May 15 (UPI) -- Football fans scrambled to ticket websites Wednesday night, snatching up flights and hotel reservations upon the release of the 2025-26 NFL schedule, which starts with a high-profile Week 1 slate.
A season-opener between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, and Baltimore Ravens-Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers meetings, are among the most intriguing matchups to launch the year.
All 16 Week 1 meetings, in addition to the other 256 regular-season matchups, were revealed Wednesday on NFL Network and by NFL teams through creative schedule release videos. The full Week 1 schedule is listed below.
The NFC East meeting between the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles and the Cowboys, which was announced Monday, will kick off at 8:20 p.m. EDT Sept. 4 in Philadelphia. The game will air on NBC and Peacock.
The Los Angeles Chargers will host the Kansas City Chiefs in the next game of the season at 8 p.m. Sept. 5 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. That meeting between the AFC West rivals will air on YouTube.
An additional 13 games will air that Sunday, with eight in the 1 p.m. window, two at 4:05 p.m., two at 4:25 p.m. and another at 8:20 p.m. New head coach Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears will end the week on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8 in Chicago. That primetime NFC North showdown will air at 8:15 p.m. on ABC and ESPN.
The Week 1 schedule features eight divisional matchups and four games between teams that made the playoffs in 2024-25. NFL regular-season games will be held through early January. The NFL playoffs will start Jan. 10 and end Feb. 8 with Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Eagles are favorites to win the Lombardi Trophy once again in 2025-26. The Ravens, Bills, Chiefs and Lions are among other Top 5 Super Bowl favorites.
Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and the Bills will host Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in the first Sunday Night Football matchup of the season. The reigning AFC East champions will take on the current AFC North champions at 8:20 p.m. Sept. 7 on NBC.
The Lions, who tied the Chiefs for the most wins in the NFL -- with a franchise-record 15 -- last season before being upset by the Washington Commanders in their playoff opener, will take on the Packers in another NFC North face-off at 4:25 p.m. Sept. 7 in Green Bay, Wis. That game will air on CBS.
The Denver Broncos, who will host the Tennessee Titans in their Sept. 7 season opener, are the biggest betting favorites (7.5) of Week 1. The Eagles and Washington Commanders, who will host the New York Giants, are both 7-point favorites.
The Bills-Ravens game has the highest expected point total (51.5).
Week 1 schedule
All times EDT
Sept. 4
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles at 8:20 p.m. on NBC and Peacock
Sept. 5
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers at 8 p.m. on YouTube
Sept. 7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons at 1 p.m. on Fox
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. on Fox
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. on CBS
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots at 1 p.m. on CBS
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. on CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets at 1 p.m. on CBS
New York Giants at Washington Commanders at 1 p.m. on Fox
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. on Fox
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos at 4:05 p.m. on Fox
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks at 4:05 p.m. on Fox
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers at 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams at 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills at 8:20 p.m. on NBC
Sept. 8
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears at 8:15 p.m. on ABC and ESPN