The opening week of the NFL season saw key players lost to injury and many games lost to teams that simply aren't any good.
What better way to start the season with a chance to give your coach a win in a revenge game against a team that once fired him? And what better way for a new coach to prove he made the correct decision in choosing his team's starting quarterback?
To say both decisions backfired would be an understatement. A look at how coaches did with their new teams in opening week of the 2026 NFL season.
Grading the first week of coaches in new jobs.
Arizona Cardinals
Mike LaFleur's Cardinals went into SoFi and handled the Chargers. This was a three-win team from last year beating one that had 11 victories in 2025. Quite the impressive debut for the brother
of Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur. Or is Matt LaFleur going to turn out to be Mike Lafleur's brother? Grade: A
Atlanta Falcons
Kevin Stefanski did far better than expected in his Falcons debut. He had to start third-string QB Cooper Rush against the formidable Steelers defense. Rush threw two interceptions, including a pick-six to T.J. Watt. Stefanski was wise to get Bijan Robinson almost 30 touches. That left Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. with a total of five targets. When Michael Penix Jr. returns those numbers have to improve. The defense made Aaron Rodgers look ordinary, or maybe that is what he is now. Stefanski needs to get Penix back, and when he does, Atlanta should be improved. Grade: B
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens seem to have found that John Harbaugh was replaceable. Jesse Minter's team soared in the opener against the Colts, scoring 31 points in the first half. Don't be judgmental about giving up 23. Ten came in the second half when the game was out of reach. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry were huge. Minter made a great first impression with a huge win on the road. Grade: A+
Buffalo Bills
BillsMafia got exactly what it expected with Joe Brady as the coach. A high-flying offense led by the great Josh Allen. The QB accounted for four touchdowns. Would expect to see James Cook get more than 15 touches in the future. This was a wild one with the Texans, so it is hard to put a ton of blame on the defense, which got it done when it counted. The Brady Bunch in Buffalo is going to be fun. Grade: A
Cleveland Browns
Todd Monken had the choice of Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. It isn't a case of him making the wrong decision after being humiliated by the Jaguars. The problem is one-game into his tenure he has opened all sorts of second-guessing. Watson was 16-of-22 for 205 yards. On a positive note, he somehow led the Browns in rushing. Trevor Lawrence picked apart the Browns defense, which had all of one sack and no picks. Grade: F
Las Vegas Raiders
Huge effort from the Raiders in Klint Kubiak's debut. It helped that they played the Dolphins. Kirk Cousins performed well beyond expectations off his past couple of years. Grade: A
Miami Dolphins
Jeff Hafley took over in Miami and got what should have been a soft opener on the road at Las Vegas. The problem is nothing is easy when you have a roster like the Dolphins do. Grade: F
New York Giants
John Harbaugh brought some players with him from Baltimore and one in particular rewarded the coach. Tight end Isaiah Likely caught eight passes for 78 yards and two TDs in the impresssive win over the Cowboys. The Giants showed force on both sides of the ball and the initial step in the Harbaugh era was a massive win. Grade: A+
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike McCarthy gets a win in his debut as Steelers coach. Let's be honest: If this hire is going to work, it is going to be purely because of the defense. Rodgers is no longer the dynamic threat he once was. And the running game went nowhere against the Falcons. Pittsburgh's defense is good enough to make McCarthy look good ... to a point. Grade: C
Tennessee Titans
This team should go by the moniker Terrible Titans. Robert Saleh had a chance to make a splash against the Jets, who fired him years ago. The Titans came up empty, making the Jets defense look fantastic. Tennesssee ran 49 plays and gained a total of 195 yards. Place that blame squarely on Saleh for hiring Brian Daboll as his offensive coordinator. Cam Ward threw for 140 yards and has to wonder what he got himself into here. Grade: F
This article originally appeared on The List Wire: Grading the first week of NFL head coaches with new teams
