The NFL season is here, and Week 1 brings plenty of uncertainty. New schemes, offseason roster changes and fresh matchups make projecting the opening weekend difficult—but three stars enter the season with particularly interesting opportunities.

Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams and Bijan Robinson all showed last season that they can take over games. Each enters 2026 under different circumstances, but their 2025 production and Week 1 matchups give all three a chance to start the new season with a statement.

Joe Burrow: Healthy Again and Ready to Reignite Cincinnati

Joe Burrow's 2025 season was defined more by the games he missed than the games he played.

A toe injury limited the Bengals quarterback to only eight games, but his numbers when healthy remained impressive. Burrow completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, producing a 100.7 passer rating.

That works out to more than 226 passing yards and two touchdowns per game despite playing through an interrupted season.

The bigger reason for optimism is what Burrow did the last time he played a complete season. In 2024, he led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. Cincinnati still has the core responsible for that production, led by Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

If Burrow stays healthy, there is little reason to believe Cincinnati can't return to being one of football's most dangerous passing offenses.

Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay provides an intriguing opening test.

The Buccaneers blitzed on 35.1% of plays last season, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. That aggressiveness might normally be a concern for a quarterback, but Burrow has historically been comfortable identifying pressure and getting the ball out.

Last season, Burrow earned an 81.9 PFF passing grade against the blitz, fifth-best among qualifying quarterbacks.

Tampa Bay spent the offseason attempting to improve its pass rush, meaning this isn't necessarily an easy matchup. But aggressive defenses also create opportunities. With Chase and Higgins capable of winning individual matchups, Burrow could punish Tampa Bay when extra defenders are sent after him.

After an injury-shortened 2025, Week 1 gives Burrow his first opportunity to remind everyone what a healthy Bengals offense can look like.

Caleb Williams: Can the Year 3 Breakout Begin Immediately?

Few young quarterbacks enter 2026 with more intrigue than Caleb Williams.

The raw numbers show significant progress from his rookie season.

Williams went from 3,541 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2024 to 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2025. His yards per attempt increased from 6.3 to 6.9, and he added three rushing touchdowns.

But perhaps the most important number was 24.

That's how many times Williams was sacked last season after taking an NFL-high 68 sacks as a rookie.

Chicago's offensive-line investment made a massive difference. Williams was able to operate with more structure, while Ben Johnson incorporated heavy play action into the offense. The Bears used play action on more than one-third of their dropbacks last season, the second-highest rate in football.

There are still areas Williams needs to improve—particularly his 58.1% completion rate—but 2025 demonstrated that his ceiling is rising.

Week 1: at Carolina

Carolina isn't a matchup Chicago should overlook.

The Panthers have talent in their secondary, including Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, and they added defensive talent during the offseason. However, there were vulnerabilities in Carolina's pass defense late last season.

From Weeks 12 through 18, the Panthers allowed the third-highest passing success rate in the NFL.

That's exactly where Williams' development becomes interesting. He's now entering his second season in Johnson's system after nearly reaching 4,000 passing yards last year, and Chicago has had another offseason to build the offense around his strengths.

The matchup isn't simply “Carolina has a bad defense.” They don't. Instead, it's an opportunity to see whether the improved version of Williams from 2025 can attack the areas where Carolina struggled.

If his Year 2 progression carries into Year 3, Williams could start 2026 with one of Week 1's more impressive quarterback performances.

Bijan Robinson: The NFL's Most Complete Running Back?

Bijan Robinson didn't just have a good 2025 season. He established himself as one of the NFL's most dangerous offensive weapons.

Robinson rushed 287 times for 1,478 yards, averaging an outstanding 5.2 yards per carry.

And that was only half of his production.

He caught 79 passes for 820 yards, giving him 2,298 yards from scrimmage. Robinson also scored 11 total touchdowns.

That receiving production is what makes him particularly difficult to defend. Atlanta doesn't need to simply hand him the football. Robinson can line up in different spots, catch checkdowns and turn short passes into explosive gains.

That versatility could become even more valuable this season with Tua Tagovailoa taking over as Atlanta's starting quarterback. Tua's quick passing style creates opportunities for players to produce after the catch, and Robinson may be the most dangerous player on Atlanta's roster in that situation.

Week 1: at Pittsburgh

Unlike Burrow, Robinson isn't facing an obviously weak defense.

Pittsburgh ranked 13th against the run last season, allowing 113.1 rushing yards per game. That's roughly league average.

But Robinson has already shown he doesn't need a terrible run defense to produce.

Five players topped 100 rushing yards against Pittsburgh last season, and Robinson's involvement in the passing game means the Steelers can't neutralize him simply by loading up against the run.

Pittsburgh knows exactly what's coming, too. Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward described Robinson this week as capable of creating explosive plays at every level and emphasized that containing him will require all 11 defenders.

That's what makes Robinson such an interesting Week 1 player to watch.

Atlanta enters the season with a new starting quarterback and plenty of uncertainty surrounding its offense. The simplest solution is also the most obvious one: get the football to No. 7.

Three Stars, Three Different Reasons to Watch

Burrow, Williams and Robinson don't make this list for the same reason.

Burrow is the established superstar returning from an injury-shortened season, facing an aggressive defense that could give his receivers opportunities downfield.

Williams is the developing quarterback whose statistical improvement in Year 2 suggests something bigger could be coming in Year 3.

Robinson is already one of football's premier offensive weapons and enters 2026 after producing nearly 2,300 yards from scrimmage.

Week 1 rarely tells us everything about an NFL season.

But it can give us the first indication of what's coming.

For Burrow, Williams and Robinson, Sunday could be the beginning of three massive 2026 campaigns.