The NFL games this week mark the beginning of the 2026 regular season, and fans are getting an unusual start to the campaign. Instead of the traditional Thursday kickoff, the NFL will open its season on Wednesday, September 9, with a rematch of the previous Super Bowl.
The 2026 regular season is scheduled to feature 272 games, with 223 taking place on Sundays. However, the league is expanding its schedule across the week, including Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday games.
NFL Games This Week: Week 1 Schedule
The first game of the season features the New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, September 9. The matchup is particularly significant because it is a rematch of Super Bowl LX, where Seattle defeated New England 29-13.
The action continues Thursday when the San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Week 1 then moves into a busy Sunday featuring 13 games.
Sunday’s schedule includes:
- Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers
- Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts
- Atlanta Falcons vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans
- New Orleans Saints vs. Detroit Lions
- Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans
- Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Chargers
- Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
- Miami Dolphins vs. Las Vegas Raiders
- Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
Week 1 concludes Monday night when the Denver Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
A Different Start to the NFL Season
The unusual opening week is largely connected to the calendar. Labor Day falls on September 7 in 2026, while the Sports Broadcasting Act restricts NFL games on Fridays and Saturdays during much of the fall to avoid direct competition with high school and college football.
As a result, the league moved its opening matchup to Wednesday. The 2026 schedule represents another example of the NFL experimenting with less traditional game windows.
The league is also scheduled to have two Wednesday games, four Friday games and seven Saturday games during the 2026 regular season.
Early Road to Super Bowl 2027
Although the season is only beginning, the Super Bowl 2027 picture is already an important storyline for NFL fans. The regular season will run through January 10, 2027, before the playoffs begin.
The postseason schedule currently calls for the wild-card round from January 16-18, followed by the divisional round on January 23-24. Conference championship games are scheduled for January 31.
The season will ultimately lead to Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium. That makes the upcoming campaign a long journey toward one of the biggest sporting events of the year.
Teams to Watch in Week 1
Several teams enter the opening week with major expectations. The Ravens, for example, begin their campaign against Indianapolis, with Lamar Jackson returning as a major offensive centerpiece.
According to the supplied CBS Sports information, SportsLine’s AI model rated Baltimore highly against the spread and projected a 29-16 victory over the Colts. These projections are predictions rather than guarantees, but they illustrate the level of attention surrounding Week 1.
The Cowboys-Giants Sunday night matchup is another major attraction, while the Bills-Texans game and Packers-Vikings contest are among the closer projected matchups entering the opening weekend.
What to Expect From the 2026 NFL Season
The expanded variety of game days should make the 2026 NFL calendar especially interesting. The Seahawks, Rams, Bills and Bears are among the teams scheduled to play six games on days other than Sunday, while five teams are scheduled to play exclusively on Sundays.
For fans searching for the NFL games this week, Week 1 offers a mixture of marquee rematches, international football and traditional Sunday rivalries. But the bigger storyline will develop over the months as contenders attempt to position themselves for the playoffs and ultimately a chance at Super Bowl LXI.
With the road to Super Bowl 2027 officially underway, every Week 1 result can become the first chapter in a much bigger season story
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