Friday game in Brazil? Plus, biggest NFL storylines and rookies to watch in Week 1

Welcome back, NFL fans! We are at the dawn of a new season as the 2025 campaign is already underway, and a full slate of games is on the horizon this Sunday. As we settle back into the league, there's a lot to catch up on. Plenty has happened in between where we are today and back when Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles were hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after taking down the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. 

From a big picture standpoint, we have you covered here for what you need to know about the season as a whole. In that link, our own Jeff Kerr highlights some of the big changes that you'll notice this season from rule changes, new uniforms, and various scheduling items. But what about Week 1? What's the nitty-gritty that we need to know about this opening slate? Glad you asked. Below, you can find your cheat sheet for everything revolving around Week 1, including top storylines and the game of the week. 

First, here's a look at the entire slate (excluding the Thursday opener): 

Wait, there's a Friday game? 

Yes! And we're going international! The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers will be squaring off from Corinthians Arena (opened in 2014) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday night. This will be the second international game between these two AFC West rivals, with the first coming back in 2019 when the Chiefs defeated the Chargers in Mexico City, 24-17. 

Kansas City is 3-0 all-time in International Series games. With a win, they can tie the Vikings (4-0) for the best international record and for the second-most wins, only trailing the Jaguars (7-6). As for the Chargers, they are 1-2 all-time in the International Series and will look to avoid being the fifth team with three or more losses. 

Notable Week 1 storylines

Head coaching debuts

In all, there were seven head coaches hired this offseason: 

• Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears)
• Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots)
• Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars) 
• Pete Carroll (Las Vegas Raiders)
• Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints)
• Aaron Glenn (New York Jets)
• Brian Schottenheimer (Dallas Cowboys)

Of these seven, Schottenheimer, Johnson, Coen, Moore, and Glenn are true first-team head coaches. Meanwhile, Vrabel (Titans) and Carroll (Jets, Patriots, Seahawks) are beginning new tenures, but have prior head coaching experience. 

Micah Parsons traded from Cowboys to Packers

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The biggest story in the NFL over the last week was the mega trade that sent All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) along with defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Parsons had been in a contract dispute with the Cowboys and, instead of finding common ground to strike a deal, Jerry Jones shipped the 26-year-old out of town. As part of the deal, the Packers inked Parsons to a record-setting four-year, $188 million extension. That makes Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. 

Now, we're anticipating Parsons to make his debut for the Packers on Sunday when they host the Detroit Lions on CBS. That said, it remains to be seen how active Parsons will be in the opener. After all, he did not participate for the bulk of training camp with Dallas amid his contract dispute, and has been dealing with a back injury as well. 

Can the Bengals avoid another sluggish start? 

Cincinnati has lost seven straight games in Weeks 1 and 2, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. They've endured three straight 0-2 starts coming into 2025, and started last year 0-3. Will that subside on Sunday when they visit the Cleveland Browns? The Bengals enter the opener as a heavy favorite (-240) and are laying 5.5 points against the spread, so the oddsmakers believe that they'll begin on a better foot this time around. 

Aaron Rodgers returns to New York

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One of the juicier matchups in the early window on Sunday can be found at MetLife Stadium. After a lackluster two-year stint with the Jets, Rodgers, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers this summer, makes his return to New York to face his former squad right out of the gate. Meanwhile, it's also a revenge game for Justin Fields, the new signal caller for the Jets. He spent last season with Pittsburgh and started six games before being benched for Russell Wilson. The Steelers enter this matchup as a road favorite. 

