Season XXVI is underway, and the USFFL opened the year with the energy that makes Week 1 special. All 32 coaches are back for another season, bringing familiar rivalries, new expectations and a full slate of matchups to the table. The first week delivered close finishes, statement wins and a few reminders that every possession matters in this league.

Week 1 Recap

Green Bay earned an early measuring-stick win over defending champion Detroit, 35-28, in a game that carried plenty of recent history. Detroit unveiled its championship banner, then took a 17-14 lead with 22 seconds left in the first half. Green Bay answered immediately when Jordan Love connected with Dontayvion Wicks for a 61-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining. The teams traded scores through the second half before Tucker Kraft caught his second touchdown with 1:07 left to send the Packers to 1-0.

Seattle made one of the loudest opening statements, defeating San Francisco 38-6. Sam Darnold threw four touchdown passes without an interception, three of them to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, while the Seahawks limited the 49ers to 56 total yards and seven first downs. Buffalo was equally explosive in a 48-27 win over Baltimore: James Cook ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns, Josh Allen threw for 272 yards and three scores, and the Bills recorded six sacks despite Derrick Henry’s 174-yard, three-touchdown afternoon.

There was late-game drama elsewhere. Chicago beat Minnesota 20-17 when Cairo Santos drilled a 50-yard field goal on the final play after the Bears moved 32 yards in seven plays in the final minute. Denver erased Tennessee’s 24-14 halftime lead for a 31-24 comeback, while New Orleans and Arizona played a defensive battle shaped in part by 11 Arizona penalties for 90 yards. New England’s defense supplied another early headline in a 43-6 win over Las Vegas, producing three takeaways, a Harold Landry pick-six and five sacks.

Philadelphia handled Dallas 28-6 behind Jalen Hurts’ 292 passing yards and two touchdown throws, while the Los Angeles Rams survived Houston 19-13 after the Texans closed within a field goal. Indianapolis opened with a 34-10 win over Miami, and Pittsburgh’s 24-3 halftime lead held up in a 31-23 victory over the Jets. With 16 games in the books, the new season is underway in full.

Game of the Week: Green Bay 35, Detroit 28

Week 1’s marquee game lived up to the billing. The defending champion Lions and rival Packers stayed within one score throughout, and the deciding moments came at the end of each half. Detroit’s David Montgomery scored with 22 seconds remaining before halftime to put the Lions ahead 17-14 and set up what looked like a favorable second-half position. Instead, Love hit Wicks for a 61-yard touchdown with eight seconds left, turning the halftime margin into a 21-17 Green Bay lead.

Detroit fought back. Jahmyr Gibbs’ three-yard touchdown run and conversion tied the game 28-28 with 4:48 remaining, but Green Bay answered on its final meaningful possession. Love found Kraft for a two-yard touchdown with 1:07 left, Kraft’s second scoring reception of the night. Love finished with 336 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Kraft totaled 121 receiving yards and two scores. Detroit received strong efforts from Gibbs (114 rushing yards and a touchdown) and Jared Goff (244 passing yards), but Green Bay’s 10-for-14 third-down performance and its late execution proved decisive.

League Leaders

Week 1 set a high bar. The standings are fresh, every team still has a season to shape, and Week 2 is already waiting.