The longest offseason in professional sports is nearly over and the NFL is back with a bang, bringing a stacked Week 1 schedule to the party.
Here’s all you need to know about the Week 1 matchups and our top five games to watch.
Home | Away | Location | Time (ET) | TV | Spread |
Kansas City Chiefs | Detroit Lions | Arrowhead Stadium | 8:20 PM (Thursday) | NBC, Peacock | Chiefs -4.5 |
Washington Commanders | Arizona Cardinals | FedEx Field | 1 PM | Fox | Commanders -7 |
Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | 1 PM | Fox | Falcons -3.5 |
Cleveland Browns | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 1 PM | CBS, Paramount+ | Bengals -2.5 |
Baltimore Ravens | Houston Texans | M&T Bank Stadium | 1 PM | CBS, Paramount+ | Ravens -10 |
Indianapolis Colts | Jacksonville Jaguars | Lucas Oil Stadium | 1 PM | Fox | Jaguars -5 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | San Francisco 49ers | Acrisure Stadium | 1 PM | Fox | 49ers -2 |
Minnesota Vikings | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | U.S. Bank Stadium | 1 PM | CBS, Paramount+ | Vikings -6 |
New Orleans Saints | Tennessee Titans | Caesars Superdome | 1 PM | CBS, Paramount+ | Saints -3 |
Chicago Bears | Green Bay Packers | Solider Field | 4:25 PM | Fox | Bears -1 |
Seattle Seahawks | LA Rams | Lumen Field | 4:25 PM | Fox | Seahawks -5 |
Denver Broncos | Las Vegas Raiders | Mile High Stadium | 4:25 PM | CBS, Paramount+ | Broncos -3.5 |
LA Chargers | Miami Dolphins | SoFi Stadium | 4:25 PM | CBS, Paramount+ | Chargers -3 |
New England Patriots | Philadelphia Eagles | Gillette Stadium | 4:25 PM | CBS, Paramount+ | Eagles -4 |
New York Giants | Dallas Cowboys | MetLife Stadium | 8:20 PM | NBC, Peacock | Cowboys -3.5 |
New York Jets | Buffalo Bills | MetLife Stadium | 8:15 PM (Monday) | ESPN, ABC | Bills -2.5 |
Lions face ultimate test
What | Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs |
Where | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri |
When | 8.20 PM ET, Thursday, September 7th |
How to watch | NBC, Peacock |
Odds | Lions +180 ML, Chiefs -4.5 |
The Kansas City Chiefs will raise their Super Bowl banner on the opening night of the new season at Arrowhead when hosting a Detroit Lions team looking to live up to its potential.
After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season, a young, hungry Lions team under charismatic head coach Dan Campbell are being tipped to make another postseason push.
But they face a difficult opening matchup against the Chiefs, who are 56-17 at home over the last 10 years.
Only three teams have lost after their banner-raising ceremony since the reigning champions were handed the honor of opening the new season, and the Chiefs’ usual cast of star names, led by reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes, are expected to strut their stuff.
AFC North battle opens up in Cleveland
What | Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns |
Where | Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio |
When | 1 PM ET, Sunday, September 10th |
How to watch | CBS, Paramount+ |
Odds | Bengals -2.5, Browns +120 ML |
The AFC North is expected to be the most competitive division in the NFL this season and two of the four protagonists tangle on the opening Sunday.
The reigning division champions Cincinnati are looking to make franchise history by winning a third successive AFC North crown, while the Browns hope to bounce back after going 7-10 last season.
On paper, Cleveland have an impressive roster with plenty of good options on both sides, while in quarterback Deshaun Watson they have a talent capable of getting them close to the playoffs.
Outperforming Bengals ace Joe Burrow and his collection of wide receivers won’t be easy for Watson, but the Browns have a good record against Cincy, winning the last five at home.
Broncos ready for life with Payton
What | Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos |
Where | Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado |
When | 4.25 PM ET, Sunday, September 10th |
How to watch | CBS, Paramount+ |
Odds | Raiders +167 ML, Broncos -3.5 |
The Denver Broncos failed to live up to their sky-high expectations last season in their maiden year with Russell Wilson under center and have turned to Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton to get them on the right patch.
Payton has been vocal during the offseason in his belief this is a stacked roster, although was slightly coy in his backing of Wilson, who looked nothing like what his nine-time Pro Bowl resume would suggest last season.
Wilson squares off against old NFC West adversary Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1, the Las Vegas Raiders having turned to the ex-Niners quarterback to succeed long-standing signal caller Derek Carr.
Las Vegas let Carr walk but had to fight to retain fellow key offensive assets Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, and that pair could make all the difference in an intriguing AFC West showdown.
Eagles land in Foxborough
What | Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots |
Where | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. |
When | 4.25 PM ET, Sunday September 10th |
How to watch | CBS, Paramount+ |
Odds | Eagles -4, Patriots +160 ML |
The Philadelphia Eagles came within a whisker of winning the Super Bowl last season and head to New England to face the Patriots in Week 1 eager to show they are over that gut-wrenching defeat.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts signed a big-money extension in the offseason and is +110 to find the endzone at anytime at Gillette Stadium for the heavily favored NFC champions.
Mac Jones will be under center for the Patriots after hanging on to his job as New England’s starting quarterback on an offense starved of weapons.
Pats coach Bill Belichick will be counting on defense to win the day for a Patriots side that’s been handed the hardest schedule in the NFL, based on strength of schedule.
Jets ready for take-off under captain Rodgers
What | Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets |
Where | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
When | 8.15 PM ET, Monday, September 11th |
How to watch | ESPN, ABC |
Odds | Bills -2.5, Jets +120 ML |
There may be no better place to enjoy Week 1 of the new season than New York with the Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, followed by the Jets tangling with the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
Both games are massive divisional showdowns for teams with serious playoff ambitions, although there’s a little more pressure on Gang Green than the rest.
After years of bad to mediocre quarterback play, the Jets finally have a top-level QB in Aaron Rodgers on the team after his offseason arrival from Green Bay.
The Jets view Rodgers as the missing piece in the puzzle, but before they can start dreaming of the Super Bowl, they must first navigate a competitive AFC East, which has been ruled for the past three years by the Bills.
Buffalo ended last season with a whimper when losing at home to the Bengals in the divisional round of the playoffs. But with quarterback Josh Allen back to full health, Stefon Diggs deciding to stick with the team and a healthy secondary, the Bills won’t be easy to shift from the division summit.