The first NFL standings update of the 2026 season is in, and Week 1 refused to be boring. Fifteen of sixteen games are complete, the opening weekend produced a 59-point explosion, and the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos – the only two teams yet to take the field – close out the week on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium.
The AFC after Week 1
Every AFC division already has at least one winner. The Baltimore Ravens made the loudest statement of the weekend, hanging 41 points on the Colts in a 41-23 road win at Indianapolis. The Buffalo Bills outlasted the Houston Texans 36-31 in the week’s best shootout, the Jacksonville Jaguars rolled past the Cleveland Browns 34-10, and the Las Vegas Raiders handled the Miami Dolphins 27-13.
The Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Atlanta Falcons 20-13, the Cincinnati Bengals held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27, and the Arizona Cardinals went on the road and beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14. In the East, the New York Jets opened with a composed 23-10 win at Tennessee.
The AFC West is the only division still waiting for its first result: the Chiefs host the Broncos on Monday night (8:15 PM ET, ESPN/ABC), and the winner wakes up on Tuesday alone in first place at 1-0.
The NFC after Week 1
The story of the week belongs to Chicago. The Bears opened their season with a 59-37 road win over the Carolina Panthers – by far the highest-scoring performance of Week 1. The Minnesota Vikings made their own statement in a 39-22 win over division rival Green Bay, and the New York Giants took the early lead in the NFC East with a 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Philadelphia Eagles survived a scare, edging the Washington Commanders 24-22.
Elsewhere, the Detroit Lions needed every minute to get past the New Orleans Saints 31-30, the Seattle Seahawks ground out a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots, and the San Francisco 49ers delivered a 27-7 road statement against the Los Angeles Rams.
What the standings say so far
It is the earliest possible snapshot: every 1-0 team shares first place, every 0-1 team shares last. But the margins already hint at what could matter later – Jacksonville (+24), Chicago (+22) and San Francisco (+20) own the league’s best point differentials, while Cleveland (-24) and Carolina (-22) have the most ground to make up. The final piece of the Week 1 puzzle lands Monday night in Kansas City.
Sources: NFL.com official standings; ESPN scoreboard. Featured image: Scott Stadium during an American football game, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).