All 16 games from 2026 NFL Preseason Week 1 are final. The opening slate ran from August 13-15, with the Chicago Bears posting the largest win, 34-10 over the Cleveland Browns, and the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots producing the week's only tie at 13-13. Cincinnati's 16-14 victory over Detroit was the closest decided game.
The scores are only the starting point. Week 1 gave teams their first public evidence on rookie quarterbacks, new schemes, receiving roles and the bottom of the 53-man roster. This recap organizes that evidence by day, separates repeatable signals from tiny samples and identifies what needed confirmation in Week 2. For kickoff history, game pages and the original weekly grid, use the 2026 NFL Preseason Week 1 schedule.
All 2026 NFL Preseason Week 1 scores
The table uses winner-first notation except for the tie, and dates are the official U.S. game dates. It stays deliberately compact: kickoff times, networks, tickets and replay links belong on the Week 1 schedule tool, while this article concentrates on what the weekend revealed.
| Date | Final score |
|---|---|
| Aug. 13 | Cincinnati Bengals 16, Detroit Lions 14 |
| Aug. 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Green Bay Packers 9 |
| Aug. 13 | Indianapolis Colts 13, New England Patriots 13 (tie) |
| Aug. 13 | Los Angeles Chargers 27, Houston Texans 7 |
| Aug. 13 | Arizona Cardinals 27, Las Vegas Raiders 14 |
| Aug. 13 | Tennessee Titans 19, San Francisco 49ers 13 |
| Aug. 14 | Denver Broncos 27, Atlanta Falcons 7 |
| Aug. 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, New York Jets 16 |
| Aug. 14 | Washington Commanders 20, Miami Dolphins 7 |
| Aug. 15 | Buffalo Bills 29, Carolina Panthers 14 |
| Aug. 15 | Chicago Bears 34, Cleveland Browns 10 |
| Aug. 15 | Minnesota Vikings 13, New York Giants 10 |
| Aug. 15 | Los Angeles Rams 20, Kansas City Chiefs 12 |
| Aug. 15 | Jacksonville Jaguars 24, New Orleans Saints 20 |
| Aug. 15 | Baltimore Ravens 24, Philadelphia Eagles 7 |
| Aug. 15 | Dallas Cowboys 17, Seattle Seahawks 7 |
Week 1 produced 15 decisions and one tie. Chicago's 24-point margin was the largest, with the Chargers and Denver next at 20. Cincinnati's two-point win was the closest decision; Minnesota's 13-10 win over the Giants was the only three-point finish. No team was shut out, although Green Bay, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia and Seattle were held to single digits.
That distribution matters mainly as a map. A large margin tells you where to look for a depth mismatch, and a close finish points toward late-game execution, but neither explains which starters played or which assignments coaches were testing. The daily sections below add that context. For the complete three-week record, including final team totals, use the 2026 NFL preseason scores and results archive.
Thursday recap: rookie auditions and new offensive ideas
Thursday's six games offered the week's widest variety of evaluation goals. Cincinnati tested an offensive wrinkle with established stars, Pittsburgh and Green Bay examined rookies, Arizona and Las Vegas debuted premium young skill players, and Houston and San Francisco found encouraging depth evidence in losses.
Cincinnati's under-center test and Pittsburgh's rookie production
The Bengals' 16-14 win mattered less than how Joe Burrow operated. Over two drives, he took seven of Cincinnati's 13 snaps from under center and completed both passes from that alignment for 25 yards. His first attempt was a 16-yard play-action completion to Ja'Marr Chase. That is useful evidence for an offense trying to diversify its presentation, although two hard contacts on Burrow created an equally important protection note. The takeaway is not “the new package works”; it is that Cincinnati successfully put the camp concept on game tape and also exposed a risk to correct.
