2026 NFL Season Opens With Super Bowl Rematch, Australia Debut — SkimNews
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- The 2026 NFL season kicks off Wednesday (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) with a Super Bowl rematch between reigning champion Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots
- Thursday's game features the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Australia, with the Los Angeles Rams facing the San Francisco 49ers (8:35 p.m. ET, Netflix)
- Super Bowl LXI is set for Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, airing on ESPN
- The Los Angeles Rams lead ESPN's Football Power Index at 84.9% playoff odds with 11.3 projected wins; Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams (14 receiving TDs in 2025), and Puka Nacua (129 catches) headline the offense, but tackle depth is fragile amid Alaric Jackson's domestic violence investigation
- The Seattle Seahawks enter as defending champions with a 14-3 2025 record, 68% playoff odds, and the NFL's stingiest defense, though new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury presents a first-time play-calling question mark
- Josh Allen anchors the Buffalo Bills (84.1% playoff odds, 67.1% AFC East odds) with 299 combined passing/rushing TDs through eight seasons — 40 more than the next-closest QB, Patrick Mahomes (259)
- Lamar Jackson's health is the Baltimore Ravens' biggest barometer: in four seasons playing 13+ games the Ravens have won three AFC North titles; in four seasons at 13 or fewer games, just one division title and two playoff misses
Why it matters: The Rams top ESPN's Football Power Index at 84.9% playoff odds — ahead of defending champion Seattle's 68% — entering a season bookended by two broadcast firsts: Australia's first NFL regular-season game streaming exclusively on Netflix, and Super Bowl LXI on ESPN, which together test the league's international and streaming distribution alongside its on-field hierarchy.
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