Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is in the books, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Especially if you’re a fan of good offense.

Each week, I dive into the All-22 coaches’ film before offering five insights to watch. Don’t be surprised if the points are here to stay. 

That’s the million-dollar question floating around league circles this week with the Vikings set to take on the league’s most explosive offense Sunday in Chicago. Ultra-aggressive defensive coordinator Brian Flores has befuddled quarterbacks throughout the league with his complex six-man pressure schemes and hot coverage concepts. He has also featured various zones with exotic alignments to test the patience and discipline of QBs distracted by the constant harassment from Minnesota’s chaotic pressure paths. 

Interestingly, Bears coach Ben Johnson holds a 5-1 record over Flores in their head-to-head matchups as playcallers. Johnson will challenge the Vikings with a multiple offense featuring bunch formations, pre-snap shifts and misdirection to slow down an aggressive defense that wants to attack on every down. He will also utilize the running game to control the tempo and force Minnesota to play on Chicago’s terms. With a pair of explosive runners (D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai) in the backfield with big-play potential, the Vikings can’t completely focus on QB Caleb Williams and the passing game or else run the risk of seeing the Bears run for 200-plus yards on an assortment of inside and perimeter runs that attack the weakness of the defensive scheme. 

Flores will welcome the challenge as an astute chess master and use static zones that let his defenders play fast as “see ball, get ball” defenders who will pursue the ball at a breakneck pace. The veteran defensive assistant will put the game on Williams’ shoulders to play efficiently without a critical mistake. Despite his success as an improvisational playmaker with a big-play mentality, Williams does force throws into coverage under duress. 

Moreover, he loses his discipline against soft coverage when he is forced to settle for checkdown after checkdown when he wants to push the ball down the field. In a marquee game that is destined to be decided in the final five minutes, Johnson versus Flores will come down to the tricks and treats that neither playcaller pulled out of his bag in Week 1. 

And based on their head-to-head track record, I give Johnson the upper hand in Sunday’s showdown.

It did not take long for the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator to figure out how to unlock the explosive potential of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The two-time MVP and two-time NFL rushing champ looked like an unstoppable force torching an overmatched Indianapolis Colts’ defense in Week 1. 

Jackson threw for 324 yards and a touchdown, while running for 40 yards and another score as part of the Ravens’ 500-plus-yard effort in a 41-23 road win. Henry added 144 yards and three scores while pummeling the Colts on downhill runs that tested the defense’s toughness, physicality and discipline. With Zay Flowers totaling 150 receiving yards in two quarters of work, the Ravens’ offense has the football world buzzing about its potential under first-time playcaller Declan Doyle. 

Studying the All-22 game tape, there is so much to love about Doyle’s approach, with an electric quarterback and running back taking turns punishing the Colts’ defense. Jackson, in particular, was on fire from the pocket, completing 17 of 25 passes with a 12.96 yards-per-attempt average. The three-time All-Pro settled in quickly, directing an exotic offense that blended traditional drop-back passes, bootlegs and option routes, along with the read-pass options (RPOs) that have made him the league’s most dangerous playmaker for almost a decade.  

Henry benefited from Doyle’s creative scheming on the ground, with various motions from the tight end/H-back creating creases at the point of attack. The deceptive use of the tight end/H-back as a lead blocker on the move will keep defensive coordinators up at night, trying to solve for the extra hat in the running game. Considering Henry still flashes the strength and power to run through defenders in tight quarters, the Ravens’ diverse running game will be a problem for defensive coordinators going forward. Next in their path is the Saints, who allowed the Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs (156 yards) to run wild in Week 1. 

After watching a banged-up 49ers defense attack clubs with a straightforward approach under Robert Saleh last year, 2026 opponents should prepare to face a more dynamic defensive scheme with Raheem Morris now in charge. It’s apparent after just one game that the former head coach has enhanced the Niners’ vaunted scheme by adding more pre-snap disguise, five-man fronts and simulated pressures to the playbook. He has also simplified the 49ers’ coverage structure to let the defensive backs play faster in the back end. 

Such changes were evident against the Rams, as the 49ers suffocated one of the league’s best offenses for four quarters. From stuffing the run with five-man structures that knocked the Rams’ blockers off their path to creative pre-snap movement and shifts that morphed five-man fronts into four-down structures, with defensive linemen dropping into coverage, the chaos at the line of scrimmage forced Matthew Stafford and Co. to pause. 

The Niners linebackers and defensive backs benefited from a streamlined approach that prioritized simplicity over complexity. Although the 49ers have utilized more pre-snap disguise to play games with Stafford, it has been by buzzing into a coverage that is easy to understand and execute. With the 49ers emphasizing speed and relying on instincts as a “see ball, get ball” defense, the Rams struggled to handle the speed and physicality of a defense built to hunt from every angle. 

