The 2026 NFL season won’t officially begin for about four more months, but football fans now have the full, 272-game schedule for the upcoming campaign.
Unsurprisingly, the NFL has loaded the first week of the 2026 NFL season with quality matchups.
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It will all start on Sept. 9, when the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks celebrate their title by hosting the team they beat in Super Bowl 60, the New England Patriots, to kickstart the season.
Then the NFL will play its first-ever regular-season game in Australia. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will bring their divisional rivalry “Down Under” in a game that will kick off at about 10:35 a.m. locally.
From there, plenty more quality matchups will litter the schedules. Most notably, the New York Giants will play the Dallas Cowboys in a classic rivalry matchup on “Sunday Night Football,” and the week will wrap up with a “Monday Night Football” game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.
Here’s a full look at the NFL’s Week 1 schedule, along with a preview of what appear to be the first week’s best matchups.
NFL Week 1 schedule
Below is a look at the full, NFL Week 1 schedule, from the Seahawks vs. Patriots season opener to the Broncos vs. Chiefs “Monday Night Football” matchup.
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(All times Eastern.)
Wednesday, Sept. 9
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New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Thursday, Sept. 10
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San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams, 8:35 p.m., Netflix
Sunday, Sept. 13
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New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Monday, Sept. 14
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Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, 8 p.m., ESPN/ABC
Ranking the best matchups of NFL Week 1
1. San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
What will NFL football look like in Australia? Fans will get their first glimpse when the 49ers and Rams square off in the league’s first-ever regular-season game in Melbourne.
Both West Coast squads will face daunting travel schedules to prepare for the game, and it will be interesting to see whether Kyle Shanahan’s or Sean McVay’s team is better-suited to the unique challenges of playing halfway around the world.
The 49ers and Rams are both expected to be Super Bowl contenders in 2026 after making the playoffs last season. San Francisco will hope to stay healthier than it was able to last season, while Los Angeles will be looking for Matthew Stafford to repeat his MVP performance and carry the team on another deep postseason run.
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2. Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills
The Bills enter the 2026 NFL season hoping that promoting Joe Brady to replace Sean McDermott as the team’s head coach can provide the spark needed to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994.
Brady will face a tough test out of the gate against a well-coached, DeMeco Ryans defense. Last season, Houston beat Buffalo 23-19 while limiting Josh Allen in one of the quarterback’s worst performances of the season. Allen completed 70.6% of his passes for 253 yards but failed to log a touchdown while tossing two interceptions.
Will Brady and Allen be able to cook up a better way to attack the Will Anderson-led unit in 2026? That could be key in helping Buffalo to start its season strong. So too will be rattling Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is looking to rebound after an abysmal 2025 NFL playoff run that saw him complete just 51.9% of his passes for 462 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions while taking six sacks and fumbling five times.
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3. Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is hoping to recover from a torn ACL in time to play for the Chiefs in Week 1. He will be tested right out of the gate if he does, as the Broncos have a top-tier defense that limited Mahomes to a 79.5 passer rating in their Week 11 meeting last season.
Meanwhile, Bo Nix is also coming off a season-ending injury that he suffered during the Broncos’ divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills. He had multiple surgeries to repair his broken ankle, and Denver fans will be eager to see how he looks after watching Jarrett Stidham close out their season as the team’s AFC championship game starter.
The Chiefs and Broncos represent the two most recent winners of the AFC West, so this Week 1 matchup could go a long way toward determining which squad will have the early edge in the divisional race.
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4. Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots
There may be some consternation among NFL fans about the league’s choice for the 2026 season opener. After all, the Seahawks just dominated the Patriots in Super Bowl 60, cruising to a 29-13 victory behind an elite defensive effort that stymied Drake Maye and the New England offense.
That said, both teams will look a lot different entering their Week 1 matchup. The Seahawks have lost several key defensive players, including edge rusher Boye Mafe, cornerback Riq Woolen and safety Coby Bryant.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have shored up some of their offensive weaknesses. They signed wide receiver Romeo Doubs in free agency while adding guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and first-round tackle Caleb Lomu to improve their offensive line.
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Will those changes be enough to flip the result in New England’s favor? Maybe not, but the Patriots will undoubtedly be motivated to seek revenge for the embarrassment they endured in Super Bowl 60.
And Mike Vrabel should be similarly motivated to show well after facing scrutiny over his relationship with former The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini during the NFL offseason.
5. Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Among all of the NFL’s Week 1 games, the Bengals vs. Buccaneers matchup has the best chance to be the “popcorn movie” of the bunch. Both teams sport high-flying passing offenses and could engage in a high-scoring, back-and-forth battle if they are firing on all cylinders.
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That’s not guaranteed to happen. Cincinnati has notoriously been a slow starter under Zac Taylor’s leadership. At the same time, Tampa Bay will have a new pecking order at wide receiver, as Mike Evans joined the 49ers during the offseason.
Still, Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins comprise one of the best trios of offensive weapons in the NFL. And Baker Mayfield was performing at an MVP level in the first half of last season before suffering a midseason shoulder injury.
Add in the issues both secondaries endured in coverage last season and this has the potential to be the most explosive Week 1 game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NFL Week 1 schedule released: Best matchups to open season
