Could Ty Simpson’s Rams experience be over before it even started?
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The moment we’ve been waiting for is almost here.
After months of free agent signings, draft picks, and more, football season is upon us. At least the full NFL schedule will be released.
Monday started things off with announcements about the first “Sunday Night Football” game, the Thanksgiving matchup, and the first “Thursday Night Football” matchup of 2026. Tuesday continued with the announcement of the first “Monday Night Football” game of the season. The international schedule and first game were announced on Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving.
More leaks will trickle in leading up to Thursday’s big reveal, and all eyes will be on the update at 8pm ET when the full schedule will be announced. The night before the schedule was announced, it was reported that the Buffalo Bills would host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving night.
USA TODAY Sports is tracking all the information leaked so far and how the schedule is starting to take shape. Ahead of the league’s official announcement Thursday night, here are the latest rumors, leaks and updates on the NFL’s 2026 schedule.
2026 NFL Schedule
1st week
2nd week
- Thursday, September 17th: Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
3rd week
Week 4
- Sunday October 4th: Indianapolis Colts vs. London Washington Commanders (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)
Week 5
Week 6
- Sunday October 18th: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)
Week 7
- Sunday, October 25th: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints in Paris (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)
Week 9
- Sunday, November 8th: Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Madrid, Spain (time TBA, NFL Network)
Week 10
- Sunday, November 15th: New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions, Munich, Germany (9:30 a.m. ET, FOX)
Week 11
- Sunday, November 22nd: Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers, Mexico City (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
Week 12
- Wednesday, November 25th: Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Rams (8 p.m. ET, Netflix)
- Thursday, November 26th: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
- Thursday, November 26th: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
- Thursday, November 26th: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
NFL Schedule Leaks, Rumor Tracker
AFC divisional round playoff rematch is scheduled for Christmas.
The NFL continues to load up on high-profile games for the holiday schedule. The league has scheduled the much-anticipated AFC Divisional Playoff rematch between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos for Christmas. Last season’s tilt was ruined when Broncos quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle, ruling him out of the AFC Championship Game.
Packers and Bears play on Christmas Day
The NFL made the Bears one of its stand-alone highlights, giving Chicago both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The latter will spotlight another NFC North rivalry, with the Bears scheduled to take on the Packers. Last year’s three contests (including Chicago’s win in the wild-card playoffs) had plenty of late-game thrills thanks to Caleb Williams. Now, the league is betting that the excitement from last season will carry over into the new season.
Thanksgiving Day Opening Game: Bears vs. Lions
The league announced that the Lions will host the reigning NFC North champions in the opening game, making the Thanksgiving tripleheader official. Detroit’s tilt will give Bears coach Ben Johnson a chance to beat his old team for the first time since Chicago went 0-2 against the Lions last year. Expect plenty of fireworks between two offensive linemen who will be among the league’s top 10 scorers starting in 2025.
Chiefs vs. Bills set for Thanksgiving night drink
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Thanksgiving trifecta will culminate in a quarterback battle between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Allen dominated the regular season (5-1), while Mahomes went undefeated (4-0) in the postseason.
Panthers host Bears in Week 1
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Bears and Panthers will meet in the season opener for both teams. Carolina and Chicago State both boasted former No. 1 overall picks from quarterbacks, the Panthers’ Bryce Young in the 2023 draft and the Bears’ Caleb Williams in 2024, and won district titles in 2025. The Bears traded the No. 1 pick in 2023 to the Panthers, who acquired Young and the eventual top pick in 2024 as part of the return. That pick was Williams.
Patriots will play Seahawks in 2026 NFL Kickoff Game
As the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks will host the first game of the 2026 regular season. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the visiting opponent in that matchup will be the New England Patriots, the same team they defeated in Super Bowl 60 in February.
Netflix will air Packers vs. Rams on Thanksgiving Eve
The NFL added yet another standalone game the week of Thanksgiving. Netflix announced that the Packers and Rams will face off on Wednesday, November 25th in the league’s first “Thanksgiving Eve” game.
The Rams will host the Packers at SoFi Stadium at 8 p.m. ET.
It’s not yet clear how the NFL will handle Green Bay and Los Angeles’ respective schedules for that game. The league says it is possible that both teams will receive a bye in Week 11, or that one game will be played on “Thursday Night Football” before Wednesday’s game.
NFL releases schedule for all international games
The NFL announced the full lineup for the 2026 international season on “Good Morning Football” on May 13th.
