The 2025 NFL schedule was released Wednesday night.
Will quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles repeat as Super Bowl champions — and even become the first team in two decades to repeat as NFC East champs?
They will kick off the NFL season Thursday, Sept. 4, when they host the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys. ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” opener is Sept. 8 and will feature the Minnesota Vikings at the Chicago Bears.
Based on strength of schedule — which is determined by opponents’ records in 2024 — the New York Giants have the toughest schedule of the 2025 season and the San Francisco 49ers have the easiest.
The final regular-season games for the 2025 season will be played Jan. 4, 2025. The playoffs begin Jan. 10 and continue through Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Here is a bold prediction for every team following the schedule release. Click on the links to see the full schedule and more analysis from NFL Nation.
Jump to:
NFC EAST | NFC NORTH | NFC SOUTH | NFC WEST
AFC EAST | AFC NORTH | AFC SOUTH | AFC WEST
NFC EAST
The Cowboys will end Kyler Murray’s dominance at AT&T Stadium. The Cardinals’ quarterback has not lost in Arlington, Texas, sporting an 8-0 record as a starting quarterback. Just two of those games have come in the NFL. He won five games while at Allen (Texas) High School, won a Big 12 championship game for Oklahoma and is 2-0 as the Cardinals’ starter. Only Dak Prescott and Tony Romo have more wins at AT&T Stadium. Read more from Todd Archer
The Giants will steal a win on the road in the first two weeks against a division rival. For most teams, that might not seem like much. But New York went 0-6 in the division last year and needs to get off to a strong start. The Giants have won their season opener just twice in the past 13 years, with their only two playoff seasons coming in years when they won in Week 1. Read more from Jordan Raanan
The Eagles will have to fight out of a small hole at the beginning of the season. The Cowboys, Chiefs and Rams all have something to prove, with two of them in Kansas City and Los Angeles losing to the Eagles last postseason. Philadelphia will be adjusting to a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo following the departure of Kellen Moore this offseason, while the defense will be breaking in several new starters. That could equal a loss or two early on. Read more from Tim McManus
Washington will win three of its last four games to clinch a playoff spot. It will mark the first time since the 1991-92 seasons that the organization has made the playoffs in consecutive years. The Commanders will beat the Giants and Cowboys and split with the Eagles to follow up a 12-win first season under coach Dan Quinn. These wins will help Washington win double digit games in back-to-back years for the first time since 1989-91. Read more from John Keim
NFC NORTH
Caleb Williams becomes Chicago’s first 4,000-yard passer by crossing the threshold against Green Bay in Week 16, two games fewer than it took Jared Goff in his first season with Ben Johnson calling plays. The Bears closed the 2024 season by snapping a 10-game losing streak with a win at Lambeau Field and will sweep the Packers for the first time since 2007. Read more from Courtney Cronin
The Lions will beat the defending champion Eagles on the road in Week 11. Prior to a plethora of key injuries, notably on defense, Detroit was arguably the most talented roster in the league. If they’re able to stay somewhat healthy, the Lions can compete — and beat — any team in the league including Philadelphia. After facing some tough opponents early on, Detroit will rise to the challenge against the Eagles. Read more from Eric Woodyard
The Packers will end up with more than the four prime-time games they currently have on the schedule. Flexible scheduling will move them into at least one more showcase game. The Week 16 game against the Bears could either be on that Saturday afternoon or Saturday night. And it’s possible either or both of the final two games, against the Ravens and at the Vikings, could become a night game. Read more from Rob Demovsky
The Vikings will enter Week 17 needing to win their final two games in order to make the playoffs. That’s not because of the high-profile start to their season, but instead a five-game stretch that will include four road games between Weeks 12 and 16. Their only home game during that period is against the Commanders, and three of the road games — at Green Bay, Seattle and New York — are outdoors. Read more from Kevin Seifert
NFC SOUTH
The Falcons will sweep their most hated rivals, the Saints, for the first time since their Super Bowl season in 2016. Atlanta’s 2024 season went off track in Week 10, a brutal 20-17 loss in New Orleans that featured three field goals missed by Younghoe Koo. The Falcons could be better this season on both sides of the ball, while the Saints’ quarterback situation is in flux. Read more from Marc Raimondi
