The National Football League’s 2026 season has arrived. It begins with a Super Bowl rematch Wednesday between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on TSN.
You can watch the Patriots battle the Seahawks LIVE on TSN, also streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App. Click here for a full NFL broadcast schedule.
Opening week in the NFL continues with a heated NFC West rivalry playing out its next chapter overseas, as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams from Melbourne, Australia.
On the Sunday slate, there’s a chance to see some new head coaches around the league, some top rookies make their NFL debuts and some old rivalries renewed once again before the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
Patriots look for revenge after Super Bowl defeat against Seahawks
The Patriots were throttled 29-13 by the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX in February in a game that was never as close as the score suggested.
The dominant Seahawks defence forced three turnovers - including an interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter by Uchenna Nwosu that all but sealed the game. Seattle also sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times and held New England to just 78 yards of offence through the first three quarters.
Now, after a busy offseason, the two sides will open the 2026 season with a rematch in Seattle.
New England comes into this game with a revamped offence headlined by star wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on June 1, and high expectations for promising offensive lineman Will Campbell and running back TreVeyon Henderson in their sophomore years.
The Patriots dealt with a significant controversy throughout the offseason as well, with news that head coach Mike Vrabel engaged in a romantic relationship with prominent NFL reporter Diana Russini. The story served as a significant distraction for the team in the lead up to the draft in May.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, enter this game with a completely revamped running backs room - Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker departed for the Chiefs in free agency, while last year’s No. 2 Zach Charbonnet is still recovering from knee surgery and is expected to begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
The top options available include former Notre Dame rookie Jadarian Price and third-year back George Holani.
Star-studded Rams open season against 49ers in Australia
The Rams enter the season as one of the Super Bowl favourites after falling just short against the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game a year ago.
With MVP quarterback Matt Stafford leading an offence that includes star wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and a revamped defensive line headlined by Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, the sky is the limit for Sean McVay’s squad.
They will take part in the NFL’s first foray into Oceania with a stop in Australia against the long-time rival 49ers.
San Francisco is coming off a season in which the team dealt with significant injuries throughout, with QB Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, edge rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner all missing extended periods of time.
Despite the injury woes, the 49ers finished 12-5 and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round before they were manhandled 41-6 by the Seahawks in the Divisional round.
Purdy gets a chance to bounce back from that dreadful performance in which he completed 56 per cent of his passes for 140 yards in this matchup against the Rams.
NFL RedZone returns on TSN Premium on Sunday
You can keep up to date with every game on the NFL slate with NFL RedZone, which returns on the opening Sunday of the NFL schedule on TSN Premium.
RedZone coverage begins at 12:55p.m. ET / 9:55p.m. PT every Sunday and showcases every score, turnover, and big play from every game on the schedule. Click here for more information about subscribing to TSN Premium, where you can catch NFL RedZone as well as select NFL broadcasts not available on linear each week.
Some storylines to watch in the early slate on Sunday include the Buffalo Bills opening their season on the road against the Houston Texans in a battle of playoff teams from a year ago, the upstart Chicago Bears taking on the Carolina Panthers, who were a surprising playoff performer this past season, and the Atlanta Falcons taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a showdown of teams under new head coaches - Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta and Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh.
Later in the afternoon slot, two classic NFC rivalries return with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles battling the Washington Commanders.
Cowboys, Giants meet in NFC East Showdown on Sunday Night Football on TSN
On Sunday night, in a game that will be broadcast across the TSN Network, the Dallas Cowboys take on Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants in John Harbaugh’s first game behind the bench in New York.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott returned to form last season with a 4,552 yard, 30 touchdown season after playing in just eight games the year prior, leading one of the league’s top passing attacks that boasts star receiver duo CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens out wide.
Despite his efforts, Dallas missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year with a 7-9-1 record, thanks in part to a porous defence that gave up 30.1 points per game, the worst mark in the NFL.
Over the offseason, the Cowboys added Rashan Gary and Jalen Thompson in free agency, and spent a first-round pick on Ohio State standout Caleb Downs in the draft in an attempt to revamp their defence for the 2026 season. They also hired Christian Parker from the Philadelphia Eagles as their new defensive coordinator after parting ways with Matt Eberflus.
New York had their fair share of coaching changes this offseason as well, with Harbaugh bringing in Matt Nagy and Dennard Wilson as his coordinators as the Giants look to take the next step in their rebuild.
Second-year running back Cam Skattebo should be all systems go for New York after he had his promising rookie campaign cut short by a severe ankle injury and broken fibula.
The former Arizona State Sun Devil posted 410 rushing yards and six total touchdowns on 101 carries in eight games played last year, and should be among New York’s top options on what could be an explosive offence in 2026.
Malik Nabers’ status remains up in the air for Week 1 after an ACL injury ended his sophomore season, but his hopes for getting back on the field for the season opener were boosted after the team cut veteran pass catcher Darius Slayton on Monday.
The Giants also brought in tight end Isiah Likely on a three-year deal in free agency, who reunites with Harbaugh following their time together with the Baltimore Ravens.
Likely had a strong camp and preseason, and is in line to see a career high in targets acting as Dart’s security blanket in the middle of the field.
Chiefs battle Broncos in high-stakes clash on Monday Night Football on TSN
In the first Monday Night Football game of the season, AFC West rivals clash as the Chiefs take on the Broncos.
The Chiefs are expected to have superstar QB Patrick Mahomes under centre for the season opener. The two-time MVP underwent surgery on his torn ACL in December of last season, but all reports indicate he is on track to be ready for the season opener in Kansas City.
Another intriguing storyline for the Chiefs will be the role of Walker, who starred for the Seahawks in the playoffs last year and has a chance to revitalize the rushing attack in Kansas City that ranked 25th in yardage in 2025.
The Broncos will look to build on an AFC West division title and a trip to the AFC Championship game a season ago. The Broncos lost to the Patriots 10-7 in that game with starting QB Bo Nix out of the lineup with a fractured ankle.
