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NFL Nation
Multiple Authors
The NFL released the full 2026 schedule Thursday night, and it opens with a rematch of Super Bowl LX as the defending champion Seattle Seahawks will host the New England Patriots on Sept. 9.
Since 2004, defending champs have gone 16-5 in season openers, according to ESPN Research, including the Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-20 win against the Dallas Cowboys to start the 2025 season.
The season is starting on a Wednesday to accommodate the first regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. The Los Angeles Rams will play the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET. Melbourne is 14 hours ahead of New York and 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles and San Francisco, meaning the game will kick off at 10:35 a.m. local time the next day in Australia.
The NFL will play a record nine international games in 2026 across four continents and seven countries.
All NINE international games in 2026 🌎🌍🌏
NFL Schedule Release – Thursday 8pm ET on ESPN/NFLN pic.twitter.com/XS1mNSsXGd
— NFL (@NFL) May 13, 2026
The only other time the NFL season started on a Wednesday was in 2012 to accommodate then-President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention the following day.
The first “Sunday Night Football” matchup will feature John Harbaugh making his New York Giants debut against the Cowboys. In another NFC East rivalry game, Dallas will host the Eagles on Thanksgiving.
The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs will face off Sept. 14 in the first “Monday Night Football” game of the season.
NFL Nation reporters will provide a bold prediction for every team, along with analysis for each team and links to see the full schedule. Check out which teams have the hardest and easiest schedules.
Jump to a division:
NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West
AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West
NFC EAST
The Cowboys will close the season fast and reach the postseason. Last season, the Cowboys were on the edges of the playoff race in December but lost four of their last five games to finish 7-9-1 and miss the playoffs for a second straight year. That won’t happen this year.
The Cowboys play two of their final three games at home. They have beaten the Giants eight straight times at AT&T Stadium, and they have won four of their past five games at the Commanders. That should allow them to make the playoffs at least as a wild-card team. Read more from Todd Archer
1:51
Are Cowboys or Giants in a better position to make a statement in Week 1?
Damien Woody and Dan Graziano discuss the Giants’ matchup vs. the Cowboys on the first Sunday night game of the season.
The Giants will enter their Week 8 bye week with a winning record. And in order to do that, it will have to involve beating either the Cowboys or Rams in one of the first two games. There are some opportunities for wins early in the season for the Giants.
Of their first seven opponents, only the Rams and Texans had winning records last season. Four of the first six games are also at home. Read more from Jordan Raanan
The regular-season finale versus the Giants will seal at least one team’s playoff fate. The Giants have been largely irrelevant in the NFC East race in recent years, but the coach/quarterback combo of John Harbaugh and Jaxson Dart appears formidable and could lead a football renaissance in New York. Perhaps the division title will be on the line when these teams tangle in Week 18. Read more from Tim McManus
Washington will win three of its first five games. Though that might not be spectacular, it would be impressive, considering the first three games. The Commanders have the benefit of the unknown in the first two weeks, with new coordinators and new schemes on both sides of the ball. That will lead to growing pains, but it also could lead to them surprising a team early in the season. Read more from John Keim
NFC NORTH
Look for the Bears to be 3-1 by the time they face the Packers in Week 5 and 2-0 in division games before their Week 10 bye (wins over Minnesota and Green Bay).
Three of the Bears’ first four games will be at home, including Week 4 vs. the Jets. That will allow the revamped offensive line to gel without worrying about things that come with playing in hostile road environments, such as the silent count.
