NFL Week 8 in Cairo time: Panthers-Packers starts at 2:15 am Friday as Egypt’s clock change lands before Thursday night

Week 8 is the week both Egypt and the United States turn their clocks back, and the two changes land on either side of the Thursday night game. Egypt leaves summer time at midnight on Thursday, Oct. 29, and the U.S. follows at 2 am on Sunday, Nov. 1. For three days in between, Cairo is only six hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast instead of seven, and that is why the Carolina Panthers’ trip to the Green Bay Packers starts at 2:15 am Friday in Cairo, an hour earlier than a normal Thursday night kickoff.

By Sunday the gap is back to seven hours, so the rest of the week keeps the familiar Cairo times: 8 pm for the early games, 11:05 pm and 11:25 pm for the late games, 3:20 am Monday for Sunday night and 3:15 am Tuesday for Monday night.

Thursday night: Panthers at Packers, 2:15 am Friday in Cairo

Carolina and Green Bay meet at Lambeau Field on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 8:15 pm ET on Prime Video. Carolina is 3-3 and leads the NFC South despite a 43-13 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday. Green Bay is 4-3 but last in the NFC North after a 20-17 loss in Detroit decided by a field goal at the gun. Both teams played on Sunday, so each gets only three days to recover before kickoff.

Why the time moves only for Thursday

Through Thursday evening, Cairo is on summer time at three hours ahead of GMT and the East Coast is on daylight time at four hours behind, a seven-hour gap. When Egypt goes back to two hours ahead of GMT at midnight, the gap shrinks to six hours. The 8:15 pm ET kickoff falls inside that window, so it becomes 2:15 am rather than 3:15 am. When the U.S. switches early on Sunday, the East Coast moves to five hours behind GMT and the seven-hour gap returns before the first Sunday kickoff. It stays that way for the rest of the season.

Week 8 in Cairo time

The Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers are on bye. There are no international games this week; Munich and Madrid come later. Here is the full Week 8 schedule:

Games to circle

The Minnesota Vikings, at 6-0 the last unbeaten team in the league, open the Sunday early window at the Detroit Lions, who are 4-2. In the same 8 pm slot in Cairo, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers meet at 5-2 each with first place in the AFC North at stake, and the Baltimore Ravens, 4-3, visit the 5-1 Buffalo Bills.

The late window has the Kansas City Chiefs at the Denver Broncos at 11:25 pm in Cairo. Kansas City is 5-1 after its first loss of the season on Sunday, 20-3 to Seattle, and Denver is 5-2. The Los Angeles Chargers, still looking for their first win at 0-6, play the Rams at 11:05 pm in a stadium the two teams share, with the Rams as the home team.

Sunday night sends the Philadelphia Eagles, 2-5 after five straight losses, to the Washington Commanders, who are 1-4-1. On Monday night, the 5-2 Chicago Bears visit the 4-3 Seattle Seahawks.

What comes next

Week 9 stays on the seven-hour gap, so its Thursday night game, Jacksonville at Baltimore on Nov. 5, is back to 3:15 am Friday in Cairo. The Week 9 schedule, including the Raiders-49ers move to 4:25 pm ET, is unchanged, and the next Sunday night decision covers Pittsburgh at Cincinnati in Week 10, due by the end of Tuesday, Nov. 3.