The Panthers will defeat Tampa Bay in Weeks 16 and 18 to win the NFC South with an 8-9 record. OK, so the string of losing seasons would not end at seven. But eight wins would be one more than any season since 2017 and look great compared to Carolina’s 5.1 average the past seven years. Read more from David Newton
The Saints will figure out how to get off on a good note, similar to last year, and extend their NFL-best home-opening win streak to seven games. But the positive momentum won’t last long, as a Week 2 game against the 49ers, who are also looking to bounce back from a difficult season, and lengthy road trips will stall their momentum. The first month won’t be easy for the Saints with a new head coach, an aging defense and no veteran quarterback to fall back on. Read more from Katherine Terrell
The Bucs will have the best home record in the division. The Bucs went 5-4 last season at home, tied with the Rams for the worst home record among playoff teams. The year before in 2023, they went 4-4 at home, also the worst home record among playoff teams. But only one of their home opponents this year actually reached the playoffs last year and finished with a winning record: the Eagles, who went 14-3 last season, with one of their defeats coming against Bucs in Tampa in Week 4. Read more from Jenna Laine
NFC WEST
The Cardinals will start the season 4-2, if not 5-1, and take early control of their playoff destiny. The new-look defense will click early and live up to the hype created by a deep draft and busy free agency. Read more from Josh Weinfuss
The Rams will win at least seven of their last 10 games after the bye to end the season. Los Angeles has gone on a run to make the playoffs each of the past two seasons with a similar stretch, although both were necessary given their 3-6 (2023) and 1-4 (2024) starts to the season. The schedule sets up for a strong end to the season in 2025, especially with few potential cold weather games. Read more from Sarah Barshop
The 49ers open the season 4-0. There has been a lot of change in San Francisco over the offseason, but if the Niners can beat the Seahawks on the road in Week 1, they could jump into early playoff conversations. Having a full offseason of rest seems to have energized some of the team’s older stars and many of them have been around for the offseason program. They’re also more likely to be healthy early in the year, which should lend itself to a hot start even as some of their younger players are getting their feet wet. Read more from Nick Wagoner
The Seahawks will go 4-1 during their tough November stretch. Three of those games are on the road, with two requiring cross-country flights, and three are against 2024 playoff teams. Winning four out of five would be an impressive feat, but consider that the stretch begins right after Seattle’s bye. Coach Mike Macdonald drew praise within Seahawks headquarters last year for the way he attacked the bye week, leading a turnaround that saw Seattle win four straight after the break. Read more from Brady Henderson
AFC EAST
The Bills will be undefeated entering the bye week. The opening game against the Ravens certainly will be a difficult one, but four of the first six being home games could go a long way. Three early games against the AFC East (Jets, Dolphins and Patriots) is earlier than usual, but the Bills are 24-6 against the division since 2020. Read more from Alaina Getzenberg
The Dolphins will finish with a winning record on the road for the first time since 2020. Under Mike McDaniel, Miami owns a 10-16 road record — but look at its opponents away from South Florida this season. Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Cleveland and Carolina are winnable games, as are at least two of the Dolphins’ division games on the road. This is the year McDaniel’s team turns things around away from home. Read more from Marcel Louis-Jacques
The Patriots are still in playoff contention coming out of the early-December bye. This assumes a clean bill of health for quarterback Drake Maye, but the overall schedule appears to be more forgiving than last year’s slate. Read more from Mike Reiss
The Jets will close the season with a flurry and win five out of their last six games, falling short of the playoffs but sparking hope for 2026. Only one of their final six opponents posted a winning record in 2024 (Bills). The Jets face 2023 MVP Lamar Jackson in Week 12 and 2024 MVP Josh Allen in Week 18. Between them, they play mostly teams in the same boat as they are — teams with new coaches and/or relatively inexperienced quarterbacks. Read more from Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
The Ravens win three road games in three weeks for the first time in team history, sweeping their games at Miami (Week 9), Minnesota (Week 10) and Cleveland (Week 11). The Ravens have never been able to pull off the trifecta in their seven previous instances of three straight away games. And fun fact: Minnesota is one of the two places where Harbaugh has yet to win (Las Vegas is the other). The good news for Baltimore is Lamar Jackson’s 34-13 road record (.723) is second to only Patrick Mahomes (44-12) since he entered the league in 2018. Read more from Jamison Hensley
