THE WHY BEHIND THE GAME
NFL key dates.
Find available games by team, date and supplied season details.
The 2026 regular season opened on Wednesday, September 9, with the New England Patriots at the Seattle Seahawks. It runs through Week 18; kickoff dates and times for Weeks 4–18 are still to be set. Three games are scheduled on Thanksgiving, November 26. Nine games are played outside the United States.
2026 season at a glance
- Season opener
- Wednesday, September 9 · New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
- Thanksgiving
- Thursday, November 26 · Three games
- Black Friday
- Friday, November 27 · One game
- Christmas Eve
- Thursday, December 24 · One game
- Christmas Day
- Friday, December 25 · Three games
- International games
- Nine games, Sep 10 – Nov 22
- Bye weeks
- Week 5 to Week 14
- Final regular-season week
- Week 18 · Dates and times to be set
- 2027 NFL Draft
- April 29 – May 1, 2027 · Washington, D.C.
Week by week
Each week runs from its first kickoff to its last, in Eastern time. Select a week for its scores and results.
| Week | Dates | Games | Teams on bye | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Wed, Sep 9 – Mon, Sep 14 | 16 | — | International |
| Week 2 | Thu, Sep 17 – Mon, Sep 21 | 16 | — | |
| Week 3 | Thu, Sep 24 – Mon, Sep 28 | 16 | — | International |
| Week 4 | Thu, Oct 1 – Mon, Oct 5 (some times to be set) | 16 | — | International |
| Week 5 this week | Thu, Oct 8 – Mon, Oct 12 | 15 | 2 | International |
| Week 6 | Thu, Oct 15 – Mon, Oct 19 | 14 | 4 | International |
| Week 7 | Thu, Oct 22 – Mon, Oct 26 | 14 | 4 | International |
| Week 8 | Thu, Oct 29 – Mon, Nov 2 | 14 | 4 | |
| Week 9 | Thu, Nov 5 – Mon, Nov 9 | 15 | 2 | International |
| Week 10 | Thu, Nov 12 – Mon, Nov 16 | 14 | 4 | International |
| Week 11 | Thu, Nov 19 – Mon, Nov 23 | 13 | 6 | International |
| Week 12 | Wed, Nov 25 – Mon, Nov 30 | 16 | — | Thanksgiving, Black Friday |
| Week 13 | Thu, Dec 3 – Mon, Dec 7 | 14 | 4 | |
| Week 14 | Thu, Dec 10 – Mon, Dec 14 | 15 | 2 | |
| Week 15 | Thu, Dec 17 – Mon, Dec 21 | 16 | — | |
| Week 16 | Thu, Dec 24 – Mon, Dec 28 (some times to be set) | 16 | — | Christmas Eve, Christmas Day |
| Week 17 | Thu, Dec 31 – Mon, Jan 4 (some times to be set) | 16 | — | |
| Week 18 | Dates and times to be set | 16 | — |
Holiday games
Thanksgiving, November 26
- 1:00 pm EST · Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
- 4:30 pm EST · Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
- 8:20 pm EST · Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills
Black Friday, November 27
- 3:00 pm EST · Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
Christmas Eve, December 24
- 8:15 pm EST · Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles
Christmas Day, December 25
- 1:00 pm EST · Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
- 4:30 pm EST · Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos
- 8:15 pm EST · Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
International games
| Week | Kickoff (Eastern) | Game | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Sep 10 · 8:35 pm EDT | San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 · 4:25 pm EDT | Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys | Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 4 | Time to be set | Indianapolis Colts at Washington Commanders | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 · 9:30 am EDT | Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 · 9:30 am EDT | Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars | Wembley Stadium, London, England |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 · 9:30 am EDT | Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 · 9:30 am EST | Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons | Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 · 9:30 am EST | New England Patriots at Detroit Lions | FC Bayern Munich Stadium, Munich, Germany |
| 11 | Sun, Nov 22 · 8:20 pm EST | Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers | Estadio Banorte, Mexico City, Mexico |
Full schedule · Primetime games · Bye weeks
Times are Eastern. Dates follow the published schedule; a week whose kickoff times are not set yet shows that, and late-season games can move to new days and times.