NFL 2026 Schedule: Pats-Seahawks Open, 9 Games Abroad Sport By lines May 15, 2026 The NFL 2026 schedule arrived Thursday night. The New England Patriots open the season against the Seattle Seahawks. The matchup revisits last season’s Super Bowl. Nine games will play overseas this year. Five franchises landed zero primetime games on the slate. What the 2026 NFL Schedule Reveals The 2026 NFL season opens with Patriots vs Seahawks in Week 1. The matchup is a Super Bowl rematch from last season. International play expands to nine games this year. The Dallas Cowboys will face the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro. Mexico City also hosts a regular-season game on the slate. Five NFL teams drew zero primetime games on the 2026 schedule. The Raiders, Jets, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Titans all sat out the lights. The Kansas City Chiefs landed six primetime games on the slate. The Chiefs kept that placement despite quarterback Patrick Mahomes recovering from a torn ACL. The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs will headline Monday Night Football in Week 1. The New England Patriots face the toughest opening stretch any team has drawn in 40 years. The Green Bay Packers received a softer schedule start. The Thanksgiving holiday slate expanded to five games this year. The expansion added a new Thanksgiving Eve window for the league. The 2026 schedule covers 272 regular-season games in total. NFL Network lost its schedule-release show this year. The change followed the ESPN merger with the NFL Network operation. Teams once again competed in the social media reveal video arms race. The Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts produced standout videos this cycle. The Los Angeles Chargers held their reputation as the schedule release video champions. Related Sports Coverage Broncos vs Chiefs Headline 2026 Monday Night Opener Dolphins Sign Achane to Four-Year, $68M Extension Chargers Sign David Njoku to 1-Year, $8M Contract Sources: ESPN covered the schedule overreactions and matchup takeaways. CBS Sports published the full team-by-team breakdown. NBC Sports Pro Football Talk detailed the primetime distribution.
