The National Football League released its 2026 schedule last week, and if you’re anything like me, sorting through all the games can be a little overwhelming.
Aside from watching my beloved Denver Broncos each week, I struggle with trying to find the best games to watch each week. I typically watch the prime-time games and am otherwise guided by my fantasy football team, but with 32 teams, multiple different television windows and endless number of streaming platforms, it can be hard to keep track of it all.
I sorted through the NFL schedule after its release, and picked out the one non-prime time game I’m most excited to watch each week. From division rivalries to last season’s playoff rematches, here are the games to watch each week of the 2026 regular season:
Week 1 — Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins
Week 1 is filled with a lot of playoff rematches, including a 10 September Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, and division-rivalry games, but a 13 September contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Miami Dolphins interests me. It’s the first time we’ll see the 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick quarterback Fernando Mendoza take the field in a regular season contest, assuming he gets the starting nod over veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Mendoza is a highly touted rookie from Indiana University, which won the National Championship in January, but it will be interesting to see how he progresses in a new-look Raiders squad under first-year head coach Klint Kubiak, who served as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator for their Super Bowl run.
Week 2 – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
The Minnesota Vikings start their schedule with back-to-back NFC North division matchups. The second of those contests is against the Chicago Bears.
The Vikings and the Bears split their series against each other last season, and both games were nail biters. In the first, Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings put together a 21-point fourth quarter for a comeback victory. In the second, the Bears hit a game winning field goal to beat the Vikings 19-17. I’m interested to see if the series will once again deliver the same drama in 2026 that it did in 2025, and that starts 20 September.
Week 3 – New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars
Both the Patriots and the Jaguars were in the AFC playoff picture last season, with Jacksonville bowing out in the Wild Card Round and the Patriots falling in the Super Bowl. I wouldn’t say both teams’ success last season was unexpected, but, at least for me, I couldn’t have predicted both teams to be as good as they were. I’m intrigued to see how these teams have shaped up over the offseason, and this 27 September contest should be a good indicator of how the teams will look.
Week 4 – Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers
This out-of-conference matchup between the Broncos and the 49ers should create some interesting storylines for both teams on 4 October.
Of the Broncos’ first six games, five are against 2025 playoff teams; the one opponent who didn’t make it to the post season is the Kansas City Chiefs, who Denver plays Week 1. It’ll be interesting to see how the Broncos start the season with such a difficult schedule, and the 49ers fall right in the middle of that. San Francisco has made a lot of flashy moves throughout the offseason, like brining in wide receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. The beginning of the 49ers’ season isn’t as demanding as the Broncos. They play the Los Angeles Rams — a playoff team — in Week 1 but then play the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals who had a combined 10 wins in 2025.
Week 5 – New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders
The Giants play just one 2025 playoff team — the Los Angeles Rams — in the first five weeks of their schedule, while the Commanders play two against the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks. But I do think this in-division contest on 11 October is going to be an interesting test between two new-look rosters.
The Giants are returning players like quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo, who will both be in their second seasons in 2026, and have brought in a lot of players at nearly every position to rebuild the roster. The Commanders will start the season with a healthy Jayden Daniels at quarterback and many new pieces, like the Giants.
Week 6 – Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
I think the AFC West is going to be one of the best divisions in the NFL next season, where every game against a division opponent is going to be crucial. This 18 October contest is just the first regular season game between the Chiefs and the Chargers in 2026, but it could hold a lot of weight at the end of the season.
Kansas City had a down year compared to the last nine seasons, as it failed to make the playoffs after winning the division from 2016-2024. Los Angeles made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the AFC. The Chargers defeated the Chiefs in both contests last season.
Week 7 – Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Bengals and the Ravens are two teams that I get excited to watch play against each other every year, and the first of those in 2026 is 25 October. I think it’s so interesting to watch quarterback Joe Burrow lead Cincinnati, while quarterback Lamar Jackson leads Baltimore. It’s an AFC North matchup that I always try to tune in to.
Burrow was hurt for part of the Bengals’ 2025 season in which they went 6-11 and missed the playoffs. The Ravens also missed the playoffs last season with an 8-9 record, while Jackson also missed a handful of games. The two teams split their contests last season, which included the Ravens’ 24-0 routing of the Bengals, and Cincinnati’s 32-14 win over Baltimore.
