5 Key Games for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season

After what has felt like a long offseason, the new NFL campaign begins in a few weeks. As ever, the dawn of a new season brings optimism for some sports fans, and a little trepidation for others. There is still time for some big trades to happen, but by and large, most of the pieces are set on the chessboard. 

Getting a good start can be helpful, although teams can often shrug off a rusty start to the campaign and grow into the season. After the season opens, we can quickly tell if some of our offseason hopes and concerns were unfounded. You can tell a lot about the direction of travel for teams and how the season’s narratives will pan out. 

Below, we are going to look at five matchups from Week 1 (starting September 5), which we think might give us a keen insight into who the contenders and pretenders might be:

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

The season’s opening game pits the Super Bowl champions against a team that feels like it will tread water in 2025. Still, the Eagles have lost a few starters from Super Bowl LIX and have a new offensive coordinator. Some are predicting a hangover for the champions. Still, the Cowboys should represent a decent test to see if the changes in Philadelphia have worked. 

Kansas City Chiefs @ LA Chargers 

The Chiefs are favorites in the NFL game lines for this one, but if any game in Week 1 looks like a possible upset, it could be this visit of the perennial contenders to Los Angeles. The Chiefs rarely looked at their best last season (despite making the Super Bowl) and now have several offensive questions. That said, the Chiefs usually find a way to win. A lot depends on Justin Herbert, but the Chargers are a good team and will be ready for this. 

New York Giants @ Washington Commanders 

How will Jayden Daniels take to life in the NFL, now that expectations are so high? The quarterback had one of the best rookie seasons in memory, taking the Commanders to heights that most fans did not expect. The pressure is different now. The Giants should offer a beatable opponent, potentially allowing Daniels and Washington to put down a market that shows they mean business. 

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers 

Neutral fans should lap this game up, pitting the best team in the regular season last year against a team that many believe is flying under the radar this offseason. The Lions will start as favorites, and understandably so, but this feels like a toss-up. We can learn much about both teams in this, especially as the Lions have had the upper hand over the Packers in recent games. We will soon see if the Packers have made up the ground on their divisional rivals. 

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills 

The first Monday Night Football of the new season will showcase two teams with real Super Bowl LX hopes. It is also billed as a shootout between the two best quarterbacks in the league last season, the Bills’ Josh Allen and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson. Both teams ultimately came up short in the Playoffs the previous term, but both have made improvements on paper. There is a fair chance we will be looking at one of the Super Bowl winners in this mouth-watering tie.