The Best Postgame Quotes From NFL Week 1: Kamari Lassiter Takes the Blame

From high-scoring games to narrow wins, comebacks and upsets, the NFL’s Week 1 slate did not disappoint. Before the league turns the page to Week 2, here’s a look back at what coaches and players had to say about the biggest moments from Week 1, starting with the Texans' narrow loss to the Bills.

Texans

One of the surprising results of Week 1 was the Texans’ defense giving up 36 points to the Bills. In particular, the Bills successfully made a number of explosive plays that were uncharacteristic for the Texans’ defense to give up.

“We had multiple opportunities to make plays,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Chances to make plays on the football, didn’t make plays. We gave up way too many explosives. You give up explosives, you have opportunities to take the football away and you don’t do those things, and you’re going against a top offense in the NFL, that’s what’s gonna happen. We gotta cover better, we gotta finish better, we did not do that today.”

Cornerback Kamari Lassiter was one of the players that didn’t make plays the Texans could have. Lassiter failed to come up with a potential game-sealing interception and then allowed the game-winning touchdown pass.

Lassiter said after the game, per KPRC2’S Aaron Wilson, “It’s very, very, very painful. So I gotta check myself, go back to the drawing board. I feel like it wasn’t really too much of what they did, it was just more of me, to be honest with you. I can’t just sit here and just say that they did a whole bunch to keep me off-balance. I feel like this team is in a really good spot, I feel like everyone played great. Everyone but me, so I just gotta be better.”

ORR: C.J. Stroud’s Familiar Result Spoils the Best Parts of His Game Against the Bills

Packers

New season, same woes for the Packers, who blew a 12-point lead to the Vikings and fell 39–22.

While the Packers’ offense got off to a hot start and Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray was knocked out of the game early with a concussion, the Packers couldn’t hold on to the win.

“It’s gonna be a topic of conversation for all you guys until we do it,” coach Matt LaFleur said of the latest Packers’ blown lead. Last season the Packers lost four games in which they had a two-score lead, including their wild-card loss to the Bears.

One of the key moments of the loss came when LaFleur wiped a Packers’ field goal off the board to go for it on fourth-and-short. The Packers failed to convert, and the Vikings responded with an 83-yard touchdown drive to take a 25–22 lead—a drive that had some help from several Packers defensive penalties.

LaFleur said of the decision to wipe the field goal off, “We’re gonna be aggressive. It was gonna be an eight-point game. If it was gonna be a two-possession game, I probably would have thought otherwise. I thought we had a chance, we didn’t do really well in the red zone. Sometimes you live and die by that, but we’re gonna be aggressive.”

“What factors in is we liked our call, they gave us a look for the quarterback sneak, we checked to it and we didn’t get it.”

Vikings

On the other side, Vikings backup quarterback Carson Wentz perfectly summed up Minnesota’s wacky win after the game: “Things can change fast from guys playing, obviously didn’t think I’d be out there. The momentum [swung fast] at the end of the game. … Football is a funny game but it’s fun to be on this side of it.”

The Vikings’ ability to earn the comeback win was also important because the team has sometimes struggled when it loses a quarterback to injury. Kevin O’Connell acknowledged, “Two of our years here, we’ve had our starting quarterback for essentially the whole season, and we won 14 and 13 games. In some of the adversity, I don’t think I’ve coached very well. Trying to maybe worry about the stat sheet, worry about what it’s gonna look like when you pick up the paper. It’s about winning.”

It’s unclear when Murray will be back and/or if Wentz can lead them to more wins, but this was an encouraging performance for the Vikings.

Chargers

The biggest upset loss of Week 1 belonged to the Chargers, who fell to the Cardinals 26–14.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said the Chargers were “sloppy” during the loss, particularly when it came to penalties.

Quarterback Justin Herbert, who finished the game 17-for-29 for 207 yards, one touchdown and one pick, said, “It’s on us as an offense not to have penalties. We got to score points in the red zone and we didn’t execute those third downs and we didn’t move the ball like we needed to.”

Commanders

The Commanders defended the play call on their failed two-point conversion attempt, which saw the team call a shovel pass to tight end John Bates. The Eagles quickly sniffed out the play, and tackled Bates immediately, allowing them to seal a 24–22 win.

Tom Brady clearly didn’t like the Commanders’ final play-call in that 2-pointer.

“In big-time moments, you’ve got to think about players not plays. … I was thinking give DAniels a run-pass option. You’ve got Terry (McLaurin). You’re got Stefon (Diggs). I’m not thinking Bates.” pic.twitter.com/HBgcC1ePcZ
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) September 13, 2026

“We just didn’t execute,” Jayden Daniels told reporters. “Right call. Anything [OC David] Blough calls, I’m with him. Regardless, however everyone else might view it, I’m with Blough 100%.”

