The 2026 season opens on a Wednesday, moves to Australia on Thursday, and doesn’t look like a normal Week 1 at all. All 32 teams play, nobody has a bye, and the 16 games are spread across four days.
There’s a good reason for the strange calendar, and it’s a 65-year-old law. More on that below the schedule.
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|
| WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9 — KICKOFF GAME | ||
| Patriots at Seahawks | 8:20 p.m. | NBC / Peacock |
| THURSDAY, SEPT. 10 — MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA | ||
| 49ers vs. Rams | 8:35 p.m. | Netflix |
| SUNDAY, SEPT. 13 — EARLY WINDOW | ||
| Bears at Panthers | 1:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Buccaneers at Bengals | 1:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Saints at Lions | 1:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Falcons at Steelers | 1:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Bills at Texans | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Ravens at Colts | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Browns at Jaguars | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Jets at Titans | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| SUNDAY, SEPT. 13 — LATE WINDOW | ||
| Cardinals at Chargers | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| Packers at Vikings | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| Dolphins at Raiders | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| Commanders at Eagles | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | ||
| Cowboys at Giants | 8:20 p.m. | NBC / Peacock |
| MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL — SEPT. 14 | ||
| Broncos at Chiefs | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN / ABC |
Flexible scheduling does not begin until Week 5, so these times are locked. Sunday afternoon games are regional — the FOX and CBS games shown in your market depend on where you live.
Why the Week Starts on a Wednesday
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 bars the NFL from playing on Friday and Saturday nights from the second Friday in September through mid-December, a protection written to shield high school and college football from competition.
That law removed the Friday slot the league wanted for its Australian game. So Melbourne moved to Thursday, and with Thursday taken, the traditional Kickoff Game slid to Wednesday — the first Wednesday opener since 2012. It is also the only Thursday game of the week, because Amazon’s Thursday Night Football package doesn’t begin until Week 2.
The Three Games That Matter Most
Patriots at Seahawks (Wed.) is a Super Bowl LX rematch. Seattle beat New England 29-13 in February for its second Lombardi Trophy, denying the Patriots a record seventh. Both teams open the title defense and the revenge tour in the same game.
49ers vs. Rams (Thu.) is the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, streaming free to Netflix subscribers in more than 200 countries. Local kickoff is 10:35 a.m. Friday in Melbourne. It’s also Aaron Donald’s first game since coming out of retirement — see our piece on his return to the Rams.
Cowboys at Giants (Sun. night) is the 128th meeting in a rivalry dating to 1960, and John Harbaugh’s debut as Giants head coach after 18 seasons in Baltimore. Full detail is on our Giants schedule page.
How to Watch Without Cable
Week 1 is unusually spread across services. NBC has both the Wednesday opener and Sunday night, with Peacock streaming each. Netflix has the Melbourne game exclusively, at no extra cost on a standard subscription. ESPN has Monday night with an ABC simulcast, so an antenna gets you that one free. The Sunday afternoon games are on FOX and CBS regionally — an antenna covers whichever games your market carries.
The Bottom Line
Sixteen games from Wednesday, September 9 through Monday, September 14. The season opens with a Super Bowl rematch in Seattle, plays its first Australian game the next night on Netflix, stacks 13 games into Sunday, and closes with Denver at Kansas City on Monday. Every team plays; nobody rests until Week 5.