Predicting Most Anticipated Games of 2026 NFL Schedule Ahead of Official Release

The NFL releases the 2026 season schedule Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN and NFL Network, with fans of the league's 32 teams finding out what their favorite's road to Super Bowl XLI will look like.

Ahead of the official release of the upcoming season slate, find out which games should be the most anticipated of the year in this preview.

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks

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The best rivalry in pro football last season was between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

The NFC West teams played three times, including the NFC Championship Game, with seven points total separating them in those match-ups. The two teams were as evenly matched as opponents could be, making for some truly thrilling showdowns between the high-octane Rams and the stingy Seahawks.

In 2026, Los Angeles heads north to Seattle, where their Super Bowl dreams were dashed in January, with a chance to get their win back and avenge the ultimate disappointment of last season.

As long as there are no significant injuries, and quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold are playing at their fullest potential, this figures to be one of the marquee match-ups of the season and a potential NFC title game preview.

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles

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The Rams and Eagles battled in two classic encounters in 2025, one in the divisional round of the playoffs to cap off the 2024 season and a Week 3 showdown that ended dramatically with a blocked field goal.

Philadelphia won both of those match-ups, leaving the Rams and head coach Sean McVay chasing that elusive victory against the NFL East juggernauts.

With the Rams bringing back most of their key starters from last season, and the Eagles facing questions about the status of AJ Brown and the excitement surrounding first round draft pick Makai Lemon, there will be plenty for fans to sink their teeth into.

Are two of the best teams in the NFC each of the last two seasons still standard-bearers for the conference?

The answer should be apparent by game's end.

Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks

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The Seattle Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champions and will look to build on a potential dynasty in 2026. To do that, one opponent they must vanquish is the closest thing to a dynasty in this era, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes and Co. did not have the season they had hoped for last year, finishing out of the playoffs and with a losing record (6-11) for the first time since 2012, when they went 2-14.

A return to form, and statement to the football world, would come in the form of a big victory over the defending champions. Whether Mahomes and the KC offense can penetrate a stingy Seahawks defense will determine whether that happens or not.

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots

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Bo Nix did not play in the AFC Championship Game between his Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, an ugly, defensive, snow-filled game won by the latter that sent Mike Vrabel's team to a lopsided loss in the Super Bowl.

Nix and Co. will have an opportunity to avenge that loss, against the defending conference champions, and do so in New England.

The game, which will either redeem Denver or prove that maybe, the Patriots really were the better team, has the makings of a marquee night game and one that could determine the trajectory of both teams.

San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys

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Two of the most storied, popular franchises in NFL history will do battle in 2026 as the 49ers and Cowboys rekindle a decades-long rivalry.

Dallas and Dak Prescott will be looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2024, while San Francisco and quarterback Brock Purdy will hope to avoid injuries and get back to Super Bowl contention after a miraculous 2025 that saw them advance to the divisional round of the playoffs, despite third and fourth-string players seeing significant playing time.

With conference heavyweights like the Rams, Seahawks, Packers, and Eagles figuring to be contenders, a win here could determine whether the teams will compete for a world title or watch the playoffs from the sidelines.

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks

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Last season ended not with a bang, but a boom as the Seattle Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots with a suffocating defense en route to a second Super Bowl title for the NFC champs.

The Patriots will have a rare opportunity to prove that the Super Bowl loss was the exception and not the rule; that they are not the team that could not slow the pass rush, that could not execute on offense when they were present.

To do so, they have to head to Seattle, where the 12th Man figures to be out in full force, making for a deafening environment for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense to try and navigate.

A win could be the positive, momentum-builder that the organization desperately needs after a loss in February that did nothing to add to the detractors who believed the Patriots did not belong in the most prestigious game on the schedule.