NFL Week 1
The NFL schedule release gets a lot of build up on an annual basis, just to be spoiled in the social media world. Leaks sneak through the cracks for several days in the lead-up to the league’s official announcement. This year, we had the entire NFL Week 1 Schedule for 2025 several hours before the league’s big reveal.
The highlight of Week 1 may very well be the Chiefs vs. Chargers game in Brazil, the first of seven NFL International Games for the 2025 season. As usual, there are quite a few division games on the docket and we do get a couple of potential bangers in primetime on Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. And, hey, who knows, maybe Thursday Night Football will surprise us.
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NFL Week 1 Schedule 2025
Thursday Night Football (Sept. 4)
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-7, 46.5)
Friday Night Football in Brazil (Sept. 5)
Kansas City Chiefs (-3, 44.5) vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Sunday Games (Sept. 7)
1 p.m. ET window
New York Giants at Washington Commanders (-7.5, 45.5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5, 47.5) at Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5, 45.5)
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5, 45.5)
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (-3.5, 43.5)
Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5, 41.5) at New York Jets
Cincinnati Bengals (-4.5, 44.5) at Cleveland Browns
Arizona Cardinals (-3.5, 43.5) at New Orleans Saints
4 p.m. ET window
San Francisco 49ers (-1.5, 45.5) at Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos (-7.5, 43.5)
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (-1.5, 47.5)
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams (-3.5, 44.5)
Sunday Night Football
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills (-1.5, 51.5)
Monday Night Football (Sept. 8)
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (-1.5, 45.5)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook; see the most updated odds in our NFL Betting Splits
NFL Week 1 Schedule 2025 Nuggets
Here is a collection of some quick takeaways from the Week 1 schedule:
Cowboys at Eagles: This is the earliest head-to-head meeting since the teams played in Week 2 of the 2008 season. This is only the fourth September meeting between the two since 2002.
Chiefs vs. Chargers: This is the first of eight standalone games for the Chiefs, who have two Monday Night Football games, three Sunday Night Football games, and holiday games on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Giants at Commanders: This is one of two NFL Week 1 games between a playoff team and a last-place team from 2024 and the only one on Sunday. How excited are the networks and executives about Jayden Daniels? Eight of Washington’s remaining 16 games are in standalone windows.
Buccaneers at Falcons: Despite winning the NFC South, the Buccaneers lost both head-to-head meetings against the Falcons in 2024. Tampa Bay won six of seven games after their Week 10 bye last season and both losses to Atlanta were in the books by the end of Week 8.
Panthers at Jaguars: The two expansion teams from the 1995 season will play each other for just the ninth time in franchise history. The teams have played four seasons apart in each game except for the 1996 and 1999 games, so this is the first time they will play in back-to-back seasons, a byproduct of both teams finishing in third place last year.
Dolphins at Colts: This matchup in Week 1 is a real bummer for the Dolphins, who play road games in New England, New York (New Jersey), Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, along with Charlotte and an indoor game in Atlanta. Playing in a dome in Week 1 with the potential for a lot of cold-weather games could be problematic.
Raiders at Patriots: Unlike the Dolphins, the Raiders luck out with an early trip to Foxboro. They have road games at Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Washington, so they’re knocking out a potential cold-weather game right away.
Steelers at Jets: Last season’s opener against the Falcons marked the first time since 2020 that the Steelers played a non-division winner from the previous season in Week 1. The Jets have the worst prior season record for a Steelers NFL Week 1 opponent since the 2019 Giants, who went 4-12. A good start for Mike Tomlin as he looks to keep his “never had a losing season” streak intact.
Bengals at Browns: The Browns hired Kevin Stefanski prior to the 2020 season and the Bengals hired Zac Taylor prior to the 2019 season. Cleveland won the first five head-to-head meetings and six of the first seven after hiring Stefanski, but they’ve lost three straight in the head-to-head series and have been outscored 76-34 in those matchups.
Cardinals at Saints: Will it be Tyler Shough? Spencer Rattler? Jake Haener? No matter what, the Cardinals will be one of the five road favorites in Week 1 and the only one playing outside the division with long travel.
49ers at Seahawks: Teams go from worst to first very often in the NFL. Dating back to the 2002 division realignment, the only years in which a team hasn’t gone worst to first have been 2014, 2019, and 2024. In that span, it has not happened in the NFC West – the only division where it hasn’t happened. The 49ers will attempt to make history this season after finishing 6-11.
Titans at Broncos: No. 1 pick Cam Ward will begin his NFL career against arguably the best defense in the NFL. Backing the Broncos in Weeks 1 and 2 at home used to be an excellent betting angle, but they are 0-5-3 ATS per the KillerSports database in their last eight home games during those weeks. The theory would be that the elevation, which the Broncos are accustomed to, is a problem for visiting teams early in the season. Prior to the last eight games, the Broncos were 22-10-2 ATS in the first two weeks of the season at home dating back to 1989.
Lions at Packers: The Lions are on quite a run in this series with six wins in the last seven head-to-head games. This is the first Week 1 game between these teams since 2005.
Texans at Rams: One of two Week 1 games featuring division champions. This will be the first meeting since former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans took over as the head coach of the Texans. In five games against the Rams in that span, the 49ers were 4-1, holding the Rams to an average of 15.4 points per game.
Ravens at Bills (SNF): The other game featuring two division champs. It is also a playoff rematch right away, as the Bills beat the Ravens 27-25 in the Divisional Round on Lamar Jackson’s “failed” two-point conversion attempt. Mark Andrews dropped a wide-open pass to potentially send the game to OT, so Baltimore is out for revenge here.
Vikings at Bears (MNF): Surprisingly, despite a lot of excitement for the Bears and the market size in Chicago, this is one of just four standalone games for Caleb Williams & Co. This projects to be J.J. McCarthy’s first NFL start, as the Vikings get one of their potential bad-weather games out of the way early. The Vikings do still have roadies at Green Bay, Seattle, and the Giants late in the year.
