Biggest SNF Showdowns; Jets, Chiefs and Cowboys get 6 primetime games

The titanic clashes between the biggest names in professional football highlight the major deals on offer for this season’s “Sunday Night Football” on NBC, officials announced Wednesday.

Although the opponents each NFL team will face have been known since the end of the regular season, the dates and times for almost all of these contests were not announced until Wednesday evening.

NBC’s Sunday primetime lineup will begin Sept. 8, when Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions face off in a matchup of quarterbacks who have been traded for each other as part of a 2021 deal that benefited both parties.

The following Sunday night, September 15, Chicago Bears No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams will face Houston Texas and last season’s Rookie of the Year, quarterback CJ Stroud.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who missed almost all of 2023 with an injury in Week 1, is expected to make his first appearance on “Sunday Night Football” in the Jets’ green when his team will visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 20.

Gang Green will make another “SNF” on November 17 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Other key points to remember

• The Jets, after another losing campaign at 7-10, found themselves tied for the most standalone dates. They will be broadcast six times in prime time to a national audience, tied with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
• The Chiefs, Lions, Rams, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins all play five standalone games.
• The Carolina Panthers, after a miserable 2-15 season, were completely shut out of prime time.
• In terms of pure star power, the most important game might be the very first of the regular season. This will pit the world champions Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens on September 5 in a meeting televised Thursday evening by NBC. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has led his team to three Super Bowl titles, while Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson has two MVP awards to his name.
• The first NFL game in Brazil will take place a day later, when the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo.
• The Jets will play “Monday Night Football” on opening weekend against the NFC champion 49ers. Rodgers suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the Jets’ 2023 opener, also on “MNF.” He was fired by Leonard Floyd of the Buffalo Bills, who coincidentally left Buffalo to join San Francisco.

Best scheduled outings

Each year, the teams show more and more creativity by publishing complete schedules. Here are some of the best ads: