Believe the hype: Giants' bully ball, Ben Johnson's offense and 4 others who aren't going away this NFL season

Week 1 is firmly behind us, but the reactions (and overreactions ) are still reverberating as we approach Week 2. And what's more fun than to act like Disco Stu pointing at a graph of disco sales going up forever and extrapolate the first showings of NFL teams in this young 2026 season?

I highlighted a half-dozen units and players that made a strong first step in Week 1, and explain why we need to keep eyeballs on them throughout the season.

Offenses in the Big Apple (or Big Apple adjacent)

I had an inkling that the Jets would have more competence to them in 2026, even if I wasn't quite sure what that might look like.

Well, apparently it'll look like a bevy of tight ends and a burly, well-coached, and just straight physical run game. Geno Smith , who had cleaner pockets to work from in Week 1 than he did in his recent experiences in Las Vegas and Seattle , launched throws downfield and to the outside to create space in the offense.

Kenyon Sadiq was used in creative ways, including a jet sweep for a touchdown and a package that featured 14 personnel (1 RB, 4 TEs, 0 WRs. The running back was actually fullback Andrew Beck ) and Sadiq in the backfield as a running back.

The Jets' passing attack used concepts like "Flood" to overload the Titans' defense, a positive sign that offensive coordinator Frank Reich is aware of how to attack a defense in 2026.

Mason Taylor looks like a strong starter as an in-line tight end who can block and provide receiving value. The offensive line features a star in Armand Membou at right tackle and Olu Fashanu looking way better without quarterbacks behind him creating their own pressure. And there is enough juice at wide receiver and running back ( Breece Hall and Braelon Allen were strong runners Sunday) that there is a high ceiling of explosive plays in this offense.

Yes, it's the Titans. But the Jets completely outclassed them in Week 1. I'm looking forward to checking on this offense and the stuff Reich has in store every week.

The Giants, too, showed off their bully ball offense in the season opener, completely steamrolling the Cowboys' defense with heavy personnel and Cam Skattebo treating every tackle attempt like an insult.

Pat Ricard led the way on plenty of runs behind the Giants' talented offensive line. Francis Mauigoa had a good showing in his first NFL action at right guard, along with the strong tackle pairing of Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor .

I was impressed by the Giants' auxiliary blockers at the skill positions, too. Isaiah Likely caught the passes, but the other Giants tight ends showed up to set the edge and create space for the running backs to pick their spots. And rookie Malachi Fields , one of the best blocking prospects in this year's wide receiver class, picked up where he left off in college, providing several crack blocks on the edge and the willingness and ability to insert inside.

The Giants put together four drives of 10 or more plays against the Cowboys. The early-down success led to more tolerable third-down distances, and Jaxson Dart played his most efficient (and calm) game of his young career. The Giants went 9-for-10 on third down before taking a knee on their final drive.

The Giants' passing game had a good showing and will still need to pass the test in less favorable game scripts, but their offense, and better coached defense with Abdul Carter emerging as a star, will make them a tough out against teams not prepared to buckle up their chinstraps for 60 minutes.

And, wouldn't you know it, the Giants' Week 2 opponent, the preseason Super Bowl favorite Rams, had issues in 2025 against heavier personnel groupings. L.A. allowed 5.9 yards per play on early downs against offenses with two or fewer wide receivers.

Let's see if the Giants can deflate the football again and control the game script against a defense now without Myles Garrett .

Big "they played the Browns" caveat here.

But wow the Jaguars' offense, and Trevor Lawrence , looked excellent in Week 1. Lawrence finished with the second-best single-game success rate of his NFL career (a whopping 68%, per TruMedia). Lawrence was constantly getting the ball out on one hitch, while still pushing the ball over 10 air yards per pass attempt. His offensive line looked like it got a boost with Anton Harrison moving to the left side and rookie Emmanuel Pregnon slotting next to him at left guard.

The Jaguars are deep at pass catcher, with a fun mix of skill sets, too. Even rookie sixth-rounder Josh Cameron showed up as a blocker and made a great catch on one of the tightest-window throws you'll ever see from Lawrence for a touchdown.

