The highly anticipated 2025 NFL schedule has been released and on paper doesn’t leave fans wanting. It’s packed with thrilling matchups and interesting storylines that will be fantastic to watch. From a blockbuster season opener to historic matchups between rivals, let’s take a look at the 5 major takeaways from the upcoming NFL schedule.
1. A Rivalry-Fueled Season Opener Sets the Tone
The 2025 NFL Season will start off with 2 historic rivals going head to head in primetime. The Philadelphia Eagles host their longtime rival Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, September 4, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. It will be an exciting matchup to watch, as Dallas has recently tried to revamp their coaching staff and roster. For the Eagles, it will be their first test as the reigning Super Bowl Champions to see if they can pick up where they left off when they hoisted the Lombardi.
2. The NFL Continues To Push International Games
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In 2025, the NFL is continuing to expand internationally, with 7 total games being played outside of the US. Many matchups will be exciting and thrilling to watch such as the first NFL game being played in Dublin, Ireland. However, the biggest story is the Friday September 5th game being played in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The reason for this is that the game will be completely free, as it will be available via YouTube, as well as YouTube TV. This will have the highest ratings by far of any game of the NFL Season and will help push international games forward for the NFL.
3. Primetime Will Be Dominated By Some Of The Best Teams In The NFL
This year, more than others, will be dominated by some of the best teams the NFL has to offer. The Chiefs lead with a whopping 7 primetime games as the Cowboys follow with 6. The Commanders, Lions, Eagles and Bills among others have 5 primetime games in the upcoming 2025 NFL Season. The majority of teams in primetime this upcoming year were in the playoffs or narrowly missed them last year. The major exception to this is the Cowboys, who the NFL believes are better than last years record. This was mostly due to injuries to key players and bad defensive coaching from the former Defensive Coordinator.
4. Three Teams Will Have No Primetime Games This Upcoming NFL Season
The upcoming NFL Season has only the top teams for the most part in primetime. Due to this, some teams that had a rough year last season such as the Jets and Cardinals only have 2 total primetime games. This extends to three of the worst teams in the NFL last season, as the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans have no primetime games. These teams will have the opportunity if they play well to be flexed into a spot later on in the year.
The Titans are the team out of these three that are odd. They had the #1 Overall Pick in the Draft and drafted Cam Ward as their Quarterback. This would normally give them at least one primetime game as it has for #1 overall picked Quarterbacks prior to him. Regardless, all three teams have an opportunity to play themselves into the spotlight later on in the year.
5. The New York Giants Have A Uphill Battle From Day 1
The New York Giants finished 3-14 last season, and were a overall bad team. The schedule despite this was not kind to them. They have one of the hardest on paper schedules in the league, as tension continues to build around the reigning coaching staff and front office in New York. Time will tell if they survive the upcoming season, but it will be a rough road to start. With games against Dallas, Washington, and the Kansas City Chiefs, it will take a lot for them to stick around this season.