Familiar faces in new places

It was a busy offseason, and a ton of players switched teams. Here's a quick look at some familiar names that are with new clubs in 2025:

• Russell Wilson: Starting QB for the New York Giants.
• Joe Flacco: Starting QB for the Cleveland Browns
• Daniel Jones: Starting QB for the Indianapolis Colts
• Geno Smith: Starting QB for the Las Vegas Raiders
• Aaron Rodgers: Starting QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Justin Fields: Starting QB for the New York Jets
• Sam Darnold: Starting QB for the Seattle Seahawks
• Deebo Samuel: WR for the Washington Commanders
• Davante Adams: WR for the Los Angeles Rams
• DK Metcalf: WR for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Cooper Kupp: WR for the Seattle Seahawks
• Christian Kirk: WR for the Houston Texans
• Stefon Diggs: WR For the New England Patriots
• DeAndre Hopkins: WR for the Baltimore Ravens
• Nick Chubb: RB for the Houston Texans
• J.K. Dobbins: RB for the Denver Broncos
• Najee Harris: RB for the Los Angeles Chargers
• Jonnu Smith: TE for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Jalen Ramsey: CB for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Jaire Alexander: CB for the Baltimore Ravens

QBs entering first season as full-time starters

• Drake Maye, New England Patriots: Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, started 12 games for New England last season and went 3-9 as the starter. He completed 66.6% of his throws for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. 
• Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons: Penix, the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, started Atlanta's final three games last season following the benching of Kirk Cousins (who is still the backup). The Falcons went 1-2 in those starts, while Penix completed 58% of his throws for 737 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. 
• J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings: McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was sidelined for his entire rookie season due to a meniscus injury. Minnesota let Sam Darnold leave in free agency this offseason, which paved the way for him to ascend to QB1 status entering 2025. 
• Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints: Rattler, a fifth-round pick in 2024, beat out rookie Tyler Shough for the Saints' starting job this summer. This comes after he started six games for New Orleans as a rookie and was winless in those contests. In his seven total appearances in 2024, Rattler completed 57% of his passes for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. 

10 rookies to know

• Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans: The No. 1 overall pick at the 2025 NFL Draft and the Week 1 starter for Tennessee.
• Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Jacksonville Jaguars: The second overall pick, and will be a dual-threat weapon for the Jaguars, both on offense and defense.
• Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: The bell cow back for the Raiders after being the sixth overall pick this spring. 
• Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers: Another first-round back who will likely receive the lion's share of touches out of the L.A. backfield. 
• Abdul Carter, EDGE, New York Giants: The third overall pick and betting favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Carter could be among the most prolific edge rushers sooner rather than later. 
• Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants: The 25th overall pick will begin the year as Russell Wilson's backup, but a stellar summer makes his ascension to QB1 feel imminent. 
• Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers: The first receiver off the board last spring, and should be a volume target for Bryce Young in Carolina, especially after the trade of veteran Adam Thielen. 
• Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The first-rounder has been drawing rave reviews this summer, and could be the No. 2 option after Mike Evans, so long as Chris Godwin remains sidelined as he recovers from last season's ankle injury. 
• Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts: With Daniel Jones under center, Warren -- the No. 14 overall pick -- could be Indy's No. 1 target by season's end. This preseason, the Colts' starters were on the field for 35 snaps, and Warren was on the field for 34 of them. 
• TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots: Kicked off his preseason with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. From then on, he was the most explosive player on the Patriots roster. Could command a serious workload by season's end. 

Fantasy football window

• NFL Week 1 PPR Flex Rankings
• NFL Week 1 Non-PPR Flex Rankings
• NFL Week 1 QB rankings
• Jamey Eisenberg's Week 1 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em

Gambling window

• Pete Prisco's Week 1 picks
• Tyler Sullivan's Week 1 picks
• John Breech's Week 1 picks
• Best bet player props

Game of the Week: Ravens vs. Bills

The most anticipated game in Week 1 is the Sunday Night Football showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Not only is this a potential AFC Championship preview, but it's a rematch from last year's divisional round matchup that saw the Bills narrowly defeat the Ravens, 27-25. Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews' lackluster performance was the key story in that game, which included dropping the game-tying 2-point conversion with roughly 90 seconds to play in regulation.  

On top of the prior playoff history, this is a matchup between the top vote-getters for MVP a season ago in Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. This is the first Week 1 matchup in NFL history between two quarterbacks who finished 1-2 in MVP voting the prior year, according to CBS Sports Research. 

Allen, the MVP winner, is 3-2 against Jackson (including playoffs).