Anticipation season is officially underway.
Following three days of individual games being dropped, the 2025 regular-season schedule arrived in full on Wednesday.
It all begins with Week 1, which has historically been a precursor for success. Furthermore, it's become a week of marquee matchups, as evidenced by last year's slate featuring a bevy of games pitting eventual playoff teams against each other.
Since 2020 when the NFL switched to a 14-team postseason format, teams that advanced to the playoffs have won 70% of their Week 1 games, going 49-21 overall to open the season, according to NFL Research.
In 2024, nine of the 14 postseason squads won on opening week. Of the five losing playoff teams, four were defeated by eventual postseason participants. Only the Denver Broncos lost to a non-playoff team in Week 1 and then advanced to the postseason -- and their defeat came at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, who went 10-7.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles each earned wins over future playoff teams in their season openers en route to facing off in Super Bowl LIX.
Will Week 1, 2025, prove to be the launching pad to success that Week 1, 2024, was?
Here's a look at the full 16-game slate for Week 1, starting with the Eagles beginning their Super Bowl defense. (责任编辑:) |