The 2025-2026 National Football League (NFL) season kicked off on Thursday, Sept. 5, with the defending champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, barely beating the Dallas Cowboys 24-20.

Some fans at Jupiter High think the Eagles are the best team, going 14-3 and winning the Super Bowl.

“I think they have a lot of good players all around. They have a good quarterback, Jalen Hurts; [running back] Saquon Barkley; a strong defense and good team chemistry,” Brendan Hollinger, junior on the JHS varsity football team, said. 

Even as last year’s Super Bowl winner, the Eagles only have the second-best odds to go back-to-back champions, tied with the Baltimore Ravens. The only team ahead of these two is the Buffalo Bills.

“I think the Baltimore Ravens could be the most overrated team this year, especially after letting the Bills come back,” Hollinger said. 

The Ravens displayed their inability to close out games in week one, after letting the Bills climb their way back from 15 points behind with four minutes left in the game. The Bills were led by last year’s most valuable player (MVP), quarterback Josh Allen.

“When Josh Allen is on and he goes all hero, that team is capable of beating anybody for sure,” Kevin Embick, JHS football team’s defensive coordinator, said.

The Bills have shown they are worthy of recognition by making the playoffs the last five seasons and the Conference Championship (the game before the Super Bowl), twice in that span. Although the Bills haven’t been able to make a Super Bowl appearance, many fans think this could be their year.

“Allen has learned how to protect the football and also understands that at times he does have to put the team on his back. I think their run game is good enough and they have weapons all over the place,” Embick said.

On offense, Buffalo has great players like running back James Cook, tight end Dalton Kincaid and the wide receiver duo Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir. The Bills also have the number three best offensive line in the NFL, behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos.

Despite losing, the Ravens still have a powerful team, with some well-known players, like quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, and a distinguished head coach, Jim Harbaugh, who is known around the league. They bounced back in week two with a win over the Cleveland Browns 41-17. Lamar Jackson showed out with 225 passing yards and four touchdowns. 

“I think with the dominant run game that the Ravens have and how they’re able to exploit with Lamar (Jackson) and Derrick Henry, they could definitely win it all,” Embick said.

Staying inside the American Football Conference (AFC), the Miami Dolphins, who are starting the season opposite the Bills, getting beat in their first game against the Indianapolis Colts, 33-8.

“I think it’s pretty clear at this point that the Dolphins have a real problem. It’s obvious that the team chemistry is not good,” Embick said.

In week one of the 2025 NFL season, Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins’ starting quarterback and sixth-highest-paid quarterback in the league, posted a 60.9% completion percentage with one touchdown and two interceptions per Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). 

“I think he [Tagovailoa] can recover from where he’s at right now, but he needs to be better or the Dolphins aren’t going to be good anytime soon,” Declan Saavadera, freshman Dolphins fan, said.

Tagovailoa bounced back slightly in week two, but it wasn’t enough to beat the New England Patriots, and Miami lost 33-27. Tagovailoa threw another pick, but had two touchdown passes and 315 passing yards.

Going worldwide, Sept. 5 was the first international game of the season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, streamed live free on YouTube for all to view. This was the first of seven games this season that are occurring outside of the United States. The NFL is expanding to countries outside the US to grow its popularity, and possibly lead to a team outside of the US.

“I think football is going to become a more worldwide sport, like soccer,” Hollinger said.

After the game, the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid, was asked about how his team played. Reid discussed how his team came out flat and was unable to bounce back. This was also apparent in the Super Bowl last season, when they lost in a one-sided game against the Eagles. 

“We’ve got to do better bringing energy for sure,” Reid said after the game in an interview with ESPN.

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Chiefs 27-21 in a game that came down to the wire in week one. Los Angeles pulled ahead with a touchdown pass by quarterback Justin Herbert to give them a 27-18 lead with five minutes left.

After the game, Reid said to ESPN he wished his team had more emotion and team chemistry. The week after, the Chiefs played the Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch in which the Eagles beat the Chiefs 20-17.

“In the end, having the right guys in key spots and in leadership positions on a team matters more than people think it does,” Embick said.