The wait is over. After months of training camp battles, roster cuts, and more quarterback drama than any offseason deserves, the 2026 NFL season is officially here. And right out of the gate, the league is doing something it hasn’t done in 75 years — kicking things off on a Wednesday night.
This isn’t your typical Week 1. The NFL has gone all in on making the opening week feel like an event, not just a start. We’ve got a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday, the league’s first-ever game played in Australia on Thursday, a loaded Sunday slate with a classic rivalry, and then Patrick Mahomes — fresh off an ACL tear — walking out under Monday Night Football lights against the Denver Broncos. If this week doesn’t get you locked in for the season, nothing will.
Here’s everything you need to know: every game, every kickoff time, every channel, and what to actually watch.
Wednesday, September 9 — The NFL Kickoff Game
Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC & Peacock
The NFL opened the 2026 season on a Wednesday for only the second time in three-quarters of a century, and they picked the right matchup to do it. This is a Super Bowl LX rematch, with the Patriots getting another crack at the Seahawks on Seattle’s home turf at Lumen Field.
New England came into the offseason with a lot of questions — and a lot of answers, too, depending on which direction you look at it. They’ve built something interesting around their young core, and the Seahawks have quietly been one of the steadier teams in the NFC West for a while now. This opener has genuine stakes, not just hype.
How to watch: NBC and Peacock. If you don’t have cable, Peacock’s streaming app handles this one.
Thursday, September 10 — The Australia Game
Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers 8:35 p.m. ET | Netflix
Yes, really. Melbourne, Australia. The NFL’s first-ever game on Australian soil, and they gave it to an NFC West rivalry that genuinely doesn’t need any extra drama to deliver. The Rams and 49ers have been trading blows in this division for years, and now they’re doing it from the other side of the planet.
This game kicks off at 8:35 p.m. Eastern time — which is 10:35 a.m. Friday morning in Melbourne. The local fans who stayed up or showed up early deserve a great game, and based on recent history between these two franchises, there’s a solid chance they’ll get one.
How to watch: Netflix. This is one of five games Netflix is carrying in 2026 as part of its expanded rights deal. You’ll need a Netflix subscription to stream it.
Saturday, September 13 — The Main Event
This is the day most fans have been waiting for. Sixteen games across Sunday’s full slate (with a couple on Saturday), divisional matchups everywhere, and the full Week 1 chaos that reminds you why fall is the best time of year in American sports.
Here’s every game:
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles | 4:25 p.m. | Fox |
| Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers | 1:00 p.m. | Fox |
| Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 p.m. | Fox |
| Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints | 1:00 p.m. | Fox |
| Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears | 1:00 p.m. | Fox |
| Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Tennessee Titans vs. New York Jets | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders | 4:25 p.m. | Fox |
| Los Angeles Chargers vs. Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (SNF) | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
The Games Worth Clearing Your Calendar For
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants — Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m., NBC)
If you’re only watching one afternoon/primetime game on Sunday the 13th, make it this one. Cowboys-Giants is one of the few rivalries in the NFC East that still carries genuine heat on both sides. The Giants are hosting under the Sunday Night Football lights, the Cowboys are coming off an offseason that was, by Dallas standards, surprisingly drama-free. Jerry Jones promised this team would be different. Week 1 is where that gets tested.
Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills (1:00 p.m., CBS)
This is the sleeper game of the early window. The Bills and Texans have been trending in opposite directions — Buffalo reloading under new head coach Joe Brady after Sean McDermott’s departure, and Houston continuing to build around their core. Both teams believe they can win the AFC. This matchup tells you something early.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts (1:00 p.m., CBS)
Daniel Jones returns to action for the Colts after his Achilles injury, with Baltimore being exactly the kind of test you don’t want in Week 1 of a comeback year. Watch how Jones moves in the pocket. If the ankle is clean, Indianapolis is a legitimate threat in the AFC South. If he looks hesitant, the Colts have a longer road than anyone wants to admit.
