2025 NFL Regular Season Schedule

Here's a complete rundown of the 2025 NFL regular season schedule, including highlights and some of the most anticipated matchups:

Season Opener

Thursday, September 4, 2025: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. The season kicks off with the defending champion Eagles hosting one of their arch-rivals.

General Schedule Structure

The season runs from September 4, 2025, to January 4, 2026, with a total of 272 games over 18 weeks.

It includes a record 7 international matches in 5 different countries.

Some games in flexible schedules and primetime slots (Thursday, Sunday, and Monday Night Football) could be adjusted based on team performance during the season.

Season Highlights

According to several specialized media outlets, these are the most anticipated matches of the season:

Philadelphia Eagles @ Kansas City Chiefs – rematch from last season between two Super Bowl LX contenders. Potentially the biggest game of the year

Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills – clash between Joe Burrow and Josh Allen, another offensive battle that revives recent playoff traumas and triumphs

Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs – a rematch of the powerful 2023 Kickoff Game clash, two teams that finished with a 15-2 record last season

Detroit Lions @ Philadelphia Eagles – a rescheduled matchup that didn't happen in the previous postseason, pitting two of the NFC's best defenses and offenses against each other

Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs – a clash between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, historic stars of the league

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills – a rematch of the epic divisional playoff game won by the Bills by two points

➡ Also high on the schedule are games such as: Lions @ Ravens (Monday Night, Week 3), Patriots @ Bills, Chiefs vs. Bills (Week 9), among others

Other rivalries and key schedule highlights

International collaborations: games in Brazil (Chiefs vs. Chargers, Week 1), England (Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh, Week 4; and Denver vs. Jets, Week 6), Germany (Atlanta vs. Indianapolis, Week 10), Spain (Washington vs. Miami, Week 11)

Thanksgiving matchups: traditional November midweek matchups include Packers vs. Cowboys, Chiefs vs. Cowboys, and Bengals vs. Ravens

Teams under scrutiny: the Lions appear in three of the media's top-10 games, facing the Eagles, Chiefs, and Bengals, with high expectations for their performance

Examples of key weeks

Week 1 (September 4-8):

Thursday: Cowboys vs. Eagles (opening)

Saturday and Monday: Chiefs vs. Chargers in Brazil, Bengals vs. Ravens (SNF) to kick off the international season

Week 5 (October 2-6):

Washington @ Chargers, Patriots @ Bills, Detroit @ Cincinnati, with emerging teams looking to establish themselves early.

Week 9 (October 30-November 3):

Chiefs @ Bills, one of the recent AFC classics; also Lions @ Detroit and Baltimore @ Miami