The 2025 NFL season is officially here! It’s time to gear up for a crazy 18 weeks full of happiness, sadness, and anger. Some fan bases will be experiencing all three this weekend alone. Which teams have the potential to do that to their fan base?
The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium this weekend. Justin Field and Aaron Rodgers both waste no time in facing their former teams. This game will give the Steelers a good indication of whether Rodgers can still play or not.
The Jets’ defense was solid last year. They were third best in yards allowed per game and 13th against the pass. This would be a good litmus test for the 41-year-old.
The Pittsburgh fan base needs a good game from him this week. The reports from camp are that he looks slow at times and immobile. A quality performance against a former opponent led by a defensive mastermind in Aaron Glenn would go a long way with what Steelers fans and media expect from this team.
The Tennessee Titans are in a dire situation right from the get-go. They have to go face the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City with a rookie quarterback. Many analysts had this Broncos defense being the best this year.
It is not a favorable situation for Cam Ward and crew. More likely than not, he will struggle mightily.
What if Ward plays a solid game? Better yet, what if his contributions lead to a win? This is a tough as it gets for a rookie in an opening game. If he looks like he has command of the offense on day one, there’s no reason to believe he can’t succeed against any other team in the league.
A good game from Ward would mean everything to a Titans franchise and fanbase that has been in dire straits for a few years now.
The Los Angeles Rams will not be facing a friendly defense in the Houston Texans to open up their season. They were ranked fourth in the NFL last year in sacks with 49.
That is a little bit scary for a team with a banged-up quarterback. Matthew Stafford joined training camp activities late due to a bad back. The severity of it is unknown, but it can’t feel good for a 37-year-old, regardless. Stafford takes a lot of punishment as a quarterback, and Rams fans are hoping it didn’t finally catch up to him.
This will be a good test for him to see how Stafford is physically. The Houston rush will not be forgiving, and if he can come out of the game relatively healthy while putting up a good game, Los Angeles fans can breathe a bit easier.
If not, there might be slight cause for concern.
The Baltimore Ravens, for the second year in a row, will face a team in their first week that eliminated them in the playoffs the year before. They go to the tundra to face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The biggest thing for them is to play a good, clean game, regardless of outcome.
The microscope will be on Mark Andrews, who had the crucial drop late in that game that led to the loss. If he doesn’t play well, people will begin to wonder if that moment will haunt him forever moving forward, fair or not. The Ravens can’t get blasted by the Bills in week one, that’s all.
If it’s a competitive game, people will get off Baltimore’ back. For a team that makes a lot of mental errors in big moments, they need to come through in games like these. Not necessarily by winning, but playing a game that demands their opponent to bring their absolute A game.
JJ McCarthy is another quarterback who is starting his career in the fire. He will be on the road on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. Their defense last year was eighth in passing defense and sixth in pressure generated without blitzing.
Not exactly a softball for McCarthy. Once again, though, like Ward, he is expected to struggle, but if he does some good things and comes up victorious, the fanbase will be ecstatic.
Where McCarthy’s situation differs from Ward’s is that his leash might be a bit shorter. The Vikings roster is extremely talented top to bottom, and good quarterback play for this team is the difference between being contenders and just average. Not only that, Sam Darnold had a career year last year with this Vikings roster.
If McCarthy struggles, people may question why Darnold was let go. Again, it doesn’t seem fair, but that’s just the reality. Also, it would be a bad look to get thoroughly outplayed by Caleb Williams, who is in the same draft class.
There’s a lot of pressure on McCarthy. Can he deliver?
These five teams have a lot to prove in week one. It’s a matter of what the fans of those teams should expect. For teams like the Ravens and Rams, they have to make sure their championship armor is still intact.
For teams like the Vikings and Titans, it’s a matter of evaluating their young quarterback. The opening games are pretty for either of them, which sets up for both McCarthy and Ward to surprise some people.
The Steelers are a weird one. Their record could range anywhere from 6-11 to 11-6, and it all falls on the shoulders of Rodgers.
It’s going to be a fun opening weekend!
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