Welcome to EST Excellence, a brand-new weekly series from Ethical Sports Takes where we recognize the players who delivered the best individual performances of the week.

This is not a ranking of who we believe are the best players in the NFL. Reputation, career accomplishments and where a player ranks overall at his position do not matter here. EST Excellence is about one thing: what you did this week.

Each week, we will hand out Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the three quarterbacks and wide receivers whose performances stood above the rest, along with one honorable mention at each position. A superstar can win Gold one week and disappear from the list the next. If you perform, you earn your place.

With that out of the way, let’s hand out the first medals of the 2026 NFL season.

Quarterbacks

🥇 Gold — Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Week 1 Stats: 20/29, 334 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 0 INTs, 23 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs

Josh Allen takes home the first EST Excellence Gold medal at quarterback, and the context makes his performance even more impressive. Allen accounted for four touchdowns and 357 total yards without turning the ball over in Buffalo’s 36–31 road victory over Houston. He did it against what we believe is the best defense in football, and against a Texans team he entered the game 0–4 against in his career. Allen finally broke through, went into Houston and delivered an elite performance against an opponent that had consistently given him problems. That is exactly what EST Excellence Gold should represent.

🥈 Silver — Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Week 1 Stats: 21/29, 269 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 0 INTs, 65 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs

Caleb Williams earns Silver after helping Chicago explode for 59 points against Carolina. Williams was efficient through the air, dangerous with his legs and accounted for four touchdowns without turning the ball over. He finished with 334 total yards as the Bears produced an offensive explosion to open their season. If this is a sign of what Williams and Chicago’s offense are capable of this year, the rest of the NFL should be paying attention.

🥉 Bronze — Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Week 1 Stats: 23/37, 361 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 1 INT, 10 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

The scoreboard wasn’t kind to Carolina, but this loss definitely wasn’t on Bryce Young. Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground, helping Carolina put 37 points on the board. In most NFL games, scoring 37 points should be more than enough to win. Unfortunately for Young, Carolina’s defense surrendered 59. EST Excellence is about individual performance, not simply wins and losses, and four total touchdowns with 371 total yards is absolutely worthy of a Bronze medal. After leading Carolina to the playoffs last season, Young entered this year looking to further establish himself as the Panthers’ long-term quarterback. If he continues playing like this, the postseason contract extension he is looking for will become increasingly difficult for Carolina to deny him.

⭐ Honorable Mention — Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

Week 1 Stats: 35/56, 410 passing yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs

Tyler Shough led the NFL in passing yards during Week 1 and nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback against Detroit. The Saints fell just short, 31–30, but Shough threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns while helping New Orleans fight its way back into the game. The two interceptions keep him just outside the medals, but a 400-yard performance absolutely deserves recognition.

Wide Receivers

🥇 Gold — Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Week 1 Stats: 8 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TDs, 1 two-point conversion

Justin Jefferson takes home Gold after once again showing his ability to take over a football game. Jefferson caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, matching his receiving touchdown total from all of last season in just one game. He also added a two-point conversion, putting even more points on the board in Minnesota’s convincing divisional win over Green Bay. Other receivers finished with more yardage, but Jefferson’s ability to repeatedly find the end zone and directly impact a winning performance earns him the top spot on our Week 1 podium.

🥈 Silver — Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Week 1 Stats: 10 receptions, 182 yards

Chris Olave was an absolute problem for Detroit. He caught 10 passes for an NFL-leading 182 receiving yards, averaging 18.2 yards per reception and providing Tyler Shough with a dominant downfield weapon throughout New Orleans’ comeback attempt. The Saints didn’t get the win, but Olave’s production was impossible to ignore.

🥉 Bronze — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

Week 1 Stats: 8 receptions, 122 yards, 1 TD

Jaxon Smith-Njigba picks up right where he left off. JSN caught eight passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in Seattle’s 13–10 victory over New England, but one play perfectly captured why he belongs on the podium. On fourth down with Seattle’s backup quarterback in the game, JSN caught the ball and simply outran the defense for a 45-yard touchdown. In a game Seattle ultimately won by only three points, that was a massive winning play. When his team desperately needed someone to make something happen, JSN did exactly that.

⭐ Honorable Mention — Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers

Week 1 Stats: 8 receptions, 138 yards, 2 TDs

Jalen Coker deserves some serious recognition after one of the biggest performances of Week 1. Coker hauled in eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Chicago, averaging more than 17 yards per reception. Carolina may have lost the game, but Coker made his presence known and did more than enough to earn the first EST Excellence honorable mention at wide receiver.

That’s a Wrap on Week 1

That’s a wrap on the first edition of EST Excellence. Every week brings a clean slate, and next Tuesday we’ll be back to hand out another set of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals based solely on who delivers when they step onto the field.

Make sure to like and subscribe to Ethical Sports Takes for weekly EST Excellence selections, EST Elite power rankings, NFL picks, game recaps and more.

Who will earn EST Excellence in Week 2? We’ll find out soon.