2025 NFL Schedule Release | Opening Week, International Series & Thanksgiving Day Games

There may be no football to watch on our screens right now, but optimism season is in full flow, and we can now start plotting our team's trip to glory, because… the schedule release is here. 18 weeks of footballing goodness have now been unveiled, officially starting the long countdown to kickoff. In this article, we are going to break down the biggest games, rivalry clashes, International series, and Thanksgiving slate. These are the best games from the NFL 2025 schedule release.

2025 NFL Game Week 1

Opening Week Highlights from the 2025 NFL Schedule Release

As the years go by, it seems the NFL gets better and better at producing a gripping product for us fans, and 2025 is no different. After months of patiently waiting for the action on the gridiron to commence, fans will be treated to a simply superb opening slate for the 2025 season.

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will be opening things up, as is often the case, visiting a familiar foe, the Dallas Cowboys. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and that vicious defense will be looking forward to this one, having demolished their division rivals by 28 points and 34 points in 2024. This looks like a nice spot for them to open up, but you never can be complacent in these divisional clashes, and Dallas will be feisty with Dak Prescott back healthy and George Pickens filling the wide receiver two slot.

One day later, the Kansas City Chiefs will be travelling to LA to clash with their division rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers. LA overachieved last year, and with an exciting cohort of offensive rookies now in the building, fans will be hoping this is the year they can finally topple the Chiefs in the division. It will be interesting to see how Kansas City looks after their humbling in the Super Bowl back in February.

Across the rest of the NFL, divisional clashes between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, and the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are huge tone-setters for the season, before we finish up with a sumptuous clash between Baltimore and Buffalo. Is this going to be a preview of the AFC Championship game, headlined by the top two in MVP voting in 2024?

Finally, we have to send our commiserations to first overall pick Cam Ward, who makes his debut against probably the scariest-looking defense in the NFL. Denver gave up the third fewest points in 2024, and have only gotten stronger through their various additions. Led by Defensive Player of the Year, Pat Surtain II, you couldn’t ask for a much tougher introduction for Mr Ward.

Best Games From the 2025 NFL Schedule Release

We don't have to wait long for arguably the biggest clash of the 2025 season, with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, in a Super Bowl rematch. Can Mahomes and company get revenge, and can their offensive line hold up this time around? This one should be box office for sure.

Elsewhere in Week 2, we get the eagerly anticipated return of Ben Johnson to Detroit, now as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. There has never been more excitement, and therefore pressure, on these Bears, and this will be an early look at how much progress sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams has made under the mentorship of offensive genius Ben Johnson. It will also be an interesting look at how Detroit are getting on after the brain drain that came from losing both of their coordinators.

Monday Night Football in Week 3 could well be a Super Bowl preview between the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, but if you’re looking for teams less far along in their development, the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Houston Texans could be an interesting watch. Everything looked difficult for CJ Stroud last season, and everything has looked difficult in Jacksonville for years, but they are led by two exciting young quarterbacks, and this will be an important early game in the division. Liam Coen has a lot on his plate as the Jags’ head coach, and this is a huge clash for him.

A standout game in Week 6 is the Tennessee Titans visiting the Las Vegas Raiders. While these two teams are unlikely to be battling it out for the Super Bowl, this will be a fun rookie watch game. Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty are the frontrunners for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, according to the bookies, so it will be fun to watch them go head-to-head this early in the season.

Detroit visiting Kansas City will also be a fun Week 6 clash, but there will also be plenty of eyes on Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders, treating us to the second installment of the Caleb Williams vs Jayden Daniels story. The number one and two picks from the 2024 NFL Draft couldn't have had more different rookie seasons, and Daniels’ Hail Mary to win in the fixture last year sent the Bears on their downward spiral. Williams will be out for revenge, no doubt.

The Carolina Panthers and New York Jets certainly aren't the most exciting of teams, but checking in with them in Week 7 will be interesting. Panthers fans will be hoping the Bryce Young resurgence has gone up another level with rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan on the roster, and Jets fans will be hoping to see a similar kind of revival in their new quarterback, Justin Fields. The range of outcomes for both these teams is vast, and both fan bases will be desperate for their seasons to still be alive by this Week 7 affair.

Later on in the season, we are looking for any 2025 schedule release rivalry games, and there are certainly some intriguing ones to add to the diary. In Week 17, we have the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Vikings, who were the two top teams in the NFC North in 2024, and in the AFC West, we have the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, who could very well be battling it out for the title. The Baltimore Ravens will then finish up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where they could be playing against Aaron Rodgers for the AFC North title, whilst the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders treat fans to a blockbuster regular season finale in the NFC East.

There are plenty of good games to get excited about from the 2025 NFL Schedule Release. When the season comes around, make sure to keep an eye on the Livesportsontv.com and the NFL TV-Guide which will have up-to-date schedules, game times, and broadcast information, so you know how to catch every single game.

2025 NFL Season Bye Weeks

The NFL Schedule Release is your first opportunity to find out when your team will be getting their all-important rest week. The bye weeks for the 2025 season begin in Week 5, with the Steelers, Bears, Packers, and Falcons the first to put their feet up. This might appear to be a negative, with so many weeks to survive until the regular season finale in Week 18, but the Philadelphia Eagles had a Week 5 bye in 2024, kickstarting their run to the Super Bowl.

The bye weeks end in Week 14 with the Giants, Patriots, Panthers, and 49ers. In Week 13, there are no byes, as this is Thanksgiving week, and the week with most teams on bye is Week 8, with the Jaguars, Raiders, Lions, Cardinals, Seahawks, and Rams all resting.

The 2025 NFL International Series

The International series is bigger and better than ever in 2025, with games taking place in England, Spain, Germany, Ireland, and Brazil. The game is growing faster and faster every year, with some very impressive rosters set to battle it out on international shores:

• September 5, 2025: Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Chargers | Arena Corinthians
• September 28, 2025: Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers | Croke Park
• October 5, 2025: Minnesota Vikings @ Cleveland Browns | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• October 12, 2025: Denver Broncos @ New York Jets | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• October 19, 2025: Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville Jaguars | Wembley Stadium
• November 9, 2025: Atlanta Falcons @ Indianapolis Colts | Olympiastadion Berlin
• November 16, 2025: Washington Commanders @ Miami Dolphins | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

Thanksgiving Day Games

The 2025 NFL Schedule Release has revealed a mouthwatering set of Thanksgiving Day games, with two bitter rivalries and a clash between two of America’s biggest teams. Which one are you most looking forward to?

• November 27, 2025: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions | 1:00pm ET | Ford Field
• November 27, 2025: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys | 4:30pm ET |  AT&T Stadium
• November 27, 2025: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens | 8:20pm ET |  M&T Bank Stadium

Christmas Games

This year’s Christmas celebrations will be joined by plenty of footballing action, with three games now taking place. Between the presents, endless food, and now endless football, this year’s Christmas looks set to be better than ever before.

• December 25, 2025: Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Commanders | 1:00pm ET | Northwest Stadium
• December 25, 2025: Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings | 4:30pm ET | U.S. Bank Stadium
• December 25, 2025: Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs | 8:15pm ET | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Written by: Venuse, Inc. (Sports Content Creator)

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