Week 8 – New York Jets vs. Las Vegas Raiders
There are a lot of high-powered teams playing against each other in Week 8, but just hear me out with this one. The Jets and the Raiders were arguably two of the worst teams in the NFL last season, but they both will look completely different in 2026. I think it will be interesting to watch these two very young and very new teams compete against one another after they’ve already had some time to play regular season games together. It’s not the flashiest game of Week 8, but I think it could be very telling for both young teams at nearly the halfway point of the season on 1 November.
Week 9 – Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers
This 8 November game between the Texans and the Chargers is just a contest between two good AFC squads that could have playoff implications later in the season. Both Houston and Los Angeles made the playoffs in 2025, and I don’t think either team became worse over the offseason. The Texans have bolstered their offensive line to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud, while the Chargers drafted a few key players after losing veterans like edge Odafe Oweh and wide receiver Keenan Allen during the offseason.
Week 10 – New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions
The Patriots and Lions are facing off in the NFL’s final game in Europe on 15 November in Munich, Germany. New England was the Super Bowl runner-up last season, while Detroit missed the playoffs after a competitive season in the NFC North. I think that both teams could be playoff teams in 2026.
Despite making it to the Super Bowl in 2025, the Patriots weren’t complacent throughout the offseason. They brought in offensive players to help quarterback Drake Maye, who is entering his third season in the league, along with some key defensive pieces. The Lions revamped their offensive line, which was an area of need, during the offseason.
Week 11 – New York Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Both the Giants and the Jaguars are already on this list, so I’ll keep my explanation short. In terms of conference games, this game might not mean a lot at the end of the season, but this 22 November contest has the potential to be a great game between two good teams. The Giants are a new-look team who could make a run, while the Jaguars are trying to maintain their success from last season.
Week 12 – Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
This specific contest between the Cowboys and the Eagles will be on Thursday, 26 November for America’s Thanksgiving Day and marks the second contest between the two squads of the season. The in-division matchup could have playoff or division-winner implications as the season winds down. The Eagles made the playoffs last season but fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round, while the Cowboys missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Week 13 – New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
As I look through the Week 13 NFL schedule, this 6 December contest jumped out to me. It’s the second of the two AFC East division squads’ games against each other. Both high-powered teams made the playoffs last season, and they’re both just as good as they were last season. I can see this game being one of the deciding factors for who will take the crown in the AFC North in 2026. The Bills took care of one of their main positions of need during the offseason by getting quarterback Josh Allen some offensive weapons to throw to. They acquired wide receiver DJ Moore II via a trade with the Chicago Bears and drafted former University of Connecticut wideout Skyler Bell.
Week 14 – Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
Like the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, the Rams and the 49ers (or any NFC West matchup) is one that I get excited to watch each season. The NFC West is one of the premier divisions in the league, as all but one team — the Arizona Cardinals — made the playoffs last season. Like many of the division games in the latter half of the season, this game on 13 December could end up holding a lot of weight in terms of the division winner and who will be a playoff team.
Week 15 – Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles
As the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seahawks have a target on their back this season. A lot of the key parts of their championship roster have been dismantled, like its running game and many coaches, but Seattle still has the opportunity to contend. This Saturday, 19 December contest against the Eagles will be interesting for the NFL playoff picture, as the Eagles have secured a spot in the postseason for the last five years.
Week 16 – Christmas Day
It’s really difficult for me to pick just one game during the Week 16 slate, so I’m just going to say all the games on Christmas Day will be important and interesting. The day starts with a NFC North contest between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, who played in three electric contests in 2025. Then, the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos play in an AFC Divisional Round rematch, which was highly controversial during the 2025 playoffs. The day ends with another division matchup against the NFC West’s Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. It’s a stacked schedule and I’ll be seated for every game.
Week 17 – Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots
The Broncos get back-to-back 2025 playoff rematches, as they follow their Week 16 contest against the Buffalo Bills with a game against the New England Patriots, who ended Denver’s season in the AFC Championship last season. The Broncos were without quarterback Bo Nix in that snowy contest in January, and the Patriots earned a trip to the Super Bowl. With just two weeks left in the regular season, it should have many playoff implications. The date of the game is yet to be determined.
Week 18 – Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
A full week of division rivalry games is on the slate for the final week of the NFL’s regular season. It will surely be full of drama and playoff implications, so it’s hard for me to pick just one game, but I think the most intriguing game of Week 18 will be between Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on a date that is to be determined. The three contests between the two teams in 2025 were all packed with drama, and I think it’ll deliver the same energy in the final week of the 2026 season.
