The Philadelphia Eagles are set to commence their title defense at home on September 4, hosting the NFC East rival, Dallas Cowboys, in a unique intra-division matchup to herald the NFLโs regular season. The NFL announced this on Monday, marking the first of several announcements detailing the significant games, before unveiling the full schedule on Wednesday night.
Apart from being the center of attention on the opening day, the Eagles will also play against the Chicago Bears on November 28 in Prime Videoโs third annual Black Friday football event. Additionally, they will be a part of a Saturday doubleheader on Fox on December 20, facing off against the Washington Commanders, another NFC East rival.
Amazon disclosed more exciting news by announcing that the Kansas City Chiefs will battle the Denver Broncos, another AFC West rival, on Christmas night via Prime Video. This year, Christmas, which falls on a Thursday, will include an NFL tripleheader with the other two games being streamed on Netflix.
With these holiday games, it makes logical sense for the Eagles, Commanders, Bears, and Green Bay Packers to be considered for the Netflix matchups. This scheduling provides a practical recovery period compared to teams competing on that Sunday, December 21. Potential matchups like Eagles vs. Packers or Bears vs. Commanders are therefore likely, given that NFC East and NFC North teams are scheduled to face each other this season.
Foxโs other doubleheader game will feature a classic NFC North rivalry between the Packers and Bears in Chicago. This creates a potential showdown in viewer ratings with the College Football Playoff, scheduled for the same day with three first-round games being aired on TNT and ESPN, inevitably causing some overlap.
On Tuesday, the NFL is expected to reveal matchups for an unprecedented seven international games this season, along with a list of highly anticipated marquee games set to be broadcast on ESPN, CBS, and Netflix.
The Cowboys vs. Eagles game for the opening Thursday night will kick off NBCโs series of predominantly Sunday night matches. Furthermore, NBC has announced an exclusive Saturday night game for Week 17 on December 27 on its streaming platform, Peacock, with the specific teams to be announced later based on playoff race significance.
This encounter marks a significant event: itโs been 25 years since the Eagles and Cowboys clashed in Week 1. Dallas has often started the season against a different NFC East rival, the New York Giants, on eight occasions since then. This yearโs face-off will debut Brian Schottenheimer as the Cowboysโ new coach and witness the anticipated return of quarterback Dak Prescott, who sat out part of last season due to a hamstring injury. This injury contributed to Dallas ending the season at 7-10, marking their first playoff absence in three years. Notably, the Cowboys have a winning streak going, having won seven consecutive Thursday games, including their annual Thanksgiving encounters.
The NFL has traditionally kicked off the regular season with a Thursday night game since 2002, usually featuring the previous Super Bowl champion on their turf, although there have been exceptions. This yearโs selection of an intra-division game is only the fourth of its kind, the last being the Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears match in 2019. Though the Bears werenโt the defending champions then, the NFL chose it to spotlight the start of its 100th season due to its historical significance as the leagueโs most frequently played encounter.
The December 27 game marks the fourth time a game will be broadcasted solely on Peacock. In the past, Peacock has aired significant matches such as the Eaglesโ season opener against the Packers in Brazil, an AFC wild-card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, and a Week 16 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers in 2023. NBC affiliate stations will also carry the broadcast within the local markets of the teams involved.