Pittsburgh's 28-9 win produced several clearer rookie samples. Receiver Germie Bernard turned five Mason Rudolph targets into four catches for 51 yards, including a 25-yard gain with yards after the catch. Quarterback Drew Allar then completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing score against the lower part of Green Bay's depth chart. That opponent context limits projection, but his accuracy and scoring execution earned a longer look. Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack answered a different kind of question: he finished 3-for-3 on field goals and converted from 58 yards after an earlier 58-yard make was removed by a penalty.
Arizona-Las Vegas gave two premium rookies their first NFL evidence
Arizona running back Jeremiyah Love did not explode immediately. His first four carries gained eight total yards, but his later runs included several chunk gains. He finished the half with 58 yards on 11 attempts and added three catches for 14 yards. The mixed sequence is more informative than the final average: it showed he could recover from congested early work and still create chunks, while six of his 11 runs gained two yards or fewer.
Las Vegas quarterback Fernando Mendoza also improved after an uncertain opening series. The rookie finished 10-of-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown, and his unfamiliar under-center work produced three completions on four throws for 39 yards. The composure and progression work were encouraging; the modest sample did not erase the value of Kirk Cousins' efficient opening touchdown drive or declare a Week 1 starter change. Arizona's 27-14 win recorded the team result, but the more durable story was how two young players responded after imperfect first snaps.
Stribling and Ramsey supplied receiving and defensive depth evidence
San Francisco receiver De'Zhaun Stribling supplied one of Thursday's cleanest role auditions in a 19-13 loss at Tennessee. He caught seven of eight targets for 63 yards over 15 routes, showing work over the middle, tracking on a sideline throw and strength after the catch. The NFL's review noted that his opportunities came against Tennessee's starting unit, a context detail that makes the performance more useful than a similar line produced exclusively against deep reserves.
Houston safety Kamari Ramsey showed why a player can gain ground during a 27-7 team loss. Across 23 defensive snaps, he intercepted Trey Lance near the red zone and returned the ball 40 yards, finished with two passes defensed and contributed an assisted tackle on special teams. That combination touches three evaluation areas—coverage recognition, ball production and kicking-game utility. It still needs repetition, but it offers coaches more actionable evidence than Houston's 20-point margin.
Thursday also delivered a warning against instant quarterback conclusions. Indianapolis' Anthony Richardson completed 11 of 14 passes for 145 yards in the 13-13 tie, yet the wider review included a lost fumble and heavy screen production. Tennessee's Cam Ward completed 5 of 12 for 57 yards on three drives while struggling with rhythm. Box-score completion percentage alone cannot describe either night. The Week 1 matchup hub is the right place to reopen individual games before assigning a trend.
Friday recap: context mattered more than three comfortable margins
Denver, Tampa Bay and Washington all won by at least eight points on Friday, but the score gaps came from three different evaluation environments. Denver tested part of a new Atlanta offense against a strong first unit, the Jets learned how opponents might account for a premium pass-rush prospect, and Washington created volume for young running backs after Miami's starting offense opened efficiently.
Denver's pressure changed how Atlanta's short sample should be read
Tua Tagovailoa's Falcons debut produced 24 offensive yards on eight plays over two drives. He completed three of five passes for 22 yards and mishandled a shotgun snap. That line was disappointing, but it also came without a normal skill-position sample: Drake London played only two snaps and Bijan Robinson did not play. Denver pressured 60% of Tagovailoa's dropbacks, making pass protection and operation at least as important to the review as the quarterback's raw total.
The Broncos' 27-7 win included clearer evidence on the ground. Denver rushed for 162 yards as a team, while rookie Jonah Coleman gained 24 on four carries. His 13-yard run through contact illustrated balance and finishing power, but four attempts cannot establish a regular-season workload. The useful conclusion was narrower: Coleman translated a camp trait into live action and deserved more carries to test whether it repeated.
