Picture a living room on a Thursday night: chips on the table, remote buried in the couch cushions, and the familiar sound of NFL theme music rattling the speakers. That moment means one thing, football is back. Week 1 of the NFL season always feels like a reset button, and this year’s kickoff stretches across four days, spreading the action from Philadelphia to Brazil to Chicago.
Fans in the United States face a familiar headache, though: choosing how and where to watch. Between traditional networks, streaming apps, and new subscription bundles, the options can feel like a puzzle. Knowing the schedule and broadcast details before kickoff is the only way to avoid the scramble when the first whistle blows.
Week 1 Schedule Snapshot
The opening week starts heavy. Philadelphia and Dallas light up the Thursday night stage, a rivalry loaded with tension that rarely disappoints. The next night, Kansas City and Los Angeles take the league south to São Paulo, Brazil, in a rare Friday showcase streamed on YouTube. It’s a bold experiment, and many will tune in just to see how the crowd looks and sounds in a soccer stadium.
By Sunday afternoon, the slate turns chaotic in the best way. Games stacked across CBS and Fox bring noise to every region. From New York to New Orleans, from Atlanta to Seattle, the matchups spill across the map. The Ravens and Bills close Sunday in prime time, a battle of two fan bases that don’t believe in quiet.
And then comes Monday, with the Vikings visiting the Bears under the lights at Soldier Field. Chicago in September isn’t cold yet, but the breeze off Lake Michigan can make that stadium feel sharper than it looks on TV.
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | Network / Streaming |
| Thursday, Sept 4 | Eagles vs. Cowboys | 20:20 | NBC, Peacock, NFL+ |
| Friday, Sept 5 | Chiefs vs. Chargers (Brazil) | 20:00 | YouTube |
| Sunday Night Football | Ravens vs. Bills | 20:20 | NBC, Peacock, NFL+ |
| Monday Night Football | Vikings vs. Bears | 20:15 | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL+, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Unlimited |
How to Watch?
Viewers no longer flip through channels blindly. Now it’s about knowing which network or platform holds the rights on a given night. Traditional broadcasts remain the anchor, but streaming apps have cut into the territory.
Some fans swear by their cable boxes. Others canceled years ago and manage just fine with log-ins and subscriptions. For Week 1, both groups have ways to tune in.
A. Traditional TV Networks
NBC opens the season Thursday and carries Sunday Night Football, still one of the most-watched shows in the country. CBS and Fox divide the Sunday afternoon games by market, a system that often leads to frustration when a marquee matchup doesn’t reach certain homes.
ABC and ESPN handle Monday Night Football together, giving households the flexibility to stick with free network TV or flip to cable. Spanish-language coverage on ESPN Deportes continues to expand the reach. For all the talk about apps, a simple cable setup still gets a fan through most of Week 1.
B. Streaming Platforms
Streaming has become its own playbook. NFL+ carries mobile access to local games, along with audio feeds and full-game replays for later viewing. Peacock shows every NBC broadcast, useful for anyone who ditches cable but still wants the Sunday night spotlight.
Paramount+ takes CBS games digital, while Fox One mirrors Fox’s regional coverage. Amazon Prime Video remains home to Thursday Night Football, except for the opening week, which stays with NBC.
Two bundles stand out. Fubo Sports charges $55.99 per month and lines up ESPN, Fox Sports, NFL Network, and college football in one package. ESPN Unlimited folds ESPN, Hulu, and Disney+ together for $29.99, aimed at households already using those services. And then there’s YouTube.
Not only does it stream the Brazil matchup free, but it also hosts NFL Sunday Ticket, giving out-of-market fans a lifeline. Someone in Florida can still watch the Seahawks, someone in Oregon can still follow the Jets. No more scrambling for illegal streams or bar TVs.
Highlight: ESPN’s Monday Night Coverage
Monday night feels like an event again. ESPN kicks off early with a special NFL Live in the afternoon, rolling straight into Monday Night Countdown in the early evening. The buildup is deliberate, stretching the anticipation and stacking analysis until kickoff.
Once the game ends, the lights don’t shut off. SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt runs live from Chicago, followed the next morning by Get Up, First Take, and The Pat McAfee Show hammering the results. The approach is clear: keep the conversation alive for nearly 24 hours. For fans who can’t get enough, it’s overload in the best way.
Final Whistle: The Viewing Game
Week 1 is about more than who wins on the field. It’s about how fans choose to watch. Some will stay loyal to cable, clicking over to NBC and CBS as always. Others will lean into apps, juggling subscriptions for flexibility. The truth is, both paths work. The trick is knowing in advance. A forgotten password or missing channel can ruin a Sunday faster than a blown coverage.
The Brazil game streaming free on YouTube shows how far the league is pushing its reach. At the same time, ESPN’s packed Monday lineup reminds viewers that tradition still matters. For fans in the United States, the safest bet is planning ahead: figure out which matchups fall under which package, test those log-ins, and make sure the TV is ready before kickoff.
The opening week should feel like football itself, fast, messy, loud, and complete without anyone panicking about where the game is hiding.
