NFL Surprises 2021: Packers, Steelers, Eagles, Bears Produce Most Shocking Week 1 Scores

Upsets occur every week of the NFL regular season, but some of the results on the first NFL Sunday of the 2021 season were particularly shocking. Four underdogs won by at least 16 points in Week 1, and a pair of betting favorites covered the spread by more than 10 points.

The most shocking score was the New Orleans Saints 38-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers played like the NFL’s worst starting quarterback, not the reigning MVP.

Meanwhile, counterpart Jameis Winston tossed five touchdown passes in his first start for the Saints, winning despite the contest being moved from New Orleans to Jacksonville due to the fallout from Hurricane Ida.

The Packers, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons were all favored by a field goal and were beaten in blowout fashion. The Arizona Cardinals shocked Tennessee with a 38-13 road win, and the Philadelphia Eagles stunned the Falcons 32-6.

Kyler Murray totaled five touchdowns and 309 yards from scrimmage in Arizona’s big afternoon. Jalen Hurts had four scores and 326 yards, helping Philadelphia become the only NFC East team to start the season 1-0. The Cardinals and Eagles entered Week 1 with the worst odds to win their respective divisions.

Projected to finish at the bottom of both the AFC South and overall NFL standings, the Houston Texans stunned the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 37-21 win. Houston picked off No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence three times in his debut.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-16. It was a relatively close contest, though Pittsburgh beat the 6.5-point spread by two touchdowns. Josh Allen struggled against the Steelers’ defense, throwing for 270 yards and one score on 51 attempts. Buffalo beat Pittsburgh 26-15 late last season.

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Chicago Bears for the third year in a row. In Matthew Stafford’s L.A. debut, the Rams routed the Bears 34-14, easily covering the single-digit point spread. Chicago’s defense was among the league’s most disappointing units, surrendering a nearly perfect 156.1 passer rating.

The Denver Broncos covered the betting line by double digits with a 27-13 road win over the New York Giants. The final score doesn’t reflect how poorly the Giants played because Daniel Jones ran for a meaningless touchdown as time expired. Teddy Bridgewater had a 115.7 passer rating for the Broncos and Melvin Gordon reached the 100-yard mark on just 11 carries.

The AFC West went 2-0 on the road against the NFC East.