The Jets forced Tampa Bay to account for David Bailey
Jets rookie edge defender David Bailey played only eight snaps in a 24-16 loss, yet Tampa Bay's response supplied information that a sack total would miss. The Buccaneers chipped him multiple times and used a double team on one of his two third-down snaps. Bailey finished with one pressure and an assisted tackle rather than a highlight line, but the protection attention showed that the opponent treated his rush threat seriously.
That is exactly the kind of preseason signal that needs video and assignment context. A defender can affect a protection without reaching the quarterback, while another player may collect a cleanup sack after a teammate forces the movement. Bailey's next evaluation question was whether he could defeat similar attention or create opportunities for the rusher beside him.
Miami and Washington revealed role battles in a 20-7 result
Miami's best offensive evidence came on its opening series. Malik Willis guided a long touchdown drive that included a 28-yard completion to rookie Caleb Douglas and multiple catches by Malik Washington. Douglas and Washington were the central receiver participants on that possession, offering a useful clue about the roles Miami wanted to test. It was still one drive, and Douglas' final game line was one catch for 28 yards.
Washington's young backs received much larger samples. Undrafted rookie Robert Henry Jr. gained 75 yards on 12 carries, including a 22-yard touchdown, while sixth-rounder Kaytron Allen handled 23 carries for 85 yards and scored at the goal line. The Commanders had established veterans and other backs ahead of or around them, so neither stat line confirmed a roster place. Together, however, the performances made the back end of the position group more competitive.
Friday's lesson was not that three winners solved their biggest questions. Denver found an encouraging four-carry sample, New York saw an opponent alter protection for eight defensive snaps, and Washington gathered 35 combined carries of evidence on two rookies. Each result created a different Week 2 assignment: repeat the trait under a new matchup and, where possible, against a different level of the depth chart.
Saturday recap: the weekend's deepest evaluation slate
Seven Saturday games created the largest collection of Week 1 evidence. The slate included contrasting quarterback auditions, several rookie receiving breakouts and meaningful defensive work from players whose teams did not necessarily win. Grouping those performances by job rather than final score makes the comparisons more useful.
Quarterback evidence from Cleveland, New York and Los Angeles
Cleveland's 34-10 loss required two readings. Deshaun Watson completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards while starting and playing the first half. Shedeur Sanders followed with 6-of-11 passing for 79 yards and an interception. The Browns had planned different starting opportunities across the first two preseason games, so the opener was one scheduled checkpoint rather than a final ballot. Chicago's Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum combined for 320 passing yards and three touchdowns, much of the damage arriving after Cleveland moved deeper into its bench.
Jaxson Dart's brief Giants appearance was valuable for a different reason. After taking a hard sack and entering the medical tent for a concussion evaluation, he was cleared and returned to deliver a 15-yard touchdown to rookie Malachi Fields. Dart completed three of four passes for 26 yards; Fields caught all three of his targets for 34. The positive evidence was their execution together, not the 13-10 loss to Minnesota. Health clearance and the small number of plays prevent the sequence from carrying more weight than it should.
Ty Simpson produced the most complete statistical quarterback debut of the day. Stetson Bennett handled the Rams' first two possessions, then Simpson completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns to running back Dean Connors in a 20-12 win at Kansas City. He finished without an interception and executed movement and red-zone throws. Because the work came in a backup competition and against changing defensive personnel, it did not name him Matthew Stafford's primary reserve. It did give the Rams a substantial clean sample to compare with later games.
Young pass catchers changed their roster conversations
Buffalo's Keon Coleman opened the new Highmark Stadium scoring with a nine-yard touchdown while working back across the end zone on a broken play. His three catches on four targets gained only 17 yards, but the red-zone adjustment and connection with Josh Allen were more relevant than the total. The question after Week 1 was whether that kind of trust would repeat, not whether one touchdown had completed a third-year breakout.
