Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season has delivered clutch moments around the league with established stars and breakout names sealing comebacks and turning close games into blowouts.
But only one player can be “him.”
Ahead of this season’s “Monday Night Football” debut between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, it’s time to decide who earned it.
This week’s nominees for ESPN’s “Himmy” Award are:
Already made up your mind? Cast your vote here. Need a refresher first? Keep reading for each candidate’s case, then make it official.
Stats to know: 33-of-46, 394 yards, 2 TDs; 14 carries, 30 yards, 2 TDs
Trailing 40-25 with five minutes left, Buffalo looked to be heading to a home-opening loss against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
But Allen authored the comeback, engineering three late scoring drives, capped off by Matt Prater’s 32-yard field goal for the 41-40 win. Allen posted a career-best 251 fourth-quarter passing yards plus two rushing touchdowns to become the first player since at least 1978 with 250 passing yards and two rushing scores in any single quarter.
Stats to know: 22-of-30, 244 yards, 4 TDs
Rodgers led Pittsburgh to a 34-32 win over the Jets with a composed, four-touchdown performance in his Steelers debut. Two of those scores came within a 50-second span in the second half.
Down 32-31 with just over three minutes remaining, Rodgers moved the offense into Jets territory, aided by an 11-yard tip-drill catch by DK Metcalf. That series set up Chris Boswell’s go-ahead, career-long 60-yard field goal with 1:03 left.
In the end, Rodgers avoided turnovers, hit key throws and closed out a late win against his former team.
Stats to know: 4 receptions, 67 yards, 2 TDs
Drafted 19th as Ohio State’s career receptions leader, Egbuka stamped his rookie debut with a late winner.
With 1:04 left and Tampa Bay trailing the Atlanta Falcons 20-17, the first-round wideout spoke up in the huddle, got the look he wanted and pulled in the game’s deciding touchdown — his second score of the day.
Per Elias, he’s only the second player since the 1970 merger to catch a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute (or OT) of an NFL debut. To make Egbuka’s feat even more impressive, the throw from Baker Mayfield carried just a 24.9% completion probability, his least likely completion of the game, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Stats to know: 22-of-29, 272 yards, 1 TD; 7 carries, 26 yards, 2 TDs
Jones gave Indianapolis the opener it needed. Sharp and efficient, he ran for two touchdowns, threw for another and powered a 33-8 rout of the Miami Dolphins — snapping the NFL’s longest active Week 1 skid (11 straight) and giving the Colts their first 1-0 start since 2013.
It also marked Jones’ first win as a starting quarterback since Oct. 6 last year.
ESPN Research contributed to this story.
