for 410 yards through the air by second-year passer Tyler Shough. They will be in for another tough test against Allen, who has thrown for the third-most yards in the league since debuting in 2018.
Another area of concern for the Lions is monitoring Gibbs’ workload on a short week after the fourth-year pro set a career-high mark with 34 touches (29 carries, four receptions) in Week 1.
The Alabama product is entering his first year as a bell-cow running back after the departure of longtime backfield-mate David Montgomery over the offseason. Gibbs has never logged more than 250 carries in a single season, but is expected to blow past that mark if Week 1 was any indication.
Vikings vs. Bears
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears look to follow up an explosive offensive showing in Week 1 with a matchup against Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings.
Year two of Ben Johnson’s reign as head coach could not have gotten off to a better start.
The Bears offence seemingly scored at will in their opener against the Carolina Panthers last week, finding the end zone eight times in a 59-37 victory.
Now entering his third year in the league, Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, also adding 65 yards and two more scores on the ground.
D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai rushed for a combined 224 yards and four touchdowns, while Cole Kmet and Jahdae Walker recorded Chicago’s touchdown receptions.
Before the season, Johnson told reporters that he wanted Chicago to have “the highest-scoring offence ever” and if Week 1 was any indication, he wasn’t kidding.
Despite the blowout win, Chicago’s presumed top options on offence had relatively quiet games all around.
Receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III had seven catches between them, while tight end Colston Loveland did not record a reception against Carolina.
“We got a lot of weapons, so I mean, the ball go to whoever,” Walker said Monday following the win. ”We all are capable of making plays and that just shows [the depth] in our receiver and offensive rooms.”
If Johnson and Williams can get those three back on track against Minnesota, the Bears offence could get that much scarier in the early-going of the 2026 season.
The Vikings rallied for a big win over their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers last time out, closing with 29 unanswered points in the 39-22 victory.
Minnesota’s off-season addition Kyler Murray was knocked out of the game with a head injury in the first quarter, with veteran passer Carson Wentz drawing in under centre on the team’s third drive of the season.
Wentz would complete 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 133 yards and three touchdowns – including two to Jefferson – to lead the Vikings to a Week 1 victory.
“That’s why he’s here,” coach Kevin O’Connell said of Wentz. “For him to come in and do what he did and just be part of that calming presence that allowed our team to continue playing, I can’t say enough about him.”
While Murray remains in concussion protocol as of Tuesday, Wentz could very well be tabbed to start in Week 2 with J.J. McCarthy serving as the backup.
Bengals vs. Texans on TSN Premium
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals look to get off to a 2-0 start for just the third time this quarter-century as they head to the Lone Star State for a meeting against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans.
Watch the Bengals visit the Texans LIVE Sunday at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on TSN Premium.
Cincinnati showed off their new-look defence last time out, forcing four turnovers in a 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After revamping the defensive unit with pieces like Dexter Lawrence, Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe, and Jonathan Allen, the Bengals saw immediate returns in the season-opening victory.
“You felt their presence, all of them today,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “It was fun to watch those guys get in the action and create all those turnovers.”
Burrow completed 25-of-35 pass attempts with a touchdown and interception, while London, Ont. native Chase Brown chipped in 88 total yards and a rushing score.
All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase was limited to two catches for just 12 yards, while Tee Higgins had three receptions for 59 yards in a quiet day for the Cincinnati’s star pass catchers.
Houston fell to the Bills last time out while their vaunted defence was lot up for 409 yards and 36 points.
However, it wasn’t all bad for the Texans despite the loss, with Stroud playing well following a trying 2025 season and off-season acquisition David Montgomery scoring three touchdowns.
Stroud’s role as the Texans franchise QB was called into question following a disastrous postseason showing that saw the Ohio State alum throw five interceptions with five fumbles in two playoff games.
He showed signs of improvement by competing 68.4 per cent of his passes with two touchdowns, but did lose fumbles on Houston’s first and last drives of the game in the loss.
He will look for better ball security in Week 2 as Houston looks to avoid an 0-2 start for the second consecutive year.
NFL RedZone on TSN Premium
Follow along with every score, turnover, and big play from around Week 2 with seven hours of NFL RedZone.
Jaguars vs. Broncos
The NFL action on Sunday continues into the afternoon slate Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars head to Mile High to take on Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos.
Jacksonville got off to a fast start last week in their throttling of the Cleveland Browns last week, scoring 24 points in the first half before cruising to a 34-10 win.
Trevor Lawrence went 18-of-23 with 245 passing yards and four touchdowns in the win, continuing a strong run of play that earned him a fifth-place finish in MVP voting last year.
“When he is playing to the best of his ability like we know he can, the offense starts clicking and he makes some big plays downfield with some great throws, and we feed off of that,” second-year running back Bhayshul Tuten said. “We love him.”
Sunday’s win was the sixth time in the past nine regular-season games that the Lawrence and Jacksonville have scored 30-plus points. The sixth-year QB out of Clemson leads the league with 23 touchdown passes, with just five picks, in those nine games.
While Lawrence and the Jags look to keep rolling, Denver will try and turn things around in a hurry after being run out of the building against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football to close out Week 1.
Nix threw for just 131 yards with a touchdown, interception, and a lost fumble while being pressured on his drop backs for the majority of the night.
