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Welcome to Week 1 of the 2026 regular season.
Beginning with a Super Bowl LX rematch on Wednesday night in Seattle and closing with Patrick Mahomes’s (likely) return for the Chiefs on Monday in Kansas City, we have 16 games—that actually matter, mind you, unlike the preseason—to watch, dissect and overreact to over the next six days.
Now, I could give a long-winded introduction here, breaking down the ins and outs of the offseason that was across the league, but why bury the lede? Football’s back!
Here’s a snapshot preview of all 16 games for Week 1, ranked from least to most watchable.
16. Dolphins at Raiders
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox
The Dolphins own arguably the NFL’s weakest roster, top to bottom, and they’re headed to Sin City in Week 1 to take on the Raiders, who finished last season with a 3–14 record—the worst in the league. The only thing that would have made this matchup remotely interesting is if rookie No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza were starting at quarterback. Instead, Las Vegas will begin the year with veteran Kirk Cousins under center.
15. Jets at Titans
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS
It’ll be a Robert Saleh revenge game this weekend as the Jets head to Nashville to take on the Titans. New York added some much-needed reinforcements to its defense this offseason—signing DeMario Davis and trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick—while Tennessee enters Year 2 of the Cam Ward era.
14. Falcons at Steelers
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox
The Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback on Monday—that is, at least for Week 1, while Michael Penix Jr. continues his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered last season. Atlanta will take on the Steelers on Sunday afternoon as Pittsburgh begins its first season under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
13. Cardinals at Chargers
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS
The braintrust that is Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel will get their first crack at calling an offense run by the newly engaged Justin Herbert when they welcome the Cardinals to SoFi Stadium on Sunday. For Arizona, it’s the debut of both head coach Mike LaFleur and (hopefully) running back Jeremiyah Love.
12. Browns at Jaguars
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS
The Jaguars exceeded expectations in 2025, going 14–3 and winning the AFC South in Liam Coen’s first season at the helm. Now, they’ll have dual-threat Travis Hunter back after he tore his LCL last November. As for the Browns? Well, they continue to be the Browns. They traded Myles Garrett this offseason and will trot out Deshaun Watson under center to begin the campaign.
11. Packers at Vikings
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS
The lowest-ranked in-division matchup of Week 1 belongs to the Packers and Vikings, simply because a) there are only five of them and b) Minnesota is such a mystery right now. They’re set to open the season with their fourth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many years, with Kyler Murray taking over after signing for the veteran minimum this offseason.
10. Ravens at Colts
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS
Jesse Minter was handed the keys to one of the more talented rosters in football this offseason when he took over as the Ravens’ head coach. In his first game in charge, Baltimore will take on the Colts—who began the 2025 season 8–3 and with one of the better offenses in NFL history before quarterback Daniel Jones tore his ACL in Week 13.
9. Saints at Lions
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Ford Field, Detroit
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox
Despite going just 6–11 in 2025, the Saints are one of the more intriguing teams in the league this year thanks to the play they got from quarterback Tyler Shough last season. The rookie second-round pick completed 67.6% of his passes for 10 touchdowns and six interceptions while posting a passer rating of 91.3. New Orleans heads to Detroit in Week 1 to play the Lions—who are coming off a disappointing last-place finish in the NFC North.
8. Commanders at Eagles
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox
It’s been a roller coaster of an offseason for the Eagles, who finally traded star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots after what seemed to be years of speculation. Now, Jalen Hurts will throw to the likes of Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon—as well as DeVonta Smith, who’s been with Philadelphia since 2021 and will now be the No. 1 target—as he gets settled under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. On the other side of this Week 1 matchup will be the Commanders, who enter 2026 with a healthy Jayden Daniels as they look to return to the postseason.
7. Bears at Panthers
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox
The Bears are entering 2026 with high expectations as head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams enter their second season together. They’ll open up the year on the road against the Panthers—who are also expected to be competitive after winning the NFC South (despite an 8–9 record) last season and nearly knocking off the Rams in the wild-card round last January. Notably, this is the third matchup between Chicago and Carolina since their blockbuster 2023 trade that landed the Panthers the No. 1 pick in the draft—which they turned into Bryce Young.
6. Cowboys at Giants
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBC
It’s been a roller coaster of an offseason for the Eagles, who finally traded star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots after what seemed to be years of speculation. Now, Jalen Hurts will throw to the likes of Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon—as well as DeVonta Smith, who’s been with Philadelphia since 2021 and will now be the No. 1 target—as he gets settled under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. On the other side of this Week 1 matchup will be the Commanders, who enter 2026 with a healthy Jayden Daniels as they look to return to the postseason.
5. Buccaneers at Bengals
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox
We could be in for a high-scoring affair when the Buccaneers visit the Bengals in Cincinnati on Sunday. Both offenses are equipped with dynamic wide receivers duos—Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Cincinnati, and Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka in Tampa Bay—as well as quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield who love to sling the rock.
4. Bills at Texans
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS
Voted by folks around the league to be the best quarterback in the NFL at the end of 2026, Josh Allen and the Bills are headed to Houston this Sunday to take on the Texans—who just so happen to boast one of the league’s top defenses. That chess match aside, this one also features head coach Joe Brady’s debut as Buffalo’s head coach and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud looking to bounce back after an abysmal performance in last season’s playoff loss to the Patriots.
3. Patriots at Seahawks
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBC
The 2026 season will begin with a Super Bowl LX rematch between the Seahawks and the Patriots. Their last bout—a 29–13 win for Seattle—was far less competitive than what the final score indicated, but New England enters this one with a new-look offense thanks to offseason additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs and has a chance to immediately prove if they’ve closed the gap on the defending champions.
2. Broncos at Chiefs
Date: Monday, Sept. 14
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ABC/ESPN
After winning nine consecutive AFC West titles from 2016 to ’24, the Chiefs went just 6–11 last season and lost the division to the Broncos—who also finished with the conference’s No. 1 seed. This week-closing Monday Night Football matchup is going to be a must watch—that is, so long as Patrick Mahomes returns from the knee injury that prematurely ended his 2025 campaign.
1. 49ers at Rams
Date: Thursday, Sept. 10
Location: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
Time: 8:35 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Netflix
The first of the NFL’s nine(!) International Series games in 2026 also happens to be the best one, as the Rams and 49ers will square off in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday night. No two coaches know each other quite like Los Angeles’s Sean McVay and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan, who, after working together under Mike Shanahan in Washington from 2010 to ’13, made the jump to the NFC West as head coaches in ’17. Since then, the 49ers own an 11–8 record against the Rams, with their 20th matchup coming on a prime-time stage.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.
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