Starting faster in games is a priority for Chicago’s offense, and the benefit of getting to mesh new offensive players in front of home crowds will provide the Bears with the hot start they’re seeking. Read more from Courtney Cronin
The Lions will play spoiler at Buffalo in Week 2, and that could set the tone for the season. The game will mark the first to be played at Highmark Stadium — the Bills’ new home. But Detroit is no stranger to nationally televised matchups and will be motivated to beat Buffalo after losing an epic 48-42 shootout at Ford Field in their last matchup Dec. 15, 2024. Read more from Eric Woodyard
The Packers will do the opposite of last year and close the regular season with four straight wins, taking some momentum into the postseason instead of limping in. Yes, that would include winning on Christmas at Chicago, which, at this point, looks like the toughest game in that closing stretch. Read more from Rob Demovsky
The Vikings will need to beat the Bears in Week 18 to get into the playoffs. With that tough primetime stretch to start the second half of the season, it’s reasonable to think the team will need to catch up record-wise. Divisional records can often have a big impact on tiebreakers, and whether it’s for the division title or a wild-card spot, the Bears will stand between the Vikings and their preferred outcome. Read more from Kevin Seifert
NFC SOUTH
The Falcons will close out the season with three straight wins, all against their division rivals, to sneak into the playoffs after a rough start to the season. By late in the season, Atlanta players will be more up to speed on coach Kevin Stefanski’s system, and they’ll be battle-tested after a tumultuous start. Read more from Marc Raimondi
The Panthers will beat the Bears for the first time since 2014, validating the trade that landed Carolina the 2023 No. 1 pick that became quarterback Bryce Young. In Week 1, Young will outplay his counterpart, Caleb Williams, whom the Bears selected No. 1 in 2024 with the pick the Panthers traded to them. Read more from Marc Raimondi
The Saints will beat the Lions in their opening game. Though the Lions are coming off a down season, this won’t be an easy game, especially considering the Saints started the 2025 season 0-4. But this is a different team with a new starting quarterback. The Saints, who finished 21st in total offense last season, should look revamped this September behind Tyler Shough and some new offensive additions, such as running back Travis Etienne Jr. and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Read more from Katherine Terrell
Coach Todd Bowles will finally defeat an AFC North team in Tampa. Wait, what? Yes, an odd quirk is that the Bucs are winless against the AFC North since 2019, when Bowles became the defensive coordinator. They are 0-1 against the Steelers and Bengals, and 0-2 vs. the Browns 0-2 and Ravens. Those are the only teams Bowles and the Bucs have not beaten in that span. Read more from Jenna Laine
NFC WEST
The Cardinals will know their playoff fate by Nov. 9. Once they get back from Seattle, which they play on Nov. 8, their difficult nine-game stretch will be over — with a home game against the Rams on deck. But Arizona will have a very clear picture by then of where it stands in the NFC. Read more from Josh Weinfuss
The Rams will win at least five games in the NFC West. Los Angeles went 4-2 in the division during the 2025 regular season, losing to the 49ers at home and the Seahawks on the road. And though this will continue to be one of the best divisions in the NFL, the Rams took big strides to improve their defense this offseason. Read more from Sarah Barshop
Despite the long trip to Australia, the 49ers will open the season 3-0. Beating the Rams anywhere is a tall task, and the disparate travel plans between the teams — the Niners will spend about a week in Melbourne while the Rams will be in and out — will provide an interesting test case for jet lag recovery and time zone acclimation.
But San Francisco almost always finds a way to be competitive against the Rams, and if it can get a win there, the Niners will have manageable home games against the rebuilding Dolphins and Cardinals to soften the blow when they return to the United States. Read more from Nick Wagoner
Seattle will beat New England by at least two scores again. This lacks the usual appeal of a Super Bowl rematch because the last meeting was so lopsided, with the Seahawks winning 29-13 after allowing a garbage-time touchdown. It’s a new season, of course, but what makes anyone believe this game will be any more competitive at Lumen Field, where the Seahawks have rediscovered their home-field advantage? According to ESPN Research, Super Bowl participants have met 11 times the following season, with the defending champions holding an 8-3 record. Read more from Brady Henderson
AFC EAST
The Bills will win at least five of their seven standalone window games. There are some tough opponents and travel in there, but the first game is Buffalo’s stadium opener, the team has had success historically against the Chiefs in the regular season and Allen often shines in primetime. Read more from Alaina Getzenberg
Miami will finish the season with a .500 record … at home. What the Dolphins might lack in top-end talent, they’ll make up for in effort — and that’s enough to catch a few teams slipping. Jeff Hafley’s squad gets at least four wins at Hard Rock Stadium. Read more from Marcel Louis-Jacques
Unlike Super Bowl LX, during which the Patriots were handled with relative ease, the opener against the Seahawks will come down to the end of the fourth quarter with New England pulling off the upset … and the game-winning touchdown will be scored by a wide receiver not currently on the Patriots’ roster. Read more from Mike Reiss
The Jets’ historic interception drought — 17 straight games without a pick — will last until Week 5 against the Browns’ Deshaun Watson (or Shedeur Sanders). The first four quarterbacks on the schedule — Cam Ward, Jordan Love, Jared Goff and Caleb Williams — aren’t known for throwing interceptions. In fact, they ranked in the top seven in lowest interception percentage in 2025. Read more from Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
The Ravens go on an early tear to begin 6-0, which would mark the best start in franchise history. This is easily the softest part of the Ravens’ schedule. Baltimore’s first six opponents (the Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Titans, Falcons and Browns) all had losing records last season and had a combined 37-64-1 record (.369) in 2025.
