We are now seven Sundays away from the start of the NFL season. The opening Sunday is like Christmas morning for teams and fans, as players embark on a new quest for glory.
Week 1 will be special this year as the NFL plans to recognize the 21st anniversary of September 11, 2001. Fourteen games will take place on 9/11.
This will be one of the most thrilling opening weeks in NFL history. Josh Allen and the Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills (+600) will roll into SoFi Stadium to take on the defending champion Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. And Tom Brady and Dak Prescott will go to battle on Sunday Night Football as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Dallas Cowboys in Big D.
With the NFL season fast approaching, let’s take a look at the NFL Week 1 games that will start the season off with a bang.
Bills at Rams (Thursday, Sept. 8 – NBC 8:20pm)
What a showdown we have in store to kick off the NFL Week 1 calendar. The Bills will look to make a statement against under the bright lights of SoFi Stadium after losing in heartbreaking fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs in last season’s AFC Divisional game.
Josh Allen will have his boys ready for an intense clash with a star-studded Rams defense led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp will hope to build on their unbreakable chemistry, while Allen Robinson will hope to establish some with his Super Bowl-winning quarterback right out of the gates.
Browns at Panthers (Sunday, Sept. 11 – CBS 1:00pm)
A game between two underachieving teams just got a lot more interesting as former Browns signal-caller Baker Mayfield was traded to the Panthers earlier this month. Mayfield will have to beat out Sam Darnold during training camp to win the starting job as his shoulder gets stronger after offseason surgery back in January.
It remains to be seen if Deshaun Watson will be suspended for this game, but if he is playing, it will be one of the most compelling matchups on paper.
Chiefs at Cardinals (Sunday, Sept. 11 – CBS 4:25pm)
Two of the most dynamic offenses in the league will square off when the Chiefs take on the Cardinals in Arizona.
Hopefully Kyler Murray will get enough film studying before airing it out against a top-10 defense in the NFL last season. The Cardinals inked the former first overall pick to a massive five year, $230 million extension, obviously putting a ton of faith in him to lead them to the promised land.
Patrick Mahomes will lead a new-look Chiefs offense that will look to overcome the loss of speedster Tyreek Hill with the additions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Raiders at Chargers (Sunday, Sept. 11 – CBS 4:25pm)
The AFC West is perhaps the toughest division in football heading into this season. Derek Carr and Justin Herbert know the importance of divisional wins, and putting one in the win column in the first game of the season will be mighty important.
The Raiders defeated the Chargers 35-32 in one of the craziest games in NFL history in Week 18 last season. Herbert and co. will be hungry to avenge that loss and get ahead early in the AFC West race.
Buccaneers at Cowboys (Sunday, Sept. 11 – NBC 8:20pm)
Tom Brady. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dak Prescott. Dallas Cowboys. Jerry World. This is going to be so much fun.
The unretired ageless wonder and America’s Team on Sunday Night Football. That’s all.
Broncos at Seahawks (Monday, Sept 12. – ESPN, ABC 8:20pm)
This game will have a flair for the dramatic. Everybody loves a good return, and Russell Wilson’s to Seattle, the home of the 12th Man, will be filled with emotion.
After so many years of question marks at QB after the retirement of Peyton Manning, the Broncos finally have a bonafide star in Wilson. Drew Lock will be under center for the Seahawks, but all eyes will be on the QB that gave the Pacific Northwest its first Super Bowl.
