Pre-season in the NFL is always kind of a weird thing. Teams are shaking off the summer rust—and starters tend to ride the bench, to keep them healthy for the season ahead. Games, meanwhile, don’t have any real consequence, so it’s harder for fans to get invested in them. But now, the scores start to count.
The 2025-2026 NFL season gets underway tonight in Philadelphia, where the defending Super Bowl champs will begin their quest to go back-to-back.
Like last year, this season will have a rolling start. There’s a single game tonight, with another (streaming exclusive) on Friday. Then, come Sunday, most of the rest of the league will take the field.
Here’s all you need to know about tonight’s season opener.
There’s no FOMO tonight, as the NFL is hosting just one game. As always, the home team is listed second.
The best way to watch any sort of network programming for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. To ensure you’re getting the most reliable signal, be sure to test the antenna in multiple locations in your home.
Of course!
This service is going away soon, but for now, you can sign up for $83 per month (with ads) or $95 per month without ads.
Dish Network’s Sling lower-tiered “Orange” plan will run you $46 per month. Adding the more comprehensive “Blue” plan bumps the cost to $61 per month. The seven-day free trial has disappeared, but you can buy a Day Pass, giving you 24-hours of Live TV for $5.
It does. You have three to choose from.
Watch live local and out of market games and (with the premium subscription) replays. You’re looking at a $50 charge per season. ($100 for premium.)
YouTube once again is the home for this channel. Prices this year start at $83 per month for Sunday Ticket and YouTubeTV or $480 for just Sunday Ticket, if you’re a returning user (spanning the entirety of out-of-market games this season). New users can get a standalone Sunday Ticket subscription for $276.
After changing how kickoffs occurred last year, the NFL is making a few more tweaks in 2025-2026. After a touchback, the ball will now be placed on the 35-yard line, instead of the 25-yard line.
Onside kick rules are being adjusted as well. Teams will still have to declare their intention, but they can now make them at any point in the game, instead of just in the fourth quarter.
Overtime will be a bit different. Both teams will get a chance to possess the ball, even if the first team scores. (This, previously, was only the case in the postseason.) Overtime periods, also, will be limited to 10 minutes.
