The NFL kicks off this weekend after a thrilling off-season of enticing trades and drafts that have dominated the headlines, but it is now time for the main event.
The season starts in the build-up to Super Bowl LVIII - the first, and probably not the last, to take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Since the last event, however, some things have changed, including Aaron Rodgers moving to the New York Jets and Sean Payton to the Denver Broncos, while the Washington Commanders finally found new ownership.
Last season’s Super Bowl winners the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Detroit Lions as they bid for yet another top title. Also, while NFL in London has been fairly well-established, in 2023 there will also be two matches in Frankfurt in November.
After 23 seasons, this will be the first since Tom Brady has retired from the sport, so it will be a new era for young quarterbacks, including Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes.
It is a long route to the Super Bowl, with 32 teams competing across eight divisions in 18 weeks and 272 games.
Here’s everything you need to know about Week 1:
When does the NFL start?
The NFL season starts on Friday (8 September) with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions, with the bulk of games kicking off on Sunday.
Friday:
8.20pm ET / 1.20am BST (Saturday) -
Detroit Lions v Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday:
1pm ET / 6pm BST -
Cleveland Browns v Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens v Houston Texans
Minnesota Vikings v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pittsburgh Steelers v San Francisco 49ers
Indianapolis Colts v Jacksonville Jaguars
Washington Commanders v Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons v Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints v Tennessee Titans
4.25pm ET / 9.25pm BST -
Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks v Los Angeles Rams
New England Patriots v Philadelphia Eagles
Denver Broncos v Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers v Miami Dolphins
8.20pm ET / 1.20am BST (Monday)
New York Giants v Dallas Cowboys
Monday:
8.15pm ET / 1.15am BST (Tuesday)
New York Jets v Buffalo Bills
How to watch in the US
For viewers in the US, the games are on NFL+, Fox Sports, Paramount+, ESPN, NBC Sports on Peacock, Thursday Night Football on Amazon, Telemundo Deportes and more. See below for the Week 1 TV schedule in the USA:
Thursday, September 7
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 p.m., NBC
Sunday, September 10
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., CBS
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m., CBS
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., CBS
Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS
Arizona Cardinals at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m., Fox
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., Fox
San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., Fox
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Monday, September 11
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
How to watch in the UK
Viewers in the UK can catch select games on Sky Sports NFL, their full schedule for the opening round of games is:
But there is also RedZone on Sunday evenings which has a full round of live updates from matches across the country, as most matches take place then.
- Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs @ 1:20am BST Friday
- San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers @ 6pm BST Sunday
- Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers @ 9:25pm BST Sunday
- Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants @ 1:20am BST Monday
- Buffalo Bills at New York Jets @ 1:15am BST Tuesday
Every Monday Night Football will also be shown live from 1 am on Channel 5.
