4 overreactions from Week 1 that might stick this season: Woes for Cowboys, Broncos and Patriots, and joy for future Bears fireworks

Many will tell you not to overreact on a result from Week 1 's NFL action. Small sample size. It's just one game. Blah, blah, blah.

Let's sideline that line of thinking for a moment and examine what result has staying power through the 2026 season. Brace yourself if you're a fan of the Cowboys, Patriots or Broncos . And keep on dancing if you're down with the Bears .

Here's what caught the eyes of Yahoo Sports writers Jay Busbee, Frank Schwab, Jori Epstein and Eric Edholm, who each answered this question:

What Week 1 overreaction just might stick this season?

Busbee: I'll go with Denver on Monday night utterly failing to put a competitive game together against Kansas City , and not just because it got me guillotined in the first game of the season in a Yahoo Fantasy Death league (Thanks, Jaylen Waddle ). Bo Nix threw an interception three plays into the new season. The Broncos allowed Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker to stomp all over them for 173 rushing yards , including a backbreaking fourth-and-1 that became a 60-yard touchdown.

Most troubling for Denver is the way that head coach Sean Payton condemned every phase of the Broncos' night: "Didn't do a lot well at all in the game … I thought [Kansas City] won, really, in every phase." When one element of a team is misfiring, the others ought to be able to redouble their efforts. When everything goes sideways at once, that hints at deeper, more serious problems.

After the game, player after player insisted that this was not Broncos-style football, but gentlemen — last year was last year. Until you go out and knock around some teams, inconsistency and underachievement IS your brand of football.

Schwab: I'm worried about the Cowboys' defense. Yes, I was one of many who were high on Dallas all offseason. I shouldn't jump ship after one game. But their defense looked no better. The Giants' offense had the best EPA per play in all of the NFL in Week 1, even better than the Bears.

The Cowboys had the same coverage breakdowns due to miscommunication that plagued them last season. That had to be a major point of emphasis all offseason and it still didn't get fixed. They also looked overmatched physically, which is tougher to remedy.

Suddenly there's a realization that new coordinator Christian Parker is doing this for the first time and most of the players Dallas acquired weren't necessarily elite. The most talented player they acquired was safety Caleb Downs , and he's a rookie.

The Cowboys gave up a franchise record in points last season. That won't happen again. But it doesn't mean the defense will be good, either. It's not like the Giants should be some runaway train on offense this season. Count me as very concerned, even after just one game.

Epstein: The Patriots' offensive regression isn't over.

After throwing eight interceptions all of last season, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw a league-high three in a season-opening loss against the Seattle Seahawks . No, I'm not saying Maye will continue his pace for 51 interceptions this year (though that would make for a fascinating story). But I do think the Patriots will hit more bumps on their post-Super Bowl loss road.

Their June 1 trade acquisition, A.J. Brown , showed how effective he can be as a third-down safety valve — before exiting the game with a high ankle sprain that will sideline him at least four weeks. Free-agent signing Romeo Doubs was not on the same page as Maye in the opener, a weakness coming opponents will no doubt look to exploit. Add to all of that the NFL's film on what Maye looks like in coordinator Josh McDaniels' offense, and a far stiffer schedule than last year, and the Patriots don't have the luxury of coasting until Brown returns.

The Pittsburgh Steelers await next, fresh off T.J. Watt 's line-of-scrimmage pick 6. Then come road games at the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills — both of whom swarmed their opening opponents.

Plenty of promise awaits Maye's NFL career. But the danger of Maye feeling he needs to play Superman against teams eager to capitalize on those risks will deal New England more losses soon.

Edholm: The Bears might just have a damned wagon on offense.

Fifty-nine points on the road , with Colston Loveland getting 60 minutes of cardio? Savage.

I think we might have brushed off Ben Johnson's preseason scoring-record bounty as rodomontade. But coaches don't do this kind of thing unless they think they really can pull it off. The record is 606 points, meaning the Bears are nearly a tenth of the way there, with 16 games remaining. Now they need to average only a shade over 34 per game the rest of the way!

The run game is a monster. Caleb Williams is playing like a man ready to blowtorch the league. There's no one weapon you can key on; they have multiple ways to beat you.

I got laughed at on a radio show when I said it, but it's true: The Bears actually could have been more efficient in Week 1. That's a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.