Denver had just 176 yards of total offence as the Chiefs defence put the league back on notice following a down 2025 season.
“As a whole offense, a whole team, we just didn’t play really good,” Nix said.
“Obviously not a good evening,” Broncos coach Sean Payton added.
Payton handed the play-calling duties to first-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb, garnering poor results against a Chiefs defence that dominated for much of the evening.
Webb appears to be getting another crack at things against the Jaguars, but another stagnant performance from the Denver offence could see Payton take the role back with Denver looking to keep their AFC West crown.
Colts vs. Chiefs - Sunday Night Football
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in action on against Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.
Mahomes made his triumphant return from a torn ACL last week, throwing for 184 yards and two touchdowns, also adding a 15-yard score on a scramble that erased any doubts on how his surgically-repaired knee would hold up.
Along with Mahomes, Kenneth Walker III shined in his debut with the Chiefs with 173 yards and two touchdowns in his first taste of game action since winning Super Bowl LX MVP last February as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
“[Walker] did a really nice job, and you never know going in how many times you’re going to give him the ball,” head coach Andy Reid said. “That’s not a calculated thing. You have to be making yards. For him to play the way he did I thought was spectacular.”
Steve Spagnuolo’s defence also made their mark, limiting the Broncos to just 176 yards of total offence while forcing a pair of turnovers.
Rookie corner Mansoor Delane recorded an interception in his NFL debut as part of a dominant performance from the Chiefs, but would exit the contest shortly after with a shoulder injury. Head coach Andy Reid did not have an update on Kansas City’s sixth overall pick after the game.
Kansas City will play on primetime once again this week as they look to improve to 2-0 on the year with the Colts heading to Arrowhead.
Indianapolis was blown out of the water by Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens last time out, surrendering over 500 yards of total offence and five touchdowns in a 41-23 rout in their opener.
“Definitely disappointing,” All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner said following the loss. “All of us, we know we can make the plays that we need to, especially those types of plays. We have to be better.”
“This is a good gut check for the entire team, every single one of us,” said veteran defensive tackle and team captain DeForest Buckner. “We’ve got to be better, including myself. We’ve got to be better each and every day, have a sense of urgency and move on to the Chiefs.”
Taylor was among the few bright spots for the Colts in an otherwise disappointing season opener, rushing for 98 yards with two touchdowns as Shane Steichen’s top option on offence.
Colts passer Daniel Jones appeared to be dealing with his fair share of rust after missing the end of last season with a torn Achilles, throwing for just 166 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
New No. 1 wide receiver Alec Pierce also managed just four catches for 61 yards following offseason ankle surgery. Following the loss, he told reporters he had been dealing with a bruised hand and wrist during the contest.
Giants vs. Rams - Monday Night Football
Week 2 in the NFL comes to a close with Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants going head-to-head with Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC clash on Monday Night Football.
The Giants kicked off the John Harbaugh era in style last week with a 28-20 win over their NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys, and will now look for more as they head west for a meeting against the Super Bowl favourites.
Jaxson Dart threw three touchdowns passes - including a pair to new tight end Isaiah Likely - while running back Cam Skattebo ran for a team-high 81 yards with a score in his return to action after a gruesome ankle injury put an end to his rookie campaign last season.
“It probably started with Skatt,” Harbaugh said of the win on Monday. “He was running really, really hard, really, really well. Set the tempo, brought the energy, juice. I thought his reads were really good. Then of course the blocking, so there was a lot of good blocks.”
Week 1 also marked the return of star receiver Malik Nabers almost a year to the date he tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee. The former LSU standout hauled in six of his nine targets for 69 yards against Dallas despite carrying a questionable tag with just hours to go before kick off.
With a win over their division urrival, solid production from multiple starters on both sides of the ball, and a clean bill of health heading into Week 2, New York’s season-opener went as well as the Giants could have hoped for.
The same cannot be said for the Rams.
Los Angeles was tasked with heading down under for their Week 1 meeting against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, and were beaten handily on their way to a 27-7 loss in their opener.
The Rams chose to deploy an unorthodox travel plan, boarding their 15-hour flight on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, or Wednesday in Melbourne, for their game on Friday morning.
The result: a stagnant offensive showing for reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and company that led that NFL with 30.0 points per game in 2025.
Stafford was held to just 155 yards with an interception, while Kyren Williams was the only Ram to find pay dirt on a five-yard score in the second quarter.
“I don’t believe that that’s why we didn’t play well enough,” head coach Sean McVay said of the Rams’ travel plans after the loss. “I really don’t. ... I’ll always make decisions that I think are best for the football team. It’s easy in hindsight to be able to say it was a miss, but those are responsibilities that I’ll take.”
To make matter worse for Los Angeles, prized offseason acquisition Myles Garrett was placed on injured reserve following the game and will miss at least the next four games with a knee injury.
Garrett was traded to Los Angeles over the offseason, prompting Aaron Donald to put an end to his retirement and rejoin the Rams to form one of the most fearsome defensive lines in recent memory.
That pairing will now have to wait until at least Week 5 to take the field together with Garrett now on the shelf and Donald sitting out the opener while he continues to get back into game shape.
Donald’s status remains up in the air for Week 2, with McVay telling reporters that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year continues to “work his process.”
