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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Did you know: Fans can watch most of this week\u2019s NFL matchups for free with a free trial of Fubo<\/a> or DIRECTV<\/a>. Another option is a subscription to Sling<\/a>, which has promotional offers as low as $4.99. Games that air on CBS can also be streamed on Paramount Plus<\/a>, which has a free trial.<\/p>\n Streaming serviceMonthly PriceFree trialLengthDiscountDIRECTV<\/a>$74.99Yes5-day$35 off first monthFuboTV<\/a>$64.99NoN\/A$30 off first monthSling TV<\/a>$4.99-$199.99NoN\/AHalf off first monthParamount Plus<\/a>$7.99Yes7-day<\/p>\n Every week throughout the season this article will be updated as we look at each of the current week\u2019s matchups in one roundup. We will have previews and my predictions for every game on the schedule.<\/p>\n NFL Week 1 picksThursday, Sept. 4<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m., NBC<\/p>\n Philadelphia\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Friday, Sept. 5<\/p>\n Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 8 p.m., YouTube<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Sunday, Sept. 7<\/p>\n Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., FOX<\/p>\n Joe Burrow and the Bengals are desperately trying to get back to the playoffs after missing out in back-to-back seasons. They\u2019ve 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\u2019s gotta give, and keeping up with Burrow and company might be too big a task right now for the Browns.<\/p>\n Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n Drake Maye and the Patriots have a chance to be this year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n Derek Carr\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n New York Giants at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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.\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n 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\u2019s turnaround in 2024 should power the Panthers to a stronger start in 2025.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n Cam Ward\u2019s NFL debut comes against one of the surprises of the 2024 season. As for Denver, it\u2019s time for Bo Nix to show that his rookie season was no fluke.<\/p>\n San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n The arrival of Micah Parsons in Green Bay makes this a true must-watch. Meanwhile, the story of Detroit\u2019s offseason was the loss of both of its coordinators, particularly Ben Johnson. Home field should be enough for the Packers to start 1-0.<\/p>\n Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n The Rams feel like they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m., NBC<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost impossible to find two teams under more pressure than the Bills and Ravens. Baltimore wants redemption after Mark Andrews\u2019 two-point drop cost them in the divisional round in Buffalo last season. The Bills will also try to show that they\u2019ve improved defensively, particularly with the addition of Joey Bosa.<\/p>\n Monday, Sept. 8<\/p>\n Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m., ABC<\/p>\n Two new eras cap off Week 1 in Chicago. Ben Johnson is now in charge of maximizing Caleb Williams in Chicago, and it\u2019s J.J. McCarthy\u2019s turn to lead the Vikings. <\/p>\n What are the Week 1 games to watch?<\/p>\n Week 1 has quite a few big games on the docket. These are three that stick out above the others.<\/p>\n 1. Bengals at Browns<\/p>\n 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\u2019Marr 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. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 2. Lions at Packers<\/p>\n 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\u2019s best shot at a Super Bowl since the Aaron Rodgers era.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 3. Ravens at Bills<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n 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\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n NFL football FAQsWhat NFL games are on this week?<\/p>\n Here is the Week 1 NFL schedule:<\/p>\n Thursday, Sept. 4:<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m., NBC<\/p>\n Friday, Sept. 5:<\/p>\n Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 8 p.m., YouTube<\/p>\n Sunday, Sept. 7:<\/p>\n Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n New York Giants at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m., Fox<\/p>\n Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m., CBS<\/p>\n Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m., NBC<\/p>\n Monday, Sept. 8:<\/p>\n Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m., ABC<\/p>\n How to watch NFL games free live streams this week?<\/p>\n 15 of the 16 games on the NFL schedule for Week 1 are available to stream live with a free trial of Fubo<\/a> or DirecTV<\/a>. Games that are televised on CBS can also be accessed with a free trial to Paramount Plus<\/a>.<\/p>\n How many games are there in an NFL regular season?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n When and where is Super Bowl 60?<\/p>\n Super Bowl 60 will be played at Levi\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio — The long wait for the start of the 2025 NFL season is over. 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