Most notably, the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers will each play two international games in 2026. The Jaguars will play back-to-back games in London in Weeks 5 and 6, while the 49ers will play their first NFL game in Australia in Week 1 before traveling to Mexico City to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.
Below is the NFL’s full 2026 international schedule, which includes a total of nine games.
Bengals face Falcons in Madrid, Spain
The first international NFL game on the 2026 schedule has been decided. The Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons will face off in Week 9 on NFL Network in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, Nov. 8, the league announced in a social media post.
The game will be played at Bernabéu Stadium and will be the Bengals’ third international match. The last time he played overseas was in London in 2016 and 2019. The Madrid match is one of nine international matches. This game was the Falcons’ sixth overseas game, having previously played in London (2014, 2021, 2023) and Berlin (2025).
The conference will have no shortage of star power, with headliners including Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, Bejan Robinson, Tee Higgins, and Drake London.
Chiefs and Broncos conclude Week 1 on “Monday Night Football”
Patrick Mahomes was aiming to return in Week 1 after tearing his ACL. They will now have a few more days to make that happen. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs and Broncos will complete the opening week of the season, but it’s unclear whether that game will be played in Kansas City or Denver.
The Chiefs hope to get back on track in 2026 after missing the playoffs for the first time in the Mahomes era. On the other side, the Broncos enter this year with unfinished business. They fell short of a Super Bowl appearance because Bo Nix suffered a season-ending injury in the divisional round.
Denver has established itself as the team to beat in the AFC West, but with so many players available in Week 1, someone will have an early advantage.
Bills to host Lions in first ‘Thursday Night Football’ game of 2026
The Buffalo Bills will host the Detroit Lions in the first Thursday Night Football game of the 2026 season in Week 2 on Thursday, September 17th at 8:15pm ET.
Amazon Prime Video, which owns the rights to the game, announced the Bills vs. Lions primetime matchup in a social media post. Buffalo will be on the road in Week 1 as it will be the first game at the new Highmark Stadium.
The last time the two sides met was in December 2024, with Buffalo winning in a 48-42 shootout with Josh Allen scoring four total touchdowns. This will be the second year in a row that Buffalo will play its home opener in prime time. The Bills have won their fourth straight home opener.
Eagles to play Cowboys on Thanksgiving
For the first time since 2015, the Philadelphia Eagles will play on Turkey Day. This year’s matchup against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving will be the third time in history that Dallas has hosted the Eagles on the holiday, and the first time since 2014.
The Eagles won both of the previous two Thanksgiving Day meetings between the NFC East rivals in 1989 and 2014.
Fox Sports, the network that owns the rights to the game, announced the matchup between the Eagles and Cowboys in a social media post on May 11. The contest is scheduled to kick off at 4:30pm ET on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th of this year.
The Thanksgiving schedule has not yet been announced, but we do know the Lions’ opponent in the previous game and the teams they are scheduled to face in the evening matchup.
Giants host Cowboys on ‘Sunday Night Football’ in Week 1
NBC heads to MetLife Stadium in Week 1 for John Harbaugh’s debut as the Giants’ head coach. This is a classic rivalry matchup with a story and a game that seems to have no shortage of hype. Jackson Dart will soon get a big test against a revamped Dallas defense, with Caleb Downs making his debut in the secondary.
Both teams are aiming to return to the postseason this season. One of them will be the one to throw the first punch under the lights on the big stage.
Netflix to exclusively stream NFL’s first Australian regular season game
According to reports, Netflix will air its fifth ever exclusive streaming game in the first week. The show will air on Thursday, Sept. 10, when the NFC West rivals play the Rams vs. 49ers in their first NFL game in Australia, the second game of the 2026 season. The streaming giant has previously broadcast two games on Christmas Day in each of the past two seasons, and plans to continue in 2026 when the three-year deal enters its final season.
NFL announces 2026 international game locations
The NFL plans to play nine international games in seven countries during the 2026 season. The organizers of these nine contests have been announced. They are:
- England, London (Tottenham): Commander Washington
- England, London (Tottenham): Jacksonville Jaguars
- London, UK (Wembley): Jacksonville Jaguars
- munich, germany: Detroit Lions
- madrid, spain: Atlanta Falcons
- mexico city, mexico: San Francisco 49ers
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Melbourne, Australia: Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
The NFL has not yet announced who will play each host team. It will take place on Wednesday, May 13, on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
When will the NFL schedule be released?
The NFL schedule will be released on Thursday, May 14th at 8:00 PM ET.
The league is scheduled to announce its complete 2026 international schedule on Wednesday, May 13th at 9 a.m. ET on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
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