Cincinnati will win two out of three games in the “Killer B’s” portion of the schedule. The Bengals have historically matched up well against quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills. Having a few extra days of rest and then a home matchup against Baltimore should give the Bengals the edge to win at least two games in the three-game stint that features two Ravens contests and a road game in Buffalo. Read more from Ben Baby
The Browns will lose their first four road games before the bye week. It’s a tough slate featuring the Ravens, Lions, Steelers and a Patriots team that added a bevy of talent this offseason. Coming out of the bye with a matchup against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, Cleveland should be well-rested and on position to start its second-half schedule on a strong note. Read more from Daniel Oyefusi
The Steelers will win their first international regular-season game. The Steelers haven’t played an international game since facing the Vikings in London in 2013, a game they lost 34-27. The Vikings are rolling with J.J. McCarthy, who though a 2024 first-round pick, is primed to be a first-year starter after recovering from a season-ending knee injury. The Steelers’ defense is notoriously lethal against rookie quarterbacks, and catching the Vikings early in the season could help them continue their reign of terror on young signal callers. Read more from Brooke Pryor
AFC SOUTH
The Texans will be fighting to clinch the division in Week 18. Each team in the AFC South has added talent, while the Texans have a first-place schedule. So, it’s not guaranteed the Texans will run away with the division like they did in 2024. There’s a decent chance their divisional competition improves enough to push the Texans to the brink. Read more from DJ Bien-Aime
Look for the Colts to come out of September with a 3-1 record. That would be a huge shift for a team that too often has complicated its late-season landscape with poor starts. Indianapolis has not managed to register a winning record through four games since 2020, which is also the last time it made the postseason. Read more from Stephen Holder
The Jaguars will head into their Chiefs matchup 4-0. After beating the Panthers in the season opener, they go on the road to upset a Bengals team has struggled at the start of the last two seasons (2-5 record in September games). The home matchup against Houston will be the first time the teams have played since linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair ended Trevor Lawrence’s 2024 season with a questionable hit and the Jaguars should be ready to roll in a revenge game. They will then go out to San Francisco and upset the 49ers, who let 17 free agents (including key starters) walk this offseason. Read more from Michael DiRocco
The Titans will win both of their back-to-back trips to the West Coast in October. The first win will come in a clash of No.1 picks when Cam Ward leads the Titans over Kyler Murray’s Cardinals. The second one will be over the Raiders in Las Vegas. That will put the Titans at 3-3 heading into their match up with New England in Week 7. Read more from Turron Davenport
AFC WEST
The Broncos defense will force at least three turnovers in the season opener. Tennessee is expected to start rookie quarterback Cam Ward, who was selected with the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, and his first regular-season start will be a rocky one. He’ll debut against a Denver defense which sports the league’s reigning defensive player of the year in Pat Surtain II, led the NFL in sacks in 2024 and made additions in free agency and early in the draft. Read more from Jeff Legwold
The Broncos will sweep the two-game season series from the Chiefs for the first time since 2014. Denver has been all the Chiefs could handle in the four games between the teams since Sean Payton was hired as Broncos coach. The Chiefs managed a two-game split by blocking a field goal on the last play of their Week 10 game in Kansas City. Denver broke a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs in 2023 and routed the Chiefs 38-0 in Week 18 last season, albeit against an opponent that rested Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and other starters for the playoffs. Read more from Adam Teicher
Coach Pete Carroll has talked about getting the ball rolling early, and that’s what his team will do. The Raiders will go into the bye week with a 4-3 record. Las Vegas might have problems taking down the Chargers and Commanders in back-to-back weeks. But it wouldn’t be surprising the Raiders win three in a row before facing the Chiefs at Arrowhead in Week 7. Read more from Ryan McFadden
The Chargers won’t win double-digit games. Of the Chargers’ 11 wins last season, just three came over teams with a winning record, with two wins over the Broncos and one over Cincinnati. L.A. benefited mightily from the NFL’s fifth-easiest schedule in 2024 and beat up on some of the league’s worst teams in Harbaugh’s first season. With a much harder schedule and the Chargers roster not much improved from last season, it will be an uphill battle for this team to hit double-digit wins in 2025. Read more from Kris Rhim
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