Quarterback Sam Darnold, left, drops back to pass during the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/Getty Images
The NFL regular season is coming back this week, and it’s shaping up to be just as unexpected as the 2025 season. Some of the best to ever play are returning from injury or retirement (looking at you, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Donald) and other iconic players will be leaving the league at the season’s conclusion (goodbye, Aaron Rodgers).
Here’s how to watch the Week 1 games, along with some of the best storylines, teams and matchups of the upcoming season.
When is the NFL season opener?
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall exults after recording a sack in Super Bowl LX.Morry Gash/The Associated Press
The season opener is a Super Bowl LX rematch, with the New England Patriots taking on the Seattle Seahawks. Head coach Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks won the championship matchup 29-13 against head coach Mike Vrabel’s Patriots.
The game starts at 8:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and can be viewed on TSN, CTV, Crave, DAZN and NBC.
On Thursday, the NFL will head to Australia for the first time, with the Los Angeles Rams taking on the San Francisco 49ers at 8:35 p.m. ET.
Every team will play this week, with most games occurring on Sunday. The final game of the week will be a division faceoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Who are the teams to watch?
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, right, celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Matthew Stafford.Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Reuters
The Los Angeles Rams are likely the team to beat this year. The 2025 NFL MVP, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, will be joined by the 2025 defensive player of the year, Myles Garrett, after the defensive end was traded to the team. Garrett comes off of a monster season with the Cleveland Browns, having set the NFL single-season sack record with 23. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement to play alongside Garrett on the defensive line.
The AFC East will be a division to watch, with the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills battling it out for the top spot. New Bills head coach Joe Brady will hope to continue the team’s six-year streak of winning a playoff game, while the Patriots will aim to get back to the Super Bowl.
The Philadelphia Eagles also can’t be counted out. The team has dominated the NFC East, making the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons. If running back Saquon Barkley can replicate his 2024 season – he led the NFL in rushing yards and was crowned the offensive player of the year – the team may look unstoppable.
What are the games to watch this season?
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen warms up for a game.Maria Lysaker/The Associated Press
A number of the biggest games of the year will fall on holidays.
Every game played on Christmas Day is a rematch from the 2025 playoffs – and will likely be a consequential game for teams looking to make the 2026 playoffs. The last game of the day, between the Rams and the Seahawks, will likely be the biggest showdown, with the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning quarterback Sam Darnold taking on Stafford and Co.
Two of the top quarterbacks will also face each other on American Thanksgiving: Josh Allen of the Bills and Mahomes of Kansas City, which lost to the Dallas Cowboys last American Thanksgiving in the most-watched NFL regular season game ever.
Sticking with American Thanksgiving (and the Cowboys), the Eagles will head to Dallas in the teams’ second matchup of the year. Last season, both games in this division rivalry were won by a single possession, with the teams splitting one apiece. This might be a consequential game for Philadelphia if there’s hope to take a third straight NFC East title.
What are the biggest storylines?
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has said the 2026 season will be his last.Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press
In the AFC, this upcoming season will be the swan song for Aaron Rodgers, one of the most influential quarterbacks of the 21st century.
Rodgers – who spent most of his career with the Green Bay Packers – signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 42-year-old quarterback enters his 22nd season as a four-time league MVP and a Super Bowl champion. This final season reunites him with his former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who was hired to lead the Steelers this season.
In the quarterback vein, watch to see whether Kansas City can return to its winning ways. The team missed out on its first playoffs last season since 2014, in part because Mahomes had a season-ending ACL and LCL tear in December, 2025.
Now healthy, Mahomes will be focused on returning to his fourth Super Bowl in five seasons, alongside tight end Travis Kelce.
In the NFC, Donald ended his retirement to help bolster the Rams’ defence, signing a one-year contract with the team.
Donald became one of the greatest defensive players of his era during his first 10 seasons, spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He won three NFL defensive player of the year awards while earning 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl ring before he retired in 2024.
When is the Super Bowl?
This season’s Super Bowl falls on Feb. 14, 2027, and will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. It’s the first Super Bowl that will be played on Valentine’s Day.
The headliner of the halftime show remains unknown.
With a report from the Associated Press
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