The Buffalo Bills pulled off a miraculous late rally, scoring 16 points in the final four minutes to overcome the Baltimore Ravens 41-40.
Quarterback Josh Allen was instrumental in Buffalo's comeback, which began with the Bills down 15 with three minutes and 56 seconds on the clock and ended with a 32-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater as time expired.
Allen ended the game with two passing and two rushing touchdowns, while Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson similarly found the end zone twice through the air and once on the ground.
Green Bay's big pre-season signing Micah Parsons made an immediate impact for the Packers in their 27-13 win over the Detroit Lions.
The former Dallas Cowboy picked up a sack and quarterback Jordan Love found the end zone twice as the Lions looked a shell of the side that topped the NFC North last season.
It was also another good night's work for punter Dan Whelan, who signed a contract extension earlier this week.
Whelan's kicking was again praised with one of this three punts reaching a massive 65 yards.
Aaron Rodgers showed he has settled nicely into his new home at Pittsburgh as he led the Steelers to a 34-32 win over his former team the New York Jets.
The 41-year-old quarterback threw for four touchdowns and endured four sacks in the come-from-behind win, which was clinched with a late 60-yard field goal from Chris Boswell.
His opposite number Justin Fields fell just short in his Jets debut, despite two rushing touchdowns and one through the air.
Tennessee’s number one draft pick Cam Ward was unable to get his team across the line in his NFL debut as the Titans fell to the Denver Broncos 20-12.
The 23-year-old was under immense pressure from the Broncos defence for the entire game, sacked six times and pressured on a whopping 50 occasions while failing to find the end zone.
Meanwhile, Denver quarterback Bo Nix did just enough on the offensive end despite a mixed day at the office, finishing with a touchdown and two interceptions.
The Cincinnati Bengals eclipsed the Browns 17-16 in a dour affair in Cleveland.
Browns kicker Andre Szmyt gave up two crucial chances for points in the second half, missing both an extra-point attempt in the third quarter and a 36-yard field goal in what turned out to be a scoreless final period.
Sunday’s slate of games also carried one-score victories for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers in Seattle and Los Angeles Rams against the Houston Texans.
Elsewhere, the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders romped to big wins over the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants respectively, while the Arizona Cardinals (against New Orleans), Las Vegas Raiders (against the New England Patriots) and Jacksonville Jaguars (against the Carolina Panthers) also got their seasons off to a winning start.
