If the NFL schedule release on Thursday night was any indication of the league’s plans going forward, it seems apparent the NFL is going full steam ahead with games. Despite the dramatic affect the COVID-19 coronavirus has had on other athletic organizations around the world.
As of now, the 2020 NFL season is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, Sept. 10. As is customary, the reigning champions host the first game, which in this case will be Kansas City hosting the Houston Texans at 8:20 ET on NBC.
Tom Brady will make his debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 1 in New Orleans against the division-rival Saints. That will be a late-afternoon game on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Also per usual, there will be a Week 1 Monday Night double-header. This year that will start with the Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants at 7:15 ET, followed by the Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos set for a 10:10 ET kick. Both of those games will be on ESPN.
Top draft pick Joe Burrow will get a taste of NFL prime-time action in short order, as his Cincinnati Bengals will be showcased on Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. That game will be on NFL Network in Cleveland.
One early-season game on the NFL schedule that is sure to gain a lot of attention is the Monday night tilt between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens scheduled for Sept. 28 in Baltimore.
The annual Thanksgiving triple-header will begin with Houston at Detroit, followed by Washington at Dallas, and concluded by Baltimore at Pittsburgh.
In Week 16, there will be no Thursday night game — which falls on Christmas Eve — but there will be a Friday night game on Christmas night featuring the Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints. That game will be simulcast on Fox and NFL Network, as well as stream on Amazon.
Or course, all of this is subject to change as the the nation, an world, continue to fight the coronavirus with stay-at-home orders and bans of mass gatherings.