This would represent a complete turnaround from last season, when the Ravens struggled early and began 1-5, which tied the worst start in team history. Read more from Jamison Hensley
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Schrager: Bengals’ game in Spain shows NFL’s belief in Cincinnati
Peter Schrager reacts to the Bengals getting a matchup vs. the Falcons in Spain.
The Bengals will start the season 0-2 but find their form in the middle of the season. Slow starts have been an issue for Cincinnati in the past. And opening with Tampa Bay and Houston could be a challenge for the Bengals, who have a lot to prove. But once Cincinnati settles into its schedule, it should find its form and compete for an AFC North championship. Read more from Ben Baby
The Browns will go undefeated in their four-game homestand to get back into the AFC playoff hunt. Between Cleveland’s unsettled quarterback situation and as many as five new starting offensive linemen, it could be a bumpy start for an offense that will have to go on the road several times in the season’s first half. The offense, though, should get its footing a bit after the Browns’ Week 11 bye and will rack up some wins at home with an elite defense. Read more from Daniel Oyefusi
The Steelers won’t win a home game until October. New Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski has plenty of experience against the Steelers from his time in Cleveland, and the Bengals’ offense will continue to be a handful — especially with a healthy Joe Burrow. It could be a bit of a wait before new coach Mike McCarthy wins in his hometown. Read more from Brooke Pryor
AFC SOUTH
The Texans will win at least 13 games. They have All-Pros on every line of their defense and have improved their trenches on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud should be better in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Nick Caley, and with a defense that ranked No. 2 in points allowed, Stroud leading the offense to at least 21 points weekly will rack up wins. Read more from DJ Bien-Aime
Look for September to be rough for the Colts. The combination of Daniel Jones’ return from injury and the difficult opening schedule raises the prospect of an 0-3 start for Indy, even though the Colts were an offensive juggernaut when at full strength last season. Indianapolis faces a presumably healthy Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and the vaunted Houston defense in its three September games. Read more from Stephen Holder
The Jaguars sweep November. They play five games that month, beginning with the Colts at home. Then come consecutive road games against the Ravens, Titans and Giants, followed by a rematch with the Titans in Jacksonville to end the month.
The Jaguars and QB Trevor Lawrence really got rolling in November — winning the final eight games of the season to win the AFC South — and they do it again in 2026. Read more from Mike DiRocco
The Titans will go 3-1 against the AFC North. The toughest games will be on the road against the Ravens and Bengals, while hosting the Browns and Steelers are very winnable games. Robert Saleh’s defense will be strong against the run and contain Derrick Henry, but Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow will be too much for Tennessee, resulting in its only loss to the AFC North. Read more from Turron Davenport
AFC WEST
With largely the same defensive cast as last season, the Broncos will set a franchise sacks record for a third consecutive season. With the prospect of chasing elite quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes. Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, Denver will need every one of those sacks to fulfill its 2026 goals. The Broncos led the league in sacks last season with 68 — just four short of the NFL single-season record — and also topped the league in 2024 with 63 sacks. Read more from Jeff Legwold
Patrick Mahomes will play in every game this season. Since his surgery, those with knowledge of his progress have said Mahomes has excelled in his rehab, which has allowed him to begin his usual offseason training sessions. When the Chiefs hold their first three OTAs on May 26-28, Mahomes is expected to participate. As long as he doesn’t have a setback, he should be on track to be available when the Chiefs have training camp in August. Read more from Nate Taylor
Las Vegas will end its four-game losing streak to the Broncos. The Raiders reeled off eight straight wins against Denver from 2020 to 2023, but have struggled against their division rival since the Broncos drafted quarterback Bo Nix in 2024. After they lost both matchups by one score last season, the Raiders will get their revenge this season. Read more from Ryan McFadden
The Chargers will start 3-0, marking the first time they’ve started back-to-back seasons on a three-game win streak since the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Los Angeles begins the 2026 season with two teams that were out of the playoffs last season — the Cardinals and Raiders — both games the Chargers will likely be favorites in and both at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers’ biggest test comes in Week 3, a cross-country trip to face quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills. Read more from Kris Rhim
