10 Takeaways From The 2026 NFL Schedule Release

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Back in 2020, I could have told you 14 of the 17 games on the schedule for all 32 teams in 2026. That’s because the NFL uses a formula to build its regular season, with each team playing twice against its division and against one division from each conference on a rotating basis. The final three games are based on the previous year’s standings and cycle through the remaining two intra-conference divisions and another division from the opposing conference. We knew as soon as last year’s regular season ended that the Patriots would play the Seahawks in 2026. But we didn’t know until this week that the game would be the very first game of the season in a rematch of the Super Bowl, setting the tone for both teams going into the year. That’s why the NFL schedule release actually matters in terms of forecasting the upcoming season. The formula works hard to create the parity the NFL prizes, but other factors like short weeks, miles traveled, international games, prime time slots or a particularly frontloaded slate can tip the scales. The NFL keeps asking teams to stretch logistically, too, in order to satisfy the league’s greater business goals like global expansion or maximizing revenue from the TV networks. Now that we have the full 272-game season locked into dates, here are some notable takeaways to look out for. NFL Bullish On Mahomes For Week 1 The Chiefs have back-to-back prime time slots to open the season, first on Monday Night Football against the Broncos, then the following Sunday night against the Colts. That sure seems like a telling sign that the league thinks Patrick Mahomes , not Justin Fields , will be under center in time to start the season. Now, some caveats apply. The league office probably does not have some special insight into Mahomes’ ACL rehab. Injury timelines are subject to change, and while the Chiefs are optimistic, they don’t yet know for sure that Mahomes will be starting in Week 1. No one does. Having said that, these are billion-dollar decisions that the league scheduling department is making. They only have so many prime time slots available and they want to maximize those as much as possible. We’ve seen the league hedge bets in the past with when they schedule certain matchups to try and get ahead of the chaos of an unpredictable season. They could have done that here pretty easily. The fact that they didn’t suggests they’re pretty dang confident that it’s going to be Mahomes on the field to start the season. Harbaugh’s Giants Back In Prime Time The arrival of new Giants HC John Harbaugh has injected a ton of optimism into New York’s season outlook for the first time in a while. That will only ramp up with the summer ahead to build anticipation. The Giants have one of the league’s biggest media markets and most invested fanbases, so the league office didn’t need much of an excuse to put them front and center again. They have four prime time slots in 2026, including two back-to-back to open the season. The Giants launch the Sunday Night Football slate against the Cowboys in Week 1, then take on the Rams cross-country on Monday Night Football in Week 2. There’s a Thursday night home game against the Commanders in Week 10, then a return to MNF on the road against the Lions in Week 16. If it all goes well and the team is in playoff contention, a home matchup against the Eagles in Week 18 would also be a candidate to be flexed into a standalone window. We’ll see if the Giants’ personnel can support the optimism…