Looking at the stat sheet, the tweaks worked out well, with Stafford held to fewer than 200 pass yards and Puka Nacua and Davante Adams combining for eight catches and 100 receiving yards. The Rams had just one play go for more than 16 yards all day. Moreover, San Francisco produced a pair of takeaways and a pivotal goal-line stand that flipped the game in its favor. 

With Fred Warner and crew embracing these changes with enthusiasm, the NFC should worry about a new and improved defense possibly sparking a title run in the Bay Area. 

The NFL is a copycat league, with coaches often stealing concepts from other coaches when they think it will help their teams win. While some of the thievery involves new, innovative concepts swiped from the league’s creative wizards, veteran coach Andy Reid has a knack for taking and implementing plays from old-school playbooks to help the Chiefs put points on the board. 

Against the Denver Broncos this past Monday night, the three-time Super Bowl winner was up to his old tricks again, using a play popularized by Glen “Pop” Warner in the early 1900s to get Kenneth Walker III a walk-in touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

Aligning in an unbalanced Single Wing formation with Walker at wingback on the left, the Chiefs perfectly executed a counter-shovel pass, with Mahomes sprinting left before underhand tossing the ball to his star RB headed back to the right behind a convoy of blockers. The overload alignment and misdirection caught the Broncos’ defense by surprise, as Walker scooted through a crease into the end zone. 

The bold throwback play in a marquee game set social media on fire, with historians and old-school football fans immediately recognizing it. The fanfare also prompted me to dig deeper and discover that the Single Wing has been part of the Chiefs’ short-yardage package for years. Back in 2023, Rashee Rice scored against the New England Patriots on the exact same play, with Jerick McKinnon flipping the touchdown to the wingback Rice on an inside reverse/counter. 

Digging deeper, I discovered the Chiefs broke out a toy from an old Notre Dame box in Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers to nearly score a touchdown with Damien Williams. Aligned in a full-house backfield, the Chiefs shifted to an unbalanced Single Wing formation to the right. The deceptive pre-snap shift diverted the defense’s attention from Williams, who fielded the direct snap and plunged between the tackles on a fullback dive from the overload formation. Although the Chiefs did not score on the play, the creative use of a throwback-era play is another example of Reid’s willingness to steal from the throwback era to put points on the board. 

With Single Wing enthusiasts anxiously awaiting Reid’s latest spin on the legendary formation, the Chiefs’ short-yardage/goal line package has suddenly become must-see television. 

The NFL operates in cycles, with teams reverting to old-school tactics every few seasons. This year, we are seeing a return to old-school football, with teams embracing more under-center work and heavy personnel groupings to jumpstart their offenses. 

Part of the rationale is to set up the quarterback for success by using the running game and play-action to slow down aggressive fronts attacking gaps with various pressures, stunts and games. Additionally, the return to under center work is part of a bigger plan to force opponents out of the two-high shells defensive coordinators are featuring, limiting explosive plays from quarterbacks trying to connect with speedy receivers on vertical routes. 

As teams park their safeties in the stadium parking lot with split-field structures and more defensive backs in exotic sub-packages, offensive coordinators are countering the soft coverage with a run-based game plan out of tight end-heavy formations. Last season, the Rams terrorized opponents out of “13” personnel because three tight ends on the field created a physical advantage. Two or three tight ends aligned together create extra running gaps and expose smallish sub-package defenders who get overwhelmed as run-gap defenders. 

With offensive playcallers mixing in traditional drop-back or play-action passes from under center on five- and seven-step drops, the second-level defenders are easily lured to the line of scrimmage, leaving voids at intermediate range for digs and crossers on play-action concepts. Given the “chunk” plays derived from run-action plays, it’s no surprise more teams are looking to juice up their offenses with old-school formations and run-pass concepts. 

The numbers show the league-wide percentage of under-center plays from Week 1 (23.3%), suggesting teams will be more committed to a throwback approach than last season (17.6% for all of 2025). Given the offensive fireworks from season openers across the league — the 791 points scored tied the all-time record for Week 1 — we should expect more teams to use various under-center concepts to get their offenses going. As running backs find more traction plunging between the tackles on downhill concepts (there were six 100-yard rushers in Week 1), the threat of the run and the successful execution of those concepts will make the game easier for quarterbacks and playcallers this season. 

Former world champion Johnny Nelson has named a Hall of Famer who he would back against prime versions of Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford.

The two Americans retired as unbeaten five-division world champions and, generally speaking, were regarded as the finest talents of their respective eras.

Throughout Mayweather’s career, there were often doubts over his appetite for the toughest challenges but, by the end of it, no one could dispute his status as an all-time great.

Similarly, Crawford crafted a Hall of Fame-worthy legacy and became a three-division undisputed champion by dethroning Canelo Alvarez in his first outing at 168lbs.

Yet even with both men having placed their greatness beyond any reasonable doubt, Nelson believes that a prime Shane Mosley would have defeated them both.

‘Sugar’ was widely considered to be at the peak of his powers between the late 1990s and early 2000s, back when he made eight lightweight title defences before becoming a two-division world champion at 147lbs.

Mosley did so by dethroning Oscar De La Hoya with a split decision victory and, against Crawford, Nelson has told Daily Mail Sport that he believes the American would have had comparable success.

“I’m going Shane Mosley. On his day, he was a badman.”

Nelson also backed Mosley to defeat Mayweather, despite him losing their welterweight showdown in 2010.

“When they fought, [Mayweather] got the old version of him. So I’m going Mosley.”

At the age of 38, Mosley was widely credited with giving Mayweather one of his toughest fights and even managed to hurt ‘Money’ with a right hand in round two.

David Benavidez has made a drastic pivot as he intends to remain at 200lbs, effectively removing a fighter from the top of his hit list.

‘The Mexican Monster’ moved up to cruiserweight and dethroned Gilberto Ramirez in May, scoring a vicious sixth-round stoppage that saw him claim the WBA and WBO titles.

In doing so, Benavidez became a three-division world champion while retaining his WBC light-heavyweight strap, so as to leave himself the option of dropping back down in weight.

Now, though, the 29-year-old has ruled out any future fights at 175lbs and, in turn, withdrawn his interest in an undisputed clash with Dmitry Bivol.

Benavidez had previously named Bivol as being at the top of his hit list, with the unified champion set to defend his titles against Callum Smith in December.

While speaking with The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, however, the Mexican-American insisted that he anticipates the remainder of his career being at either 200lbs or possibly even heavyweight.

“I feel great at this weight class. I don’t have to lose weight; I’ve never felt as good as I did in my last fight.

“So I wanna be the reigning [cruiserweight] champion for a long time. But if we get a fight with Usyk, I’m not going to turn it down.”

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Quick ringside interview with David Benavidez after Jai Opetaia’s emphatic TKO win over Noel Mikaelian. Benavidez says Opetaia looked slow and easy to hit, easy to hurt. Who are you picking in this one? One of the best fights you can make in boxing 🧨 pic.twitter.com/toW5862icQ

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 13, 2026

In his next outing, Benavidez is set to face Michal Cieslak for the WBC cruiserweight title on December 12, with Noel Mikaelian likely to be stripped of the belt following his ninth-round stoppage defeat to Jai Opetaia over the weekend.

Should he emerge with three of the four major belts at 200lbs, the plan would then be for Benavidez to collide with Opetaia in 2027.

If you’re playing a Rogue build in Diablo 4 Season 15, then you must craft a Zephyr Runeword. It comes with incredibly high flat damage, which already makes it a great DPS pick. However, it also has various other useful mods, including one that grants additional damage on Lucky Hit. Because the mods also scale with gear level, Zephyr remains viable as you progress towards the endgame.

Zephyr has two runeword unique variants: one for a Bow and one for a Crossbow. If you aren’t familiar with Runeword uniques in Diablo 4, they’re basically secret uniques that you can craft yourself with specific rune and item combinations.

Diablo 4 Season 15: How to craft Zephyr Runeword uniques

As mentioned, Zephyr has two variants. To make the Zephyr Runeword Bow, combine a Common (White) Bow with an Ort Rune and an Eth Rune. Using an Ancestral common Bow is even better, but if you can’t find one, there’s always another time. Once you have the items, take them to the Horadric Cube and press Transmute to get your Unique.

For the Zephyr Runeword Crossbow, the process is basically the same. However, instead of a Common (White) Bow, you’ll need a Common (White) Crossbow. Pair that with an Ort and Eth Rune inside a Horadric Cube, and you’ll get the Unique. An Ancestral Crossbow will give you an Ancestral Unique if you’re after the best stats.

Speaking of stats, both Runeword uniques have the same affixes and Aspect, so it’s a matter of preference:

• 12.5% Dodge Chance
• +12.5% Attack Speed
• +12.5% Movement Speed
• x62.5% All Damage Multiplier
• Lucky Hit: Up to a 40% Chance to Deal +1,500 Lightning Damage

The Aspect you get is the Dust Devil, which triggers whenever you dodge. It leaves a tornado that damages enemies and increases the damage they take.

Why use Zephyr Runeword over other items for Rogue in Diablo 4

The Rogue class specializes in building around Dodge and Lucky Hits. With the Zephyr Runeword providing additional Dodge Chance and a large amount of flat damage on Lucky Hits, it’s a match made in heaven. The Attack and Movement Speed, along with All Damage Multiplier, are just the cherry on top.

And while it may not be the best item for a Rogue build in Diablo 4, you can craft it yourself once you have the runes and the right Common bases, saving you time searching for the BiS item. With a combination of great affixes and easy crafting, I can see why this Runeword unique is becoming popular.

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