Yesterday, the NFL released the regular season schedule for all 32 teams. From September 9th to January 10th, 2027, we will see 272 regular-season matchups. Obviously, we can’t tune into every single contest, so we have identified the most fascinating games that will take place each week of the 2026-27 regular season.
Week One: New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks
Wednesday, September 9th, 2026 at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
We kick off the 2026-27 regular season with a Super Bowl LX rematch. The Patriots will travel to Seattle and be forced to watch the Seahawks unfurl their Super Bowl Championship banner before the game begins. Following the improvements the Pats made to the roster and the losses that the 'Hawks suffered this off-season, this matchup will likely be much more competitive than the one we saw in February.
Week Two: Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos
Sunday, September 20th, 2026 at 4:05 p.m. EDT.
It might seem somewhat shocking to see the Jacksonville Jaguars playing in a highly anticipated game, but after the drubbing they put on the Broncos last year, this feels like must-see TV. The Jags went into Denver and manhandled the Broncos 34-20 in their Week 16 matchup last season. Denver will be seeking revenge for that home embarrassment as Jacksonville tries to show the world that it's still a force to be reckoned with and not just a one-year fluke.
Week Three: Los Angeles Rams @ Denver Broncos
Sunday, September 27th, 2026 at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
We haven't even gotten to training camp yet, but this is my prediction for Super Bowl LXI. The Rams are in win-now mode and need one more title before quarterback Matthew Stafford retires. Meanwhile, the Broncos feel like they were fleeced out of a Super Bowl berth after quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury before the 2026 AFC Championship Game. Even if this isn't our Super Bowl LXI matchup, these teams should both qualify for the playoffs.
Week Four: New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday, October 4th, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Barring something completely unexpected, the Pats and Bills will be the two teams at the top of the AFC East. This will also be Buffalo's first matchup against a divisional opponent in their new stadium. And of course, we'll get to debate who is the better quarterback in the week leading up to this performance: the Bills' Josh Allen or the Patriots' Drake Maye. I don’t like it when matchups are boiled down to quarterback battles, but whenever two elite QBs go head-to-head, it's going to generate a lot of interest.
Week Five: Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Sunday, October 11th, 2026 at 4:25 p.m. EDT.
Every time these teams met last season, it was an incredibly exciting matchup decided in the fourth quarter or even overtime. This is also the expected return date for the Packers' Micah Parsons, who is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury. The race for the NFC North will obviously be a tight one amongst the Bears, Packers, Lions, and Vikings, but Green Bay and Chicago should be near the top of the division when all is said and done, which means this contest will matter a lot down the line.
Week Six: Seattle Seahawks @ Denver Broncos
Thursday, October 15th, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. EDT.
These were the top-seeded teams in the NFC and the AFC, respectively. I’m also of the opinion that this would've been the Super Bowl LX matchup had Bo Nix not gotten hurt. Either way, we'll get to see the 2026-27 edition of these teams go head-to-head in a Week Six standalone Thursday Night game. We have to hand it to the NFL; they scheduled several really exciting Thursday Night matchups this season.
Week Seven: New England Patriots @ Chicago Bears
Thursday, October 22nd, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. EDT.
This game features two of the fastest-rising coaches and quarterbacks in the National Football League. On one side, you have the defending AFC Champions, who are led by a tough-as-nails head coach and an MVP-caliber quarterback in Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye. On the other end, offensive guru Ben Johnson and former number-one overall pick Caleb Williams are expected to take a big leap after reaching the Divisional Round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs. These two teams might dominate the NFL over the next five to 10 years.
Week Eight: Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday, November 1st, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Do you remember the last time these teams got together? They combined for 81 points as the Bills rallied from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 41-40 victory. Buffalo and Baltimore combined for 929 yards of offense in that one, averaging 7.3 yards per play. Also, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have won two of the last three league MVP awards. Considering both squads are gunning for a Super Bowl, this contest will likely impact playoff seeding and who makes the postseason.
Week Nine: Green Bay Packers @ New England Patriots
Sunday, November 8th, 2026 at 4:25 p.m. EDT.
