Early NFL Schedule Leaks Highlight Week 1 Prime Time Games

The NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror and teams are proceeding with OTAs and rookie minicamps. Training camp is still about two months away but there is a big date on the schedule this week. The NFL schedule is released Thursday night in its entirety, giving fans an idea of how their favorite team’s slate plays out this year.

While the whole schedule won’t be out for another 48 hours, the league has leaked several key matchups already for the 2026 season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what matchups are already known for the schedule.

NFC East Rivalries Take Center Stage

Divisional matchups are always entertaining and a pair of NFC East matchups are locked in. The Dallas Cowboys are on the road in week 1 as they travel to East Rutherford to face the New York Giants. This matchup is the opening tilt for NBC’s Sunday Night Football slate. It marks the first clash with something at stake between Dak Prescott and Jaxson Dart. This also marks the first game for John Harbaugh as coach of the Giants after parting ways with Baltimore at the end of last season.

If that wasn’t enough NFC East news, the league announced a Thanksgiving Day matchup. The Philadelphia Eagles travel to take on the Cowboys. That marks the first time that the teams have met on Thanksgiving Day since 2014 and the third time overall. The Eagles won both previous holiday clashes, prevailing 33-10 in 2014 and 27-0 in 1989. Dallas seeks to avenge those defeats and prevail here.

Buffalo’s New Stadium Debuts in Prime Time

Buffalo moves into new digs this season and their new stadium will make its debut under the lights in front of a national audience. The Bills will play their first home game on September 17. Buffalo hosts the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football, giving fans a look at the new Highmark Stadium. The Bills, among other things, switch the playing surface from turf to natural grass, which also can be heated in cold temperatures.

AFC West Foes Clash to End Week 1

Last season, the Denver Broncos won the AFC West and clinched the top seed in the conference. Their division crown snapped the Kansas City Chiefs’ nine-year reign atop the division. These two teams close the week 1 slate as they collide on Monday Night Football. Both teams have their quarterbacks returning from injuries that ended their 2025 campaigns. Bo Nix sustained a broken ankle at the end of the AFC Divisional Playoff against the Bills. He missed the AFC Championship against New England. This game has big implications for the rest of the season right out of the gate.

International Games on the Docket

In addition, the first couple matchups of games being held internationally were announced. Dallas will be the home team in week three of the schedule as they host the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams meet in the NFL’s first game in Australia on Friday, September 11. That game takes place in Melbourne.

As for the rest of the schedule, including who the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks host in their season opener September 9, Thursday can’t arrive soon enough.