The 2026 schedule is the most ambitious in league history, with nine international games across four continents and seven countries. As expected, the release sparked plenty of reactions, with some questioning early bye weeks and tough travel stretches, while others suggested turning the day after the schedule release into a national holiday. Yet, the wildest part may be that the NFL’s own spokesman thought it made perfect sense.

A former long-time head writer and producer for The Late Show with David Letterman, Eric Stangel, proposed this idea publicly: “I’ve always said the day after NFL schedule release day needs to be a national holiday. Who is going to be in any shape to work?”

And a few hours later, Brian McCarthy chimed in and said, “So good. And true.”

McCarthy acknowledged that the NFL has successfully turned a logistics announcement into a massive, exhausting cultural event. After all, just as the schedule was released, the NFL ecosystem shifted into high gear to dissect every detail. And given the NFL’s expansion into actual holidays like the Christmas tripleheader and Black Friday, McCarthy believes the schedule release deserves one of its own.

The schedule was released on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. ET. And via social media, McCarthy confirmed that teams had permission to post their schedule reveal videos 30 minutes before the full league-wide reveal.

Speaking of the schedule, the 2026 season will kick off on Wednesday, September 9, with a Super Bowl rematch between the defending champion Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

The NFL has scheduled a record nine international games this season, but one longtime scheduling trend is starting to disappear. In past years, teams often received a bye week immediately after returning from overseas travel to help recover from the demanding trip. That won’t be the case for most teams in 2026.

Out of 18 possible opportunities, just three teams will get a bye right after their international games. The Jacksonville Jaguars will rest following their consecutive matchups in London. Whereas the Patriots and New Orleans Saints will each get a bye after their matchups in Munich and Paris, respectively.

Every fan already has a favorite matchup circled, but the release finally put official dates on the biggest games of the season. And within the first 10 weeks alone, there are already several blockbuster clashes that could shape the NFL season.

Five NFL matchups that may steal the spotlight

There are many big games on the 2026 NFL schedule, but some stand out even among these. The Dallas Cowboys will start with a bang by hosting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 in Brazil. Lamar Jackson needs to rebound from a bad 6-7 season with a much-improved performance. Meanwhile, the Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott must provide a whole season without injuries for his team.

But let’s not move further down the 2026 NFL schedule and focus on Week 1, where the Seahawks host the Patriots. It’s a real continuation of Super Bowl LX because, having suffered a loss, the latter will want to show what they can do in the new season with Drake Maye in charge. The Seahawks will defend their title on NBC and Peacock.

There is one more heavy battle for Week 5, as the Buffalo Bills go up against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. The clash between both teams in 2024 ended up becoming an all-time classic, where Josh Allen became the first player to throw three passing and three rushing touchdowns in the same game. However, the Rams still managed to win by 44-42.

Then there is the Week 7 match-up between the Chiefs and the Seahawks. All eyes will be watching if Patrick Mahomes is back from his injury-plagued season during the previous year. Sam Darnold and Seattle will also have a chance to strengthen their contender status.

Week 8 features another must-watch showdown with the Ravens visiting the Bills. Their 2025 meeting ended in a dramatic 41-40 Buffalo victory in Week 1, and with both Jackson and Allen facing huge expectations, the rematch already feels massive.

As the NFL season unfolds, the stakes of the matchups will definitely change.