“This year is different for me”: Josh Allen on season expectations
Josh Allen tells the story of Scotty Schaeffler’s caddy Ted Scott giving advice to Josh Allen and his team ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
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Many NFL teams broke with new starting quarterbacks in the first week of the 2025 season. Many of them have achieved success with new excavations.
That included Daniel Jones, who surprised many by thriving in his first start at the Indianapolis Colts. He made history by leading the Colts to all seven possessions during the game, leading the team to their first week of victory since 2013.
Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields also worked well in the “Trade Place” game. Rodgers became the first Pittsburgh quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger in 2020, having scored four pass touchdowns in a single game. Meanwhile, Fields showed off his double threat capabilities that have become the top target of Jets manager Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Moozy’s new leadership team.
Will Fields, Jones and Rogers continue to work well? And what about players like Russell Wilson who didn’t thrive in their new club? These questions will ignite in the minds of football fans as they respond to the first NFL action of 2025.
Here are some of the most notable overreactions from week one of the 2025 NFL season:
Daniel Jones fit perfectly with the Colts
When he signed a one-year contract with the team during the 2025 NFL offseason, few people gave Jones the chance to win the Colts’ starting job. The 28-year-old rewarded his faith in him with an incredible show in which Indianapolis beat the Miami Dolphins in an Indianapolis 33-8 blow.
Jones thrived as a passerby during the contest, showing great accuracy throughout. He completed 22 of 29 passes and a touchdown for 272 yards, adding 26 yards and two scores to the ground.
No one mistakes Jones for Jalen’s pain, but the first round pick in 2019 certainly looked comfortable with Shane Steichen’s offense. The system is suitable for Jones’ short and mid-range accuracy, but the chemistry he showed alongside veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie tight end Tyler Warren should make it easier for him to stay in rhythm every week.
Still, NFL fans should be careful not to read too much of Jones’ powerful show. After all, it came against the dolphins. Dolphins could be one of the worst teams in the NFL, as they could have minimal talent at cornerback. Fans will have to reserve judgement until they see what Jones can do in Week 2, which is much stronger against the Denver Broncos’ defense.
The Jets are locking Justin Field
Like Jones, Fields enjoyed an incredible debut for his new team. Fields completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown, adding 48 yards and two scores to the ground with a 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
More encouraging, the field looked extremely comfortable in Tanner Engstrand’s attack. The 26-year-old eliminated some of the bad habits he had shown at previous stops in Chicago and Pittsburgh. In particular, the field showed an intent to keep his eyes down while moving. He didn’t default to scramble when he put pressure on him.
The sector that thrived against the Steelers’ defense expects many to hope for the Jet and its fans. New York also needs to score 32 points. This coincided with the team’s season-high points total since 2024.
But like Jones, the Jets will want to see if the field can build on his momentum in week two before anointing the 26-year-old team’s savior. And it’s important that he eventually enters the winner’s column.
Aaron Rodgers is set in the Swan Song of MVP Caliber
Rodgers scored just one four touchdown game in his two years with the Jets. He needed only one game to achieve that feat with the Steelers.
Rogers looked like his old self in his first game with the Steelers. Certainly, the 41-year-old was significantly less mobility than he was at his peak, so he was fired four times. Still, he was accurate throughout the game, allowing Pittsburgh’s offense to be kept on schedule, completing 22 of 30 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns.
Can Rogers continue playing like this? It’s a big test for veterans. Nonetheless, his highly qualified performance comes against what many expect to be a solid Jets defense, and it appears that Rodgers is working well with his new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith.
That might be enough to help Rogers reappear as a MVP candidate, especially if he can catapult the Steelers into the NFC North competition. His lack of mobility makes it difficult to catch things like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes in such races, but the Steelers settle for having an above average quarterback after years of average average positions.
The Giants should bench Russell Wilson for Jackson Dirt
The Giants’ Russell Wilson days began as many people expected. The Giants only flew six points in total with a 21-6 loss to Washington commander.
Wilson was a big part of New York’s offensive struggle. The veteran was victimized by a few drops, but only completed 17 of the 37 passes for 168 yards. He didn’t look particularly closely at the field and couldn’t help the Giants consistently move the chain as the Giants produced under 15 yards on five of their nine drives during the game.
The Giants may not be able to bench Wilson after just one start. Brian Daboll didn’t commit to him at a post-game press conference, but he said Wilson had “confidence.”
“This game isn’t Russell Wilson,” Dabour said. “That’s not in Russell Wilson. Let me clarify that. I’m confident in Russ. We have to do a much better job.”
What will the Giants look like to support Wilson and make their work easier? It may start with trying to get more from the team’s running back, who produced just 30 rushing yards on 15 carries against Washington. In comparison, Wilson led the team with 44 yards on eight scrambles.
Still, it’s worth wondering if Wilson can provide the Giants with the spark they need. If Brian Dabour & Company concludes that he cannot, it will place the dirt to see earlier and earlier later.
The Lions are in trouble without Ben Johnson
The Lions joined the 2025 NFL season with new offensive and defensive coordinators after Johnson and Glenn worked as head coaching jobs during the offseason. The devastating change in Detroit was evident in the Green Bay Packers’ season-opening 27-13 loss, particularly in the offense.
The Lions’ offense looked lost without Johnson’s leadership. Jared Goff seemed to prefer to pass horizontally rather than find his weapon down. He was fired four times and threw an intercept while behind his strong offensive line seemed far less confident than usual.
The total number of Goffs wasn’t that bad. He completed 31 of 39 passes for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but it’s worth noting that the score came in the final minute of the game where Green Bay was leading by three scores.
Meanwhile, Detroit’s running game wasn’t as strong as usual against Green Bay. The Lions scored just 46 rushing yards during Sunday’s game. Certainly, they had to abandon their run a bit during the trail, but they averaged only 2.1 yards on 22 totes behind the offensive line of the team’s Franc Ragnaures.
Will the Lions’ inadequate offensive performance simply be a bad day in the office? surely. But nonetheless, Sunday will make Detroit fans, Dan Campbell, and the Lions appear to bounce back to the Chicago Bears in week two.
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