The NFL released the complete 2025 season schedule on Wednesday evening. As per usual, some of the most appetizing matchups were placed on primetime, via Thursday, Sunday, and Monday Night Football. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas offer the league additional opportunities to present appetizing showdowns in front of a national audience.
With the full schedule now available, we've identified our five most anticipated primetime matchups.
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles (TNF)
The Philadelphia Eagles will begin their Super Bowl-defending campaign by officially kicking the 2025 NFL season off in a rivalry matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles swept the Cowboys last year en route to an NFC East division title. Both squads have undergone significant personnel and coaching changes this offseason.
The Cowboys will bitterly watch the Eagles raise their second championship banner in a pre-game ceremony. Brian Schottenheimer will make his debut as Dallas' head coach after replacing Mike McCarthy. Schottenheimer's appointment was met with little fanfare and much criticism, but securing victory over the Eagles in the Kickoff Game would quickly shift