Baltimore's young targets delivered larger volume against Philadelphia. Third-round receiver Ja'Kobi Lane caught three passes for 38 yards and powered through contact on a 16-yard touchdown. Fourth-round tight end Matthew Hibner caught five passes for 61 yards, beginning with a 29-yard gain. The Ravens rested nearly all projected starters, which made the 24-7 win a depth result; within that setting, Lane's catch strength and Hibner's ability to work downfield were specific skills worth carrying into the next evaluation.
Dallas undrafted receiver Camden Brown made the loudest roster-bubble case. He caught three passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-7 win at Seattle. One score traveled 39 yards from Sam Howell and required a contested finish; the other was a two-yard end-zone catch from Joe Milton III. Producing with two quarterbacks and winning in two different ways strengthened the case. It still did not guarantee a roster spot in a receiver room with established players.
Defensive depth and situational play survived the final score
Jacksonville's 24-20 win at New Orleans offered a cluster rather than one star. Rookie defensive tackle Albert Regis recorded a 14-yard sack. Safety Jalen Huskey made three tackles and allowed two completions for nine yards on three targets, while defensive end Wesley Williams added two quarterback pressures and a tackle. That spread of production gave the Jaguars multiple role-specific clips to evaluate.
Philadelphia linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. provided the best example from a losing side. He played the full first half and recorded five tackles, three pressures and a sack. His pursuit on the sack continued after blockers redirected the initial rush, turning effort and recovery into a measurable result. Baltimore won by 17, but Trotter's individual tape remained useful to an Eagles linebacker decision.
The same principle applies across all seven games. A receiver who separates, a quarterback who manages a protection or a defender who fulfills two special-teams assignments can improve his case regardless of the score. Readers following one club should use the NFL team schedule directory to trace the next matchup, then look for whether the player received more difficult or more varied work.
Five Week 1 performances that earned a longer look
A standout becomes meaningful when it changes the next question. The five entries below combine verified production with the narrow conclusion that the evidence supports and the next test that could strengthen—or weaken—it. “Longer look” is not a roster guarantee or a depth-chart promotion.
| Performance | Week 1 evidence | What it may mean | Next question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Simpson, Rams QB | 21-of-25, 190 yards, two TDs, no interceptions | Efficient command gave the backup competition a strong baseline. | Can he maintain timing when the defense changes the picture or creates pressure? |
| De'Zhaun Stribling, 49ers WR | Seven catches, 63 yards against Tennessee's starting unit | Hands, physicality and alignment flexibility translated from camp. | Will he create efficient production with fewer targets and more varied coverage? |
| Camden Brown, Cowboys WR | Three catches, 62 yards and two TDs from two quarterbacks | Different scoring catches reinforced his camp case. | Can he contribute outside designed targets and add game-day special-teams value? |
| Jeremiyah Love, Cardinals RB | 11 carries for 58 yards; three catches for 14 yards | Chunk runs showed how he could turn a slow start into explosive output. | How quickly will his ankle allow a healthy return and a broader role test? |
| Robert Henry Jr. and Kaytron Allen, Commanders RBs | 160 rushing yards and two TDs on 35 combined carries | Both rookies made a crowded final-backfield decision harder. | Who can add protection, receiving and special-teams reliability to the rushing production? |
Simpson and Stribling produced the most complete combinations of volume and efficiency. Brown's sample was smaller but unusually concentrated: every catch mattered, and two different quarterbacks found him for scores. Love's evaluation changed after ankle soreness emerged, reminding readers that availability can become the next question even after productive tape.
Washington's entry is intentionally treated as one position battle. Henry and Allen did not compete in isolation; roster construction asks how many backs the club can carry and what each supplies beyond rushing. Their combined 35 carries gave coaches far more evidence than many Week 1 auditions, but pass protection and special teams can still decide the final order.
The fairest follow-up is not to demand another touchdown. It is to look for a new condition: tighter coverage, a pressure response, fewer scripted opportunities or a different special-teams assignment. The Preseason Week 2 schedule provides the next matchup trail for that confirmation work.