See also: NFL Bye Weeks 2026: Every Team’s Week Off and Fantasy Football Impact
Sunday Night Football — September 13
Already listed above: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
This is must-watch TV for anyone with even a casual interest in the NFC East. The Cowboys vs. Giants on Sunday Night Football in Week 1 is the kind of scheduling the league exists to produce.
Monday, September 14 — Chiefs vs. Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN
This is the game everyone is talking about. Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL late last season, is expected to be ready for this opener — his first game back on the field since the injury. The Chiefs are welcoming the Denver Broncos to Arrowhead Stadium under Monday Night Football lights, and the AFC West rivalry gives it the right amount of edge to go with the storyline.
Mahomes has been on pace through training camp and preseason to play Week 1, but ACL returns are unpredictable by nature. The first game back is always the biggest unknown. The Chiefs’ offensive line, his mobility, his comfort in the pocket — all of it gets real answers on Monday night. If he looks like himself, the AFC race might already be over before October.
How to watch: ESPN. Streaming via the ESPN app with a cable/streaming TV login, or through YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or FuboTV.
How to Watch NFL Week 1 Without Cable
If you cut the cord, here’s exactly what covers each broadcast:
NBC (Wednesday + Sunday Night Football): Stream on Peacock. A Peacock subscription ($7.99/month) covers all NBC broadcast games including SNF.
Netflix (Thursday Australia game): Netflix standard or premium subscription covers the 49ers-Rams game in Melbourne.
CBS (multiple Sunday games): Stream on Paramount+ with a Paramount+ subscription or through a live TV streaming service.
Fox (multiple Sunday games): Stream via the Fox Sports app with a TV provider login, or through YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or FuboTV.
ESPN (Monday Night Football): Stream via the ESPN app with your TV provider, or through any major live TV streaming bundle.
The cleanest all-in-one solution remains YouTube TV ($72.99/month), which carries CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN — covering everything except the Netflix game.
See also: 2026-2027 NFL Schedule
The Week 1 Storyline Nobody Is Talking About Enough
Lost in all the noise about Mahomes’ return and the Australia game is the fact that this Week 1 slate is one of the most genuinely competitive opening weeks in recent memory. There are no obvious blowouts on paper. Almost every matchup has a legitimate argument for both sides, which means we’re about to find out very quickly which offseason narratives were real and which ones were just training camp hype.
Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland doesn’t have a Week 1 start yet — his debut is coming, just not necessarily on September 13. The Browns open at Jacksonville, and however that goes tells us whether Cleveland’s rebuild is ahead of schedule or stuck in the same cycle.
The Bears open at Carolina, which on paper looks manageable. But Chicago has been “ahead of schedule” in a rebuild for about four years running and hasn’t proven it in September. Week 1 is another chance.
And the Falcons, quietly, travel to Pittsburgh in a game that will tell us a lot about whether Atlanta is actually building something in the NFC South or just talking about it.
Quick Reference: Week 1 TV Guide
| Day | Game | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Sept. 9 | Patriots at Seahawks | 8:20 p.m. | NBC/Peacock |
| Thursday, Sept. 10 | 49ers vs. Rams (Melbourne) | 8:35 p.m. | Netflix |
| Saturday, Sept. 13 | Multiple games | 1:00–8:20 p.m. | CBS, Fox, NBC |
| Monday, Sept. 14 | Broncos at Chiefs | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
The 2026 NFL season starts with one of the more interesting and genuinely different Week 1 slates we’ve seen in years. Set your reminders, stock the fridge, and pick your watch party lineup carefully — there’s a lot on right now.
The AmericanFootballSchedule.com Editorial Team is a group of football writers, schedule analysts, and die-hard NFL fans dedicated to providing the most accurate and complete American football schedule information on the web. Our team covers all 32 NFL teams, every FBS college football program, and the full CFL season from opening kickoff through the Grey Cup.