2026 NFL Schedule Release: What Are The Top 10 Games For The Upcoming Season?

The release of the NFL regular-season schedule can be exciting, but also a bit overwhelming. We finally found out when all 272 regular-season games in the 2026 NFL season will be played on Thursday night, causing us all to scroll around to find out when the biggest games will be played. But you can now take a deep breath, as we’re able to pinpoint the 10 best games set to be played in the regular season. This year’s 272-game slate should be a thrilling one, too. We’ve got a Super Bowl rematch to open the season, and plenty of matchups featuring fierce division rivals who should be contenders this season, including one on Christmas Day. So, as you can take your time scrolling through your favorite team’s schedule and optimistically check off wins, let’s take a closer look at the top 10 games to watch for the upcoming season. A big AFC West tilt between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers offers a good opportunity to see how new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel creates a scheme that gets the most out of talented quarterback Justin Herbert. The Bolts face the Seattle Seahawks the previous week on the road, so hopefully they make it through that game unscathed and ready to host Denver. For the Broncos, it’s a tough early-season test to see whether quarterback Bo Nix is fully healthy after finishing the season with a fractured ankle. The defending AFC West champs, it’s another chance to show they are still kings of the division. The Detroit Lions look to rebound from a disappointing season after missing the playoffs last year. They have an easier schedule this season and face a New England Patriots squad that has a much more difficult schedule after reaching the Super Bowl in Mike Vrabel’s first year leading that team. The Patriots play in Germany for the second time in franchise history, while it’s the first time the Lions will play there. This game also pits two potential MVP candidates against each other in Drake Maye and Jared Goff. Kenneth Walker III said he knew the entire season last year that he would not return to Seattle in 2026. The Memphis native and Super Bowl MVP gets an opportunity to face his old team at Lumen Field on the road in Seattle. Walker should be adjusted to the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense by this point in the year and comfortably leading the running game. For Seattle, it’s an opportunity to show out in front of a national audience on “Sunday Night Football” as it seeks to become the second team to repeat as Super Bowl champs in the last two decades. Head coach Mike Madonald is leading one of the best defenses in the NFL again, going up against the best quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes. The San Francisco 49ers have owned this series of late, winning the last four games against the Dallas Cowboys. However, this game is on the road at AT&T Stadium and who knows how healthy San Francisco’s roster will be at this point in the season. The Cowboys look improved on defense, with first-round draft picks Caleb Downs and Micah Lawrence. And with one of the most explosive offenses in the league led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys should make things interesting in this matchup between two playoff hopefuls. The two teams expected to compete for the AFC North title meet for the first time here. Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow remain two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, but both have had trouble staying healthy for the duration of a marathon NFL season. This game also marks the first time talented edge rusher Trey Hendrickson plays against his old team, signing with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency after the team rescinded their trade for star edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Two of the best young quarterbacks match up in this NFC North division battle between two heated rivals in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Bears head coach Ben Johnson has made it plain he does not care for the Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur, adding juice to this storied rivalry. All three games last season were decided by one score. The Packers won the game at Lambeau thanks to a game-sealing interception of Caleb Williams in the final seconds. Two weeks later, the Bears dramatically took down the Packers at Soldier Field after they tied the game in the final minute before Williams threw a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime. But the drama from the playoff matchup trumped them all, with Chicago coming back from an 18-point deficit to beat Green Bay. A Super Bowl rematch to start the season. The last time these two teams met, it wasn’t much of a contest as Seattle dominated from start to finish. However, the Seahawks lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to Kansas City in free agency. Along with losing that key contributor on offense, the Seahawks must replace edge rusher Boye Mafe and defensive backs Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen, who also left in free agency. And with the anticipated arrival of A.J. Brown via trade and another year of development for Drake Maye, the Patriots could make things interesting. At this point in the season, we will know if Jalen Hurts can function at an elite level in new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s offense, and if the Philadelphia Eagles have enough playmakers on the perimeter with A.J. Brown potentially out of the picture. The Eagles have won back-to-back NFC East titles, but can they hold off an improved Cowboys squad looking to reclaim their title as the best team in the division? Prescott still owns a 10-5 record against Philadelphia, and both games came down to the wire last season, decided by a combined seven points. Two of the best quarterbacks on the planet face off again, making this game must-see TV. Josh Allen and Mahomes are 5-5 against each other in 10 meetings, although Mahomes holds a 4-0 record in the playoffs. Allen failed to take advantage of a rare opportunity to reach the Super Bowl with Mahomes, Burrow and Jackson not in the postseason last year. But with a new head coach in Joe Brady and a new No. 1 receiver in D.J. Moore, Allen must figure out a way to get back to the playoffs. And that run starts in this late-season matchup against another team fighting to get back into the postseason in the Chiefs. How much more do we need to say? In a rematch of the NFC Championship Game, these two teams face off in two of the final three weeks of the season. And if last season was any indication, we’re in store for some late-season dramatics. The Rams and Seahawks split the two regular-season contests, as the two games were decided by one score. But Seattle won the rubber match 31-27 in a hard-fought game to advance to the Super Bowl Both teams are favorites to reach the Super Bowl again this season, and if you look at most power rankings, the Rams and Seahawks occupy the top two spots, too. So, the expectation is another highly charged contest.