How to separate Week 1 signal from preseason noise
Week 1 creates excitement because it is the first game evidence after months of projection. It also creates bad conclusions because teams are not running identical experiments. Cleveland planned to give its quarterback contenders different starting opportunities across the first two games. The Rams started Stetson Bennett before giving Ty Simpson most of the opener. Comparing their final scores as if the personnel plans were standardized would erase the reason they played.
- Identify the opponent unit. Production against starters usually answers a harder question than the same production against players at the bottom of the depth chart. That does not make reserve snaps meaningless; it changes the comparison.
- Measure the sample. Jonah Coleman's four carries and David Bailey's eight defensive snaps were promising glimpses. Simpson's 25 attempts and Washington's 35 combined rookie-back carries created broader evidence.
- Find the assignment behind the result. A chip or double team can validate a pass rusher's threat without a sack. Correct protection, route spacing or leverage can matter even when the ball goes elsewhere.
- Look for repetition under a new condition. The next useful test might be pressure, tighter coverage, a different quarterback or fewer touches. Repeating only the raw total is not necessary.
- Check the secondary role. Special teams, position flexibility, blocking and availability often decide the last roster places. An offensive highlight alone may not answer those requirements.
This filter explains why Stribling's seven catches carried useful context: they came against Tennessee's first-team defense and demonstrated more than one receiving skill. It also limits the conclusion. Fifteen routes cannot establish a full regular-season projection, and the 49ers still needed to see how he handled different coverage and weekly preparation.
The same discipline applies to quarterbacks. Simpson's accuracy was excellent evidence, while Cleveland's planned rotation meant Watson and Sanders required comparison across different starts. Coaches also evaluate huddle control, protection decisions and timing—work that a basic passing line cannot fully display. A touchdown-to-interception column is part of the review, not the entire review.
Use Preseason Week 2 as a confirmation layer and NFL games today when following the current slate. The goal is not to predict the same box score. It is to see whether the underlying trait survives a changed assignment, opponent or workload.
2026 NFL Preseason Week 1 FAQ
Who had the biggest Week 1 win?
Chicago recorded the largest margin, beating Cleveland 34-10 on August 15. The 24-point gap was four points larger than the Chargers' 27-7 win over Houston and Denver's 27-7 win over Atlanta. The Bears' result reflected productive reserve quarterback play after Cleveland changed personnel, so it should not be read as a direct comparison of the clubs' full regular-season lineups.
Which Week 1 game ended in a tie?
Indianapolis and New England finished 13-13 on August 13. It was the only tie among the 16 Week 1 games. The result gave each team an 0-0-1 preseason record at that moment, but the tie did not transfer to the regular season.
Which rookie quarterback had the strongest statistical debut?
Among the rookie quarterback performances reviewed here, Rams first-rounder Ty Simpson produced the strongest complete statistical line: 21 completions on 25 attempts, 190 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Fernando Mendoza also offered encouraging work for Las Vegas, going 10-of-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown. “Strongest statistical debut” is a Week 1 description, not a final depth-chart ranking; opponent personnel, assignments and future practices still matter.
Do Week 1 preseason scores count in regular-season standings?
No. Every team starts its regular-season schedule at 0-0 regardless of its preseason results. Exhibition wins and ties do not become playoff tiebreakers. Coaches use the games to prepare systems, evaluate players and assemble roles, which is why snap context can be more revealing than the team record.
Where can I see every 2026 preseason result?
The complete 2026 preseason results archive includes the Hall of Fame Game, all three preseason weeks and final records for every team. Use the preseason schedule hub for matchup navigation, or NFL games today when you need the current slate rather than a completed Week 1 recap.
The safest final takeaway is also the most useful: Week 1 supplied leads, not verdicts. The weekend identified players and ideas worth tracking, while the next practices and games tested whether those first signals held up under new conditions.
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