During the opening Sunday of the 2026 NFL season, 10 of the 26 teams that took the field scored 30 or more points, spearheaded by Chicago’s 59 points in a dominant 59-37 victory over the Carolina Panthers, which marked the highest-scoring Week 1 game in league history.

Across those 13 games, teams combined for a staggering 693 total points, averaging 53.3 points per game to set a new high-water mark for an opening Sunday. On the flip side of the coin, and to the surprise of very few, the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans stood out as the lowest-scoring squads, managing just 10 points apiece in respective 34-10 and 23-10 defeats.

Travis Hunter comes face-to-face with Shedeur Sanders after the Jaguars destroyed the Browns

Todd Monken Commits to Deshaun Watson for Week 2 Despite Opening Blowout

Since 1999, the Cleveland Browns have carried a dismal record of 3-23-1 in season openers, the worst mark in the NFL over that span.

Week 1 proved to be no exception as the defense struggled mightily in their first game without Myles Garrett since 2017, while the offense fared equally poorly by going 1-of-8 on third down. 

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, playing in his first meaningful action since October 2024, finished 16-of-22 for 185 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 costly interception on the game’s opening drive.

Through 20 career games across four seasons as the starter in Cleveland, Watson holds a 9-11 record and continues searching for a healthy stretch that yields more than seven appearances in a single year.

Despite the rough start, head coach Todd Monken confirmed to reporters that he anticipates Deshaun Watson will retain the starting job for Sunday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, noting that despite the miscues, “there were some really good things on film.”

Monken’s options remain limited, as rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders waits in the wings. 

While Watson is currently on a short leash, with murmurs suggesting he has roughly a two-game window to find his rhythm before pressure mounts, the coaching staff plans to stay the course through the early schedule.

Following their trip south to face Tampa Bay, the Browns will return home for consecutive matchups against Carolina and Pittsburgh as they attempt to salvage their campaign.