There's even the ability for this offense to pivot when it needs to get bigger bodies on the field. Nate Boerkircher had a good showing as an in-line blocker and new addition Chris Rodriguez brings a much needed thumper to this run game to keep the Jaguars on track. Boerkircher and Rodriguez are perfect complements to Brenton Strange (a dynamic pass catcher and no slouch as a blocker in his own right) and the explosive Bhayshul Tuten .

Liam Coen and his offensive staff have shown they can dial up plays with the best of them, and Lawrence has never played with more confidence. The offensive line isn't a top-end unit, but it has enough to be above board, and a coaching staff that knows how to work around the group.

The Jaguars have a great test in front of them, traveling to Denver in Week 2 to face a Broncos defense that I'm sure will be geared up after chasing Kenneth Walker all over the field on Monday night.

The Chiefs invested in Walker and it looks like a run-first philosophy this season (which was encouraging to see) . Even Emmett Johnson had some strong touches in his first NFL regular-season action.

What was also encouraging was just how fast the Chiefs' defense looked. Nohl Williams is emerging as the next star cornerback to graduate from the School of Spags. Mansoor Delane looked great in the preseason and came down with an interception on the first third down of the season before bowing out with a shoulder injury. Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas injected some much needed juice into this front, alleviating the attention (and overall snaps played) by Chris Jones . Even returnee L'Jarius Sneed appears to have shored up the slot position for the Chiefs and allows the other defensive backs to play on the backend.

All in all, it was a great showing from the Chiefs' revamped running game and defense. And I think the defense has all the makings of a top-10 unit already, that should get only better as its young players play more.

More specifically, Coker as an outside wide receiver.

Coker has already shown off his strength and QB-friendly route running when operating as a power slot in his young career with the Carolina Panthers . But, beginning with the end of last year, Coker's work from the outside has him rising up in just where I stack him among the league's pass catchers.

Coker ran 19 routes against the Bears when aligned as an outside wide receiver, the most of his NFL career, per NextGenStats; 59.4% of his routes came from the outside, a huge jump when compared to his career rates that hovered around 37%.

And it's not just alignment, it's how he produced on the outside, too. Coker finished with 5 receptions on 5 targets for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns when aligned on the outside against the Bears. That yardage doubled his previous career-best single-game total.

Coker and Tetairoa McMillan make for a strong (and large) 1-2 punch at wide receiver. With both able to operate on the inside and outside and with huge catching ranges that look like the Vitruvian Man drawing. They're paired with a solid group of tight ends in Tommy Tremble , Mitchell Evans and Darren Waller . And it's an interesting group of big bodies for Bryce Young to throw to (Young also had an encouraging Week 1 against the Bears' iffy defense).

The Panthers' defense appears to have more work to do, but it was a good showing from Carolina's young offense, especially their former undrafted, and recently extended, wide receiver.

I mean, 59 points. And that's with a turnover and getting stopped on fourth down, too. The run game looked great. Every single skill player showed a willingness to block and open up opportunities for their teammates. The offensive line looked in midseason form despite a couple of new faces at left tackle and center. ( Braxton Jones played well at left tackle. Garrett Bradbury remains the weak link of this group, though).

Caleb Williams looked calm in the pocket, and has already shown improved timing on his passes and willingness to work over the middle. There's the added bonus of Williams being one of the best creators and playmakers when things go askew.

Ben Johnson's offense was clicking on all cylinders, and the designs in the run game and play-action concepts off of them are top-tier stuff.

From the big plays, like creating an I formation run out of 11 personnel, showing an awareness on how to manipulate the Panthers' defense:

To even shorter gains showing off interesting change-ups for defenses to deal with, like this wind-back run concept in the red zone:

Johnson says he wants to set the points record this season. 59 points, the second-most ever by an NFL offense in Week 1, is a big first step toward being one of those offenses that gets slapped with a nickname when it's all said and done. We might have to start workshopping a couple.