The long wait is officially over, and the NFL is back in our lives once again! It’s been six long months since Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks hoisted the Lombardi trophy after beating the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX. This year, we have old coaches in new places, new coaches in new places, a whole bunch of retooled contenders, and a crop of fresh faces ready to make an impact.
There are plenty of questions that need answering as we head into another season. Will the Rams’ retooled defense lead them to Super Bowl LXI in their home stadium? Can Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs rebound after a decidedly off year? Is this finally the year the Buffalo Bills reach, and possibly win, a Super Bowl? And of course, while we’ll get to those questions as the season progresses, there’s only one question that needs answering today: Are you ready for some football?
When does the NFL season start?
If you’re a football fan, odds are you’ve seen a few of the best football TV shows of all time – but there’s nothing quite like the real thing. And we’ll see plenty of fantastic stories develop in real time as the 2026 NFL season progresses. Of course, every good story needs to start somewhere, and for NFL fans, that story starts tonight: Now that the preseason has come to an end, rosters have been trimmed, and depth charts have been finalized, all 32 teams are ready to go.
To get you set up for the season and tonight’s contest, you can settle in for the pregame show starting at 7 p.m. EST on NBC and Peacock, which will include Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready performing the national anthem. Then, at 8:20 p.m., the ball will be put into play — and the NFL season will officially have begun.
Who is playing in the NFL Kickoff Game?
Tonight’s matchup will feature two teams that ought to be fairly familiar with each other — because we’re getting a rematch of Super Bowl LX. The Seattle Seahawks will be hosting the New England Patriots at Lumen Field in Seattle. And the last time these two teams met, it wasn’t a particularly close contest.
The Seattle defense bottled up Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense for most of the game, holding them scoreless until the fourth quarter. The Seahawks offense was held to four field goals through the game’s first three quarters before finally exploding in the final 15 minutes to put the game away 29-13.
The Patriots set the record for most Super Bowl appearances in this game with 12, but also set the record for most Super Bowl losses with six. Kenneth Walker III was named the game’s MVP with 135 yards rushing, but it would be his final game as a Seahawk, as he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason.
Where can you watch the NFL Kickoff Game?
For those of us not making the drive to Seattle to see this game in person, there are several options available to watch it from the comfort of your own home. The easiest way will be on NBC through whichever basic cable package you have these days. On streaming, the game will be available on NBC’s Peacock and also on NFL+, the league’s own subscription-based streaming service.
NBC, which is using this game as a kickoff for its fall slate of shows, will be returning their broadcasting crew of Mike Tirico, Chris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark for another season in the booth. If you’re planning on watching all the pregame festivities, “Football Night in America” will also be on NBC and Peacock and will feature host Maria Taylor with analysts Mike Tomlin, Jason Garrett, Devin McCourty, and Mike Florio.
What are the major storylines heading into this NFL season?
There was a lot of roster turnover this past season in the NFL, and the coaching carousel spun faster than ever. On the player side of things, Myles Garrett getting traded from the Browns to the Rams tops the list. Is he the missing piece the Rams need to return to the Super Bowl? Speaking of the Super Bowl, the Patriots were there last year but fell short. So, they traded for disgruntled Philadelphia WR A.J. Brown to bolster their offense.There are also several quarterbacks who will be leading new teams this year, including Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas, Malik Willis in Miami, Kyler Murray in Minnesota, and Geno Smith in New York with the Jets.
Coaches were also on the move this year, with longtime Steelers coach Mike Tomlin walking away and being replaced by former Packers and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. John Harbaugh was entrenched in Baltimore, but he and the team parted ways, and he’s now leading the New York Giants. One of the more surprising moves was the Bills moving on from Sean McDermott and replacing him with offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
What are people predicting about the 2026 NFL season?
If you’re the kind of person who likes to add a friendly wager or two to your NFL experience, then you might want to look into the Los Angeles Rams and the Baltimore Ravens. Those are the two teams with the highest projected win totals in sportsbooks across the country. The two teams that people seem to have the least amount of faith in are the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, both of which will be testing out new QBs this year.
In addition to the Rams and Ravens, a few more teams show up on several Super Bowl contender shortlists, including the Buffalo Bills, the Philadelphia Eagles, and, of course, last year’s two Super Bowl participants, Seattle and New England.
It’s no surprise that the contender list for NFL MVP this year is full of quarterbacks. Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow have the best odds to walk away with that honor this year. If you’re wondering which rookies will have the biggest impact, experts say Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate have the best chance to make a major impact right away.