NFL Kickoff Game

NFL Kickoff Game logo used in 2016 (also used for all week 1 games)
First played2002
2025 season
September 4, 2025
Dallas Cowboys 20
Philadelphia Eagles 24
2026 season
September 9, 2026
New England Patriots 10
Seattle Seahawks 13

NFL Kickoff Game is the name given to the first game of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the season is usually scheduled for the Thursday following Labor Day in early September (with the date range being September 4–10). On two occasions, the game was scheduled for Wednesday: 2012, to avoid conflicts with the acceptance speech of the Democratic National Convention and the other in 2026 when the league scheduled an International Series game on Thursday.

The Kickoff Game was introduced for the 2002 season. From 2004 onward, the current Super Bowl champion has hosted the Kickoff Game with two exceptions—in 2013, the defending champion Baltimore Ravens opened on the road because of a conflict with a previously scheduled Orioles baseball game the same day, and in 2019, the defending champion New England Patriots did not play at all in the Kickoff Game as the league instead scheduled the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears for that game to celebrate its 100th season of operation. Since its inception, the home team has an overall record of 19–6, and defending Super Bowl champions hold a 18–4 record.

Broadcast rights to the Kickoff Game is typically included in the NFL's top primetime television package; as such, it is currently broadcast by NBC as part of the Sunday Night Football package.

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