Two of the smartest coaches in the NFL will face off as Matt LaFleur's offense tries to get one over on Mike Vrabel's defense. We know that both of these squads have Super Bowl aspirations. That alone will make this an excellent matchup. Add in the fact that this will be Tom Brady's first game in New England as a broadcaster, and there will be no shortage of reasons to watch this contest. Who knows? Maybe this will end up being a preview of Super Bowl LXI.
Week 10: New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions
Sunday, November 15th, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
When you talk about grit and intense coaching, Detroit's Dan Campbell and New England's Mike Vrabel are the first two coaches that should come to your mind. Now, we'll get to see these guys go toe-to-toe with one another as they face off in Munich, Germany of all places. If you're a fan of smashmouth football, then you should be salivating at the idea of the Lions' rushing attack going up against New England's run defense.
Week 11: Cincinnati Bengals @ Washington Commanders
Monday, November 23rd, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. EDT.
We could've picked an AFC South matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, or the battle for Pennsylvania between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, but Commanders vs. Bengals should produce a ton of offense. When these teams last played in 2024, it was Jayden Daniels' coming-out party, as he scored three total touchdowns while amassing 293 total yards. Joe Burrow wasn't bad in that matchup either. All he did was throw for 324 yards and three TDs. I expect plenty of offense again when these teams meet in November.
Week 12: Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills
Thursday, November 26th, 2026 at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
There are A LOT of really exciting matchups in Week 12, including Packers vs. Rams on Wednesday night, Bears vs. Lions on Thanksgiving Day, and Seahawks vs. 49ers on Sunday afternoon. However, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills hosting Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs is always going to draw the most attention. Since it’s a standalone game on Thanksgiving night, we can once again expect a close contest between the Bills and Chiefs.
Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Rams
Thursday, December 3rd, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. EDT.
These teams have undoubtedly changed a lot since that all-time great regular-season matchup they had in 2018, but this will still be a game worth tuning into. The Rams and Chiefs enter this season with Super Bowl expectations. Two of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL will face off when Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford take the field. The coaching matchup between Andy Reid and Sean McVay should also be a thing of beauty.
Week 14: Buffalo Bills @ Green Bay Packers
Sunday, December 13th, 2026 at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
This is just going to be a magnificent, blue-collar game between two of the most storied franchises in the National Football League. The wind will be whipping, and the temperatures will likely be below freezing when Josh Allen leads the Bills into Green Bay for a game against Jordan Love and the Packers. Getting to watch Micah Parsons chase around and try to take down Josh Allen for 60 minutes should be incredibly fun.
Week 15: New England Patriots @ Kansas City Chiefs
Monday, December 21st, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. EDT.
For over a decade, this has been a matchup between the two teams that would represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. In fact, ten of the last 12 Super Bowls have featured either the Chiefs or the Patriots. Will this be a changing of the guard as Drake Maye overtakes Patrick Mahomes as the top quarterback in the AFC, or will KC's future Hall of Fame QB put Maye in his place? We'll just have to wait for December 21st to find out.
Week 16: Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
Friday, December 25th, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. EDT.
Not only will this be a rematch of the 2026 NFC Championship Game, but every time these squads went head-to-head last season, it resulted in an instant classic. The average margin of victory in their three matchups last season was 2.3 points. That means that each game was basically decided by a field goal. Since the Seahawks are the defending champs, and the Rams are in a race against the clock to win a Lombardi trophy, this will probably be another great matchup.
Week 17: Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots
Date and time TBD.
It stinks that we will have to wait 17 weeks to get a true indication of how the 2026 AFC Championship Game might have played out if Bo Nix had been healthy, but this contest will still be worth watching. The Pats and Broncos are expected to be at the top of their divisions once again, so this will likely affect playoff seeding. At the very least, both squads will probably be in the playoff hunt, so this game could determine who actually qualifies for the postseason.
Week 18: Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams
Date and time TBD.
Week 18 is usually the time of year when most teams have punched their ticket to the playoffs, so they get a chance to rest their starters. However, I don’t anticipate Seattle and LA will bench their starters for this matchup. After all, this rivalry was the difference between the Rams earning the number-one seed in the NFC last year and being a Wild Card team. This is the contest that is most likely to be flexed to the Sunday Night Football slot on January 10th.
