Updated

Updated · ESPN · Sep 7

NFL Opens 2026 Season With Super Bowl Rematch and 1st Australia Regular-Season Game

Updated

Updated · ESPN · Sep 7

NFL Opens 2026 Season With Super Bowl Rematch and 1st Australia Regular-Season Game

Q: As Deshaun Watson returns, how quickly could a single early-season mistake force Cleveland to unleash rookie Shedeur Sanders?

Potentially very quickly — but probably not after just one isolated error unless it exposes bigger problems. Cleveland has publicly tried to project stability. Head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the starter and said it was not intended to be a week-to-week arrangement. That suggests one bad throw or one ugly series alone should not trigger an immediate change. But the Browns’ own context makes the leash look shorter than normal. Watson is returning from a major Achilles injury after missing the 2025 season, and his recent Browns track record has already eroded trust. What sharpens the pressure is that Shedeur Sanders has given the staff a credible alternative. In preseason, Sanders outplayed Watson against Buffalo, going 9-for-11 for 74 yards and a touchdown, while Watson was 5-for-12 for 36 yards with an interception. Sanders is now the clear backup, and Monken praised his maturity after losing the job, which matters because it shows the rookie is seen as ready enough to handle the role if needed. So the likely trigger is not one mistake in isolation, but one early mistake combined with the same old warning signs: poor accuracy, no downfield threat, slow processing, or visible physical limitations. If Watson opens the season flat against Jacksonville and follows an error with more ineffective play, Cleveland could turn to Sanders within a game or two. Given the history of instability at quarterback in Cleveland, the rookie may be only a short slump away.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Sep 7

Wednesday’s opener sends defending champion Seattle against New England in a Super Bowl rematch at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, launching a season that ends with Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium.
Thursday adds a league first: Los Angeles faces San Francisco in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia at 8:35 p.m. ET on Netflix.
Los Angeles enters as a leading title pick, with ESPN’s FPI giving the Rams an 84.9% playoff chance and projecting 11.3 wins after a 12-5 season.
The season preview also frames expectations across all 32 teams with roster strengths, concerns, fantasy notes, bold predictions and FPI simulations for division, playoff and best- and worst-case outcomes.