NFL schedule leaks 2026: Every game we know ahead of official Thursday release

The NHL and NBA playoffs are raging as hockey and basketball crash toward a world champion. The WNBA season has just begun. College baseball is reaching its postseason point and Major League Baseball is in full swing (baseball term).

The NFL does not care. It wants your attention. That's why its 2026 schedule release — an unveiling of 272 regular season games that easily could have been an email — is a weeklong ordeal ranging from well-placed leaks to a full primetime show Thursday night. Even though we already knew who every team's opponent this fall will be (a feature of the league's annual scheduling mechanism), the league assumes the "when" of it is enough to consume our attention even when the actual games are at least four months away.

Well, here's a rundown of all the games we know so far. Maybe the NFL is right.

Week 1:

Wednesday night: New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Thursday night: San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
Related Articles
- Patriots to face Seahawks in SBLX rematch in Week 1 of 2026 season
  15.05.2026
- Why the Week 1 Patriots vs Seahawks Could Be Better Than Super Bowl LX
  15.05.2026
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday night: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Monday night: Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 2:

Thursday night: Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills
Green Bay Packers at New York Jets
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
Monday night: New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams

Week 3:

Oct 20, 2024; London, United Kingdom; New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) reacts in the first half during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

Thursday night: Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans at New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks at Washington Commanders
Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sunday night: Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos
Monday night: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears

Week 4:

Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders in London, England
New York Jets at Chicago Bears
Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants
Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday Night: Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers

Week 5:

Thursday night: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars in London, England
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets
Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins
New York Giants at Washington Commanders
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Monday night: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams

Week 6:

Thursday night: Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars in London, England
New Orleans Saints at New York Giants
Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders
Monday night: Washington Commanders at San Francisco 49ers

Week 7:

Thursday night: New England Patriots at Chicago Bears
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints in Paris, France
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
Los Angeles Rams at Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday night: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks
Monday night: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 8

Thursday night: Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals
New York Giants at Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Sunday night: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders
Monday night: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks

Week 9:

Dec 17, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops back to pass against the Washington Commanders during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain
Los Angeles Rams at Washington Commanders
Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots
Sunday night: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears
Monday night: Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings

Week 10:

Thursday night: Washington Commanders at New York Giants
New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany
Seattle Seahawks at Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday night: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 11:

Thursday night: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants
Sunday night: Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City, Mexico
Monday night: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Commanders