The NFL season kicks off with a wild Week 1 slate that even features a Wednesday night game, as well as a Thursday night game in Australia (where it’s technically a Friday morning game).
Wednesday will bring the NFL season opener in a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. It will be televised on NBC (8:20 p.m. ET) with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on the call (and it will be interesting to see how they address the relationship between Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL insider Dianna Russini).
That’s followed by the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night (8:35 p.m. ET) in Melbourne (10:35 a.m. local time). Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly will be in the booth — and NFL insider Tom Pelissero will make his debut as a Netflix sideline reporter — for what’s one of five Netflix games on the 2026 NFL schedule.
Sunday will have 13 games, featuring eight games in the early window (1 p.m. ET) and four games in the 4:25 p.m. ET window before Sunday Night Football between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, which will again have Tirico and Collinsworth on the NBC broadcast.
With CBS Sports placing Tony Romo on leave after his recent OWI arrest, J.J. Watt takes over as the color commentator alongside Jim Nantz. They will make their debut as a duo for the Week 1 contest between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings (4:25 p.m. ET).
And with Watt joining Nantz, color commentator Ross Tucker moves up to the No. 2 CBS booth and will work alongside Ian Eagle. They will call one of Week 1’s best matchups, with the Houston Texans hosting the Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET).
The lead Fox team of Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady will call an NFC East duel between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET).
Here’s a look at the television networks and announcers for the Week 1 NFL games (all times are Eastern):
Wednesday, September 9
New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks (8:20 p.m., NBC): Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (reporter), Kaylee Hartung (reporter)
Thursday, September 10
San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (8:35 p.m., Netflix): Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Luke Kuechly (analyst), Tom Pelissero (reporter), MJ Acosta-Ruiz (reporter)
Sunday, September 13
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts (1 p.m., CBS): Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Logan Ryan (analyst), AJ Ross (reporter)
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans (1 p.m., CBS): Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), Evan Washburn (reporter)
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m., CBS): Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Robert Turbin (analyst), Tiffany Blackmon (reporter)
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans (1 p.m., CBS): Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analyst), Aditi Kinkhabwala (reporter)
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m., Fox): Joe Davis (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst), Pam Oliver (reporter)
Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers (1 p.m., Fox): Adam Amin (play-by-play), Drew Brees (analyst), Kristina Pink (reporter)
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (1 p.m., Fox): Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Jonathan Vilma (analyst), Megan Olivi (reporter)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals (1 p.m., Fox): Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Daryl Johnston (analyst), Allison Williams (reporter)
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers (4:25 p.m., CBS): Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Trent Green (analyst), Melanie Collins (reporter)
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (4:25 p.m., CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play), J.J. Watt (analyst), Tracy Wolfson (reporter)
Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders (4:25 p.m., Fox): Chris Myers (play-by-play), Mark Schlereth (analyst), Jen Hale (reporter)
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 p.m., Fox): Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Tom Brady (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Tom Rinaldi (reporter)
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (8:20 p.m., NBC): Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (reporter)
Monday, September 14
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Lisa Salters (reporter); Alternate broadcast featuring Peyton Manning and Eli Manning on ESPN2
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at Awful Announcing and The Comeback.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@awfulannouncing.com.