CLEVELAND, Ohio — The long wait for the start of the 2025 NFL season is over. Welcome to Week 1, as the road to Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara begins.
The first week of the season features multiple massive matchups, including the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles hosting the rival Cowboys on Thursday night; Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs opening the season on Friday in Brazil and an AFC playoff rematch on Sunday Night Football.
Did you know: Fans can watch most of this week’s NFL matchups for free with a free trial of Fubo or DIRECTV. Another option is a subscription to Sling, which has promotional offers as low as $4.99. Games that air on CBS can also be streamed on Paramount Plus, which has a free trial.
Streaming serviceMonthly PriceFree trialLengthDiscountDIRECTV$74.99Yes5-day$35 off first monthFuboTV$64.99NoN/A$30 off first monthSling TV$4.99-$199.99NoN/AHalf off first monthParamount Plus$7.99Yes7-day
Every week throughout the season this article will be updated as we look at each of the current week’s matchups in one roundup. We will have previews and my predictions for every game on the schedule.
NFL Week 1 picksThursday, Sept. 4
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Philadelphia’s Super Bowl title defense begins at home against a Cowboys team that is beginning life without Micah Parsons. Dallas dealt him to Green Bay, signaling a potential transition season. This also presents an opportunity for the Eagles to begin 2025 on a strong note.
Friday, Sept. 5
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 8 p.m., YouTube
Can the Chargers continue to close the gap on the Chiefs after making the playoffs in Year 1 under Jim Harbaugh? They should be able to run the ball well with first-round pick Omarion Hampton, but I think the gap between them and Kansas City is still there.
Sunday, Sept. 7
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., FOX
Joe Burrow and the Bengals are desperately trying to get back to the playoffs after missing out in back-to-back seasons. They’ve been slow starters, and they travel to Cleveland to face a Browns team trying to recapture the magic Joe Flacco had at the end of 2023. Something’s gotta give, and keeping up with Burrow and company might be too big a task right now for the Browns.
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS
Drake Maye and the Patriots have a chance to be this year’s turnaround team. They can start that quest when the Raiders have to travel across the country for an early kickoff, which is always a tough ask.
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS
The Jets and Steelers essentially swapped quarterbacks this offseason. Expect a low-scoring game with two great defenses, but Aaron Rodgers should be able to get revenge against his old team.
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS
Both teams finished last season at 8-9 and are at a crossroads. Miami needs to make a playoff push this season, and it starts against a Colts team led by Daniel Jones after a quarterback competition between him and Anthony Richardson.
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS
Derek Carr’s shocking retirement put the Saints in an almost impossible situation in 2025. Spencer Rattler gets the first start, but it feels like a long season could be in store. As for the Cardinals, Year 3 for Jonathan Gannon feels like one where they have to make the playoffs.
New York Giants at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m., Fox
It’s going to be almost impossible for Jayden Daniels to top his sensational rookie season. The Giants lost a pair of close games to Washington a year ago, but home field and the better quarterback tilts this in D.C.’s direction.
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., Fox
This game features two former Buccaneers offensive coordinators-turned-head coaches (Dave Canales and Liam Coen) and three Heisman Trophy winners (Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young and Travis Hunter). Despite the excitement around Hunter in Jacksonville, Young’s turnaround in 2024 should power the Panthers to a stronger start in 2025.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox
The Buccaneers are a sleeper to make a deep playoff run. As for the Falcons, 2025 is about finding out if Michael Penix Jr. is the guy at quarterback.
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m., Fox
Cam Ward’s NFL debut comes against one of the surprises of the 2024 season. As for Denver, it’s time for Bo Nix to show that his rookie season was no fluke.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m., Fox
The Seahawks paid $100.5 million to Sam Darnold after easily the best season of his career. With plenty of skill and talent, he will try to prove that against a 49ers team that might be in transition.
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m., CBS
The arrival of Micah Parsons in Green Bay makes this a true must-watch. Meanwhile, the story of Detroit’s offseason was the loss of both of its coordinators, particularly Ben Johnson. Home field should be enough for the Packers to start 1-0.
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m., CBS
The Rams feel like they’re at the end of their contending window and the Texans are still entering theirs. As long as Houston can protect C.J. Stroud, they have the weapons to leave Los Angeles with the win.
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m., NBC
It’s almost impossible to find two teams under more pressure than the Bills and Ravens. Baltimore wants redemption after Mark Andrews’ two-point drop cost them in the divisional round in Buffalo last season. The Bills will also try to show that they’ve improved defensively, particularly with the addition of Joey Bosa.
Monday, Sept. 8
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m., ABC
Two new eras cap off Week 1 in Chicago. Ben Johnson is now in charge of maximizing Caleb Williams in Chicago, and it’s J.J. McCarthy’s turn to lead the Vikings.
What are the Week 1 games to watch?
Week 1 has quite a few big games on the docket. These are three that stick out above the others.
1. Bengals at Browns
The Battle of Ohio features two teams that appear to be going in different directions. The Bengals are hoping for a much better start to the season after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. After spending more than $300 million in big contracts to Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati has a lot of pressure to make another deep playoff run and possibly get back to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years.
As for Cleveland, the Browns are in the middle of a transitional season after the failure of the Deshaun Watson trade. Joe Flacco takes over again at quarterback hoping to recapture some of the magic he had in 2023 when he came off the couch to lead them back to the playoffs. But after a big trade to secure an extra first-round pick from Jacksonville in 2026, their eyes might be towards the future at the position.
2. Lions at Packers
An already intriguing matchup of NFC North rivals and playoff teams from last season only got more exciting after the Packers made the blockbuster trade to acquire Micah Parsons from the Cowboys. After adding him to their pass rush, they should have a defense that can complement what Jordan Love and the Packers offense is capable of. This should easily be Green Bay’s best shot at a Super Bowl since the Aaron Rodgers era.
As for the Lions, a dream 15-2 season ended in a shocking divisional playoff loss to Washington. Add in the loss of both coordinators, including offensive guru Ben Johnson to the rival Bears, and replicating 2024 will be a tall order. That said, the Lions still have one of, if not the most, talented rosters in all of football.
3. Ravens at Bills
Josh Allen finally got his MVP award last season. But he and the Bills suffered the same fate for the fourth year in a row: a loss to the Chiefs in the playoffs. The pressure on Allen and Co. to dethrone Kansas City is only getting stronger as the year goes on. They made moves on defense, but will those finally get them over the hump?
As for Baltimore, the Ravens remain favorites in the competitive AFC North thanks to its 1-2 running combo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. They’re largely the same team this season, which is smart. But like Allen, Jackson is facing the same problem: getting past Patrick Mahomes. Getting revenge on the team that eliminated them is the first step facing Baltimore, however.
NFL football FAQsWhat NFL games are on this week?
Here is the Week 1 NFL schedule:
Thursday, Sept. 4:
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Friday, Sept. 5:
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 8 p.m., YouTube
Sunday, Sept. 7:
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS
New York Giants at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m., Fox
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., Fox
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., Fox
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m., Fox
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m., Fox
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Monday, Sept. 8:
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m., ABC
How to watch NFL games free live streams this week?
15 of the 16 games on the NFL schedule for Week 1 are available to stream live with a free trial of Fubo or DirecTV. Games that are televised on CBS can also be accessed with a free trial to Paramount Plus.
How many games are there in an NFL regular season?
With 18 weeks in an NFL season and all 32 teams playing 17 games, there are 544 games in total played in an NFL regular season.
When and where is Super Bowl 60?
Super Bowl 60 will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif, on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be broadcast on NBC.
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