Some oddities, notable facts and trends from the NFL’s schedule release on Wednesday:
Prepare for the Jayden Daniels show
The Washington Commanders are must-see TV these days with NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels at the helm, one year after they finished 12-5 and made it an unlikely march to the NFC Championship Game.
After years of few spotlight games nationally, the Commanders are slated for eight standalone games in 2025, tying the Kansas City Chiefs for the most. Five of those games are in primetime. This included a Christmas Day matchup vs. the NFC East-rival Cowboys on Netflix. They also play their first international since 2016, facing the Dolphins in Madrid, Spain, in Nov. 16.
Browns open vs. Bengals, no primetime games
It has been a hard — and much talked-about — fall for the Cleveland Browns, who begin the season at home against the in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. The Browns will play all of their games this year in the daytime.
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy to make first start vs. Bears
Second-year QB J.J. McCarthy, who is expected to return from a meniscus tear to start for the Minnesota Vikings this season, will open the regular season with a Monday night road matchup against the NFC Central-rival Chicago Bears.
McCarthy was taken by the Vikings out of Michigan with the 10th pick of the 2024 draft. He sustained a right knee injury last August and missed the entire season.
Cowboys full of Thursday games
The Dallas Cowboys will play an NFL-high four games on Thursday night this season, including three of them over a five-week stretch. And the opponents for those games are no slouches: Week 13 — Kansas City Chiefs; Week 14 — Detroit Lions; Week 17 — Washington Commanders.
The Cowboys are coming off a season in which they went a disappointing 7-10.
Jets no longer primetime-worthy
Following a disappointing 5-12 season in 2024 and the departures of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams, among others, the New York Jets are headed toward relative anonymity once again.
With Rodgers at the helm, they were among the leaders in primetime or standalone games, but in 2025, they are scheduled for just two of them. Thirteen of their games are slated to be in the early (1 p.m. ET) Sunday slot.
That should allow the team to “move in silence,” which has been new head coach Aaron Glenn’s stated goal.
Ravens draw rough early-season sked
The Baltimore Ravens start the season where their 2024 season came to an end: Buffalo. They lost to the Bills in the divisional playoffs in January and now must face them again in the opener, also on the road.
But that’s not the Ravens’ only challenging early-season matchup. Baltimore faces five teams that made the playoffs last season in its first six games. After playing at Buffalo, the Ravens host the Lions in Week 3, play at Kansas City in Week 4, then host the Houston Texans in Week 5 and the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6.
Things get challenging for them again late in the season, when they face both the Bengals and Steelers twice from Weeks 13 to 18.
Eagles, Cowboys square off on TNF in Week 1
The reigning Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, will open the season on Thursday, Sept. 4, at home vs. the Cowboys, their bitter NFC East rivals.
Chargers, Chiefs play in Sao Paulo in Week 1
The Chargers will head to Brazil to play the Chiefs for a Friday night game on Sept. 5.
That kicks off a international schedule that includes seven regular-season games. After the Brazil matchup, these are the international games:
Sunday, Sept. 28: Vikings-Steelers in Dublin
Sunday, Oct. 5: Vikings-Browns in London
Sunday, Oct. 12: Broncos-Jets in London
Sunday, Oct. 19: Rams-Jaguars in London
Sunday, Nov. 9: Falcons-Colts in Berlin
Sunday, Nov. 16: Commanders-Dolphins in Madrid
–Field Level Media
