Key NFL Week 1 stats on Bears, Bills, Texans, Bucs, Cardinals - ESPN

Week 1! What a thrill it was to drop my butt in a seat and not move it for seven straight hours.

The first Sunday of the 2026 NFL season had everything we could have asked for: Record-setting offense. Defensive touchdowns. Last-second plays. Overtime. There will be many takeaways from such excellent football. Here are a few of mine.

Every Sunday, I'll find several of the coolest advanced stats from the day's NFL action to share with you. Some call them NFL Next Gen Stats. I call them Next Ben Stats — the data that might not make it on the broadcast but will make you a smarter fan (and laugh a little bit, probably).

Jump to:
Williams' speed | Mayfield vs. line of scrimmage
Kincaid's big day | Texans' big play problem
Brissett's efficiency | Bears' scoring surge

That's some legitimate acceleration — special stuff. Williams has cleared 20 mph seven times as a ball carrier since the start of last season. The rest of the quarterbacks in the NFL have six such plays combined.

His fastest touchdown (20.8 mph) was a 29-yard scamper at the end of the first half, but it's easier to see the impact of his extra gear on his first touchdown (20.45 mph). Williams is as dangerous as anyone in the league when throwing on the run (and especially to his left), so he initially runs only fast enough to outstrip pursuing Panthers defensive end Princely Umanmielen. Once he realizes he can make the pylon, he rounds the corner and hits the gas. It looks as easy for him as it does for quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.

Caleb Williams reached a top speed of 20.35 mph on his 9-yard scramble TD run, the third-fastest speed by a QB as a ball carrier since the start of last season (Williams also owns the top two speeds).

Williams has reached