How It’s Made: Anatomy of the NFL Schedule

ONCE EVERY TEAM’S OPPONENTS ARE SET, THE SCHEDULE MAKERS BEGIN THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING WHEN EVERY GAME WILL BE PLAYED.

The NFL’s marquee matchups often are scheduled to air during the week’s premier time slots — Thursday, Sunday or Monday nights or the late game on Sunday afternoons. The league typically schedules the Super Bowl champion at home for the Thursday night game that kicks off the new season.

The league will also schedule games on the Saturdays of Weeks 15, 16 and 18. In Week 15, three of the five designated matchups will be played on Saturday with the remainder being played on Sunday. Specific dates and start times for the designated Week 15 matchups will be determined and announced later during the season.

The National Football League has announced the schedule of the 2024 International Games that will be played across London, U.K., Munich, Germany and São Paulo, Brazil — as the league’s global footprint continues to expand.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off the league’s return to Europe on Sunday, Oct. 6, as they play the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — the only purpose-built NFL stadium outside of the U.S.

The following Sunday, Oct. 13, also at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Chicago Bears will play the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The London focus then shifts to Wembley Stadium as the Jaguars take on the New England Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 20. This is the second time Jacksonville will play back-to-back games in the U.K., marking the team’s 12^th and 13^th regular season games in London.

The Carolina Panthers will play the New York Giants in Munich at Allianz Arena — Home of FC Bayern Munich on Sunday, Nov. 10 as part of the NFL’s commitment to playing regular season games in Germany.

This season’s slate of International Games will begin in São Paulo, Brazil on Friday night of Week 1 of the regular season. The Green Bay Packers will take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, Sept. 6 at 8:15 PM ET.