Unless you root for the Miami Dolphins or Kansas City Chiefs, Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season delivered in a major way, and it generated a ton of excitement about everything else that is set to take place during the next few months.
Typically, Week 1 is the most unpredictable week of the NFL season. So, it's possible that some of what everyone saw out on the field during the last few days isn't going to continue for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.
But when we take a step back and look at all of the notable moments that took place around the league in Week 1, which players emerged as heroes for their teams, and who exited the stadium as a villain?
3 heroes and 2 villains from Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season
Hero No. 1
Justin Herbert - QB (Los Angeles Chargers)
Against the defending AFC champion Chiefs in São Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, people all over the world got to witness why many believe Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the best signal-callers in the NFL today.
Herbert was invincible, as he threw for 318 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the contest to lead the Chargers to the franchise's first win over Kansas City since Week 3 of the 2021 season.
Los Angeles's No. 1 quarterback didn't just make plays with his arm on Friday; he also rushed for 32 yards, including a 19-yard scramble late in the fourth quarter that sealed the 27-21 victory for his team.
Villain No. 1
Jalen Carter - DL (Philadelphia Eagles)
Just like the millions of people who saw Herbert put on a show in Brazil on Friday, NFL fans all over the country saw Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter get ejected from his team's Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday before the contest really even started.
During a small delay after the opening kickoff due to an injured player, Carter was ejected from the contest for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Regardless of why it happened, it's just not something that's going to be tolerated in the NFL.
Unfortunately for Carter, this incident is likely going to stick with him for the rest of his career. He could go on to win the league's Defensive Player of the Year award, and some people are still going to say, "Hey, isn't that the guy who spat on Dak Prescott?"
Hero No. 2
Emeka Egbuka - WR (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
With Chris Godwin still recovering from a serious ankle injury, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka to step up in a big way in their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Spoiler alert: Egbuka stepped up.
In a close NFC South battle inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Bucs' rookie receiver not only hauled in the first touchdown pass of his NFL career, but he made another trip to the end zone late in the fourth quarter that eventually ended up as the game-winning score for Tampa Bay.
One game into the season, it's safe to say Bucs fans are very excited about Egbuka's future with the team after his heroic performance on Sunday.
Villain No. 2
Aaron Rodgers - QB (Pittsburgh Steelers)
In his debut as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers put on a show, as he threw for 244 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions to help his new team defeat the New York Jets, who released him earlier this year.
But it was what Rodgers said after the Steelers' victory that will leave people continuing to view him as one of the top villains in the NFL.
Given that the win came over his former team, the veteran quarterback was asked after the contest if there was any significance in getting to hand a loss to the Jets after they moved on from him during the offseason. Rodgers didn't hold anything back with his answer.
"I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets."
Hero No. 3
Ed Oliver - DL (Buffalo Bills)
Josh Allen is going to get a ton of praise for leading the Buffalo Bills to an epic comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and rightfully so. But the Bills don't defeat the Ravens in Week 1 without the help of Ed Oliver.
Oliver had several impressive plays on Sunday, but none made as big of an impact as the fumble he forced late in the fourth quarter of the contest.
Baltimore was attempting to run out the clock and figured a few handoffs to all-world running back Derrick Henry would be able to get the job done. But Oliver had different plans, as he forced Henry to fumble the ball and give Buffalo possession on the Ravens' 30-yard line.
Allen and the Bills scored a touchdown four plays later that put momentum in their corner and decreased Baltimore's lead to two points. Shortly after that, Buffalo left the field with a stunning 41-40 victory to begin the 2025 season with a 1-0 record.
Editor's note: AI was used to assist in the creation of the images featured throughout this article.