Even although the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers is not going to happen till virtually the midpoint of the season, NFL followers will probably be handled to a pair of playoff rematches on the opening weekend.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs start their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title once they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 within the Kickoff Game whereas the Los Angeles Rams are on the Detroit Lions within the Sunday evening sport on Sept. 8.
The two playoff rematches on Week 1 are amongst 9 on this 12 months’s common schedule, which was launched by the league Wednesday evening.
The Ravens-Chiefs matchup is a rematch of final season’s AFC championship sport, gained by Kansas City 17-10. Kansas City heads to San Francisco on Oct. 20, after it defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 within the second time beyond regulation sport in Super Bowl historical past. It additionally marks the second straight season the Chiefs may have a Super Bowl rematch after they misplaced to the Philadelphia Eagles in a Monday evening sport final season.
Kansas City will then journey to Buffalo on Nov. 17 in what’s turning into a yearly matchup. This would be the fifth straight 12 months the 2 groups have confronted off within the common season. The Bills have gained three straight within the common season however the Chiefs have gained all three within the playoffs.
The Rams’ Matthew Stafford and Detroit’s Jared Goff will face their former groups for the third time, together with the playoffs. The Lions gained their first playoff sport in 32 years once they defeated the Rams 24-23 in an NFC wild-card spherical sport.
Goff just lately agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract extension.
The rematch of the NFC championship sport between the 49ers and Lions will not occur till Dec. 30 in San Francisco, which is the final Monday evening sport of the season.
After the Rams sport, the Lions host Tampa Bay on Sept. 15 in a rematch of a divisional spherical sport gained by Detroit.
The different playoff rematches are Baltimore at Houston on Christmas Day, Philadelphia at Tampa Bay on Sept. 29 and San Francisco at Green Bay on Nov. 24.
The NFL launched the complete slate for its a hundred and fifth season after revealing 4 worldwide video games and each of its Christmas Day matchups earlier Wednesday. The schedule has been launched the previous couple of years on the second Thursday in May, however was barely delayed this 12 months.
Even although a memo was despatched to groups late final week saying the schedule could be launched Wednesday evening, it wasn’t till Monday morning that it was finalized.
Hans Schroeder, the chief vice chairman of NFL Media, stated there have been conferences over the weekend to tweak issues.
Five quarterbacks going within the first spherical of the draft impacted among the remaining selections.
“We have been getting actually shut on the finish of final week and had one thing we have been actually pleased with Friday,” he stated. “We had a four-hour zoom on Sunday evening and had the ultimate winner. It was similar to Friday however a pair issues we preferred higher. We used each minute to proceed to refine it.”
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NOTABLE DEBUTS
Kirk Cousins’ first sport with the Atlanta Falcons will probably be at residence on Sept. 8 once they host Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million cope with the Falcons through the offseason.
Wilson is making his Steelers’ debut after being launched by Denver. It will even mark the return of Arthur Smith, who’s the Steelers offensive coordinator after being fired as Falcons coach.
Caleb Williams, the highest total choose by Chicago in final month’s draft, will make his Bears debut in opposition to Tennessee. Chicago then goes to Houston for a Sunday evening sport on Sept. 15 in opposition to the Texans and reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud.
The prime two picks within the draft might meet on Oct. 27 in Washington when the Bears face the Commanders and Jayden Daniels.
MULTIPLE SHORT WEEKS
Including the Kickoff Game, “Thursday Night Football” and (*9*), 14 groups will probably be enjoying a number of Thursday video games.
The league amended its coverage final season the place groups might make a couple of look on Thursday nights.
Six groups — the Jaguars, Titans, Colts, Cardinals, Panthers and Chargers — is not going to have the brief Sunday to Thursday turnaround.
LONDON CALLING
Aaron Rodgers will probably be dealing with a well-recognized opponent, albeit in a special uniform and in a brand new location.
Rodgers and the New York Jets will kick off this 12 months’s video games in London when they’re the visiting crew in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 6.
Rodgers went 17-11-1 in opposition to the Vikings when he was with the Green Bay Packers. The four-time NFL MVP was traded to the Jets final 12 months, however tore his left Achilles tendon on the primary collection of final 12 months’s opener in opposition to the Buffalo Bills.
Rodgers is on observe to return to follow with out limitations as soon as the Jets start voluntary spring classes subsequent week. The league introduced Tuesday that the Jets would open the season on “Monday Night Football” at NFC champion San Francisco on Sept. 9.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will spend back-to-back weeks in London for the second straight 12 months and face two of this 12 months’s prime three quarterbacks that have been taken within the NFL draft. The Jaguars will go to prime draft choose Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 13 and then host the New England Patriots, who took Drake Maye third, at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 20.
The Carolina Panthers will host the New York Giants in Germany on Nov. 10 at Allianz Arena in Munich. In March, the league introduced the Eagles will host the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 6.
CHRISTMAS DAY GAMES
Netflix has reached a three-year cope with the league to hold video games on Christmas Day.
The streaming big will carry two video games this 12 months and at the very least one sport in 2025 and ’26. Kansas City travels to Pittsburgh within the first sport earlier than the Ravens and Texans meet within the late afternoon.