Coach Dan Quinn added of the play, “It’s a good play down in the red zone. People come upfield seeing Jayden get out on the edge to go, when you shovel it inside, there’s usually some space to go, but without seeing it I felt penetration. … From a play call, it was an effective one. It just wasn’t effective when it’s not nailed down.”

Ravens

Jesse Minter made his anticipated debut as Ravens coach on Sunday, but the story of the day for Baltimore was Declan Doyle and the offense. Doyle, in his first game as a play-caller, had the Ravens’ offense rolling all afternoon as they racked 506 yards of offense en route to a 41–23 victory.

“I thought Declan came out of the gates on fire,” Minter told reporters after the game.

Lamar Jackson, who threw for 324 yards and had two total touchdowns, added, “Shoutout to Dec, ’cause he was dialing it up.”

Colts coach Shane Steichen was also complimentary of Doyle, saying, “I thought he did a helluva job schematically. Getting Derrick Henry open in the run game, getting Zay Flowers open in the pass game. Credit to him.”

VERDERAME: The Good, Bad and Ugly in NFL Week 1: Josh Allen Delivers for Joe Brady

Bengals

Defense was the theme of the day for the Bengals as the first three questions in Joe Burrow’s press conference were about the team’s defense, which forced four fumbles in a 33–27 win over the Buccaneers. Burrow emphasized the need to “capitalize” on those turnovers more than they did, which would help them put the game away earlier.

The win also marks a second consecutive Week 1 victory for the Bengals, who were derailed by slower starts in previous years in the Burrow era.

“It’s great for the vibes,” Burrow said of the win. “There’s a lot of attention around Week 1 just because there’s so much anticipation. The win feels great and we have to keep rolling.”

Titans

The Titans opened their final season in Nissan Stadium on an ugly note, falling to the Jets 23–10. The offense looked inept for much of the game, and fans even began to boo the team in the first game of the Robert Saleh era.

“It comes with the territory,” Saleh said of the boos. “When you lose, you’re a loser.”

Saleh added his message to discouraged fans is, “We’re going to continue to get better, we’re gonna continue to work and we’ll find a way to grow with this.”

While Saleh didn’t have a great debut, he did receive an encouraging message from one of his former Jets players, Garrett Wilson. “I got a lot of love and respect for him. He’s a great coach,” Wilson said of Saleh. “At the end of the day, their time’s coming. Being the competitor I am, today, yeah, I wanted to beat them and they was returning the favor.”

Panthers

While the Panthers had a nice day offensively, scoring 37 touchdowns as Bryce Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns, and Jalen Coker hauled in eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, those performances were completely overshadowed by an atrocious defensive performance. The Panthers’ defense took great strides forward in 2025, and expected to get even better after adding Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd this offseason. That was not the case on Sunday, at least, as they gave up 59 points, 552 yards of offense and 291 rushing yards to the Bears.

“It was an incredible day by the Bears,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said after the game. “… Seventeen points off turnovers doesn’t equal 59 points. We could’ve not extended drives with penalties. We gave a really good offense more opportunities. They don’t need any more opportunities.”

Phillips, who tallied one sack in the game, said after his Panthers debut, “59 is an ugly score to put up as a defense. It was embarrassing. At the end of the day, I think it’s a good opportunity for us. It’s a critical moment in the sense that getting beat this badly as a defense is really gonna define us moving forward in terms of the urgency that we have to get better.”

MANZANO: Week 1 Lessons: Bears Might Be Better Than Last Year

Saints

Few teams got off to a slower start on Sunday than the Saints, who fought off a scoreless first half to force overtime against the Lions. Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough had a rough start in particular, throwing two picks and getting strip-sacked over the first three quarters before finally leading a touchdown drive toward the end of the third quarter.

Shough acknowledged his rough start after the game, saying, “I’m just learning as I’m going. I’m learning about what they’re trying to call, I’m learning about myself. I was too fast in the beginning, I was distributing it too fast and just slowing myself down, letting the game come to me a little more but still being aggressive. That’s just kind of part of it.”

Tyler Shough addressing why he played better the second half. He says he had to slow things down.

This is why I feel optimistic about the #Saints. He’s taking accountability and I know he will only get better. pic.twitter.com/lnNERrXPaU
— Farrah Yvette (@farrah_yvette) September 13, 2026

Raiders

Rather than a quote, here’s a video that sums up the feeling after the Raiders earned the first victory of the Klint Kubiak era.

We feel you, Coach! 🏴‍☠️ #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/ZJwdcPKeBR
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 13, 2026

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