NFL NationMay 14, 2026, 07:42 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.Multiple Authors
play1:51Are 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.
play0:53Schrager: Bengals’ game in Spain shows NFL’s belief in CincinnatiPeter Schrager reacts to the Bengals getting a matchup vs. the Falcons in Spain.
Which international NFL games are the most intriguing? (2:02)Mike Tannenbaum and Louis Riddick weigh in on the NFL’s slate of international games this season. (2:02)
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.
Damien Woody and Dan Graziano discuss the Giants’ matchup vs. the Cowboys on the first Sunday night game of the season.
Schrager: Bengals’ game in Spain shows NFL’s belief in CincinnatiPeter Schrager reacts to the Bengals getting a matchup vs. the Falcons in Spain.
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.
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.
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
Are Cowboys or Giants in a better position to make a statement in Week 1?
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.
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 Week 18. Read more from Tim McManus
Unlike Super Bowl LX, when 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 scored by a wide receiver not currently on the Patriots roster. Read more from Mike Reiss
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
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 Jaguars and QB Trevor Lawrence really got rolling in November in 2025 — 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
Which international NFL games are the most intriguing? (2:02)Mike Tannenbaum and Louis Riddick weigh in on the NFL’s slate of international games this season. (2:02)
Mike Tannenbaum and Louis Riddick weigh in on the NFL’s slate of international games this season. (2:02)
NFL NationMay 14, 2026, 07:42 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.Multiple Authors
CloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
All NINE international games in 2026 🌎🌍🌏NFL Schedule Release – Thursday 8pm ET on ESPN/NFLN pic.twitter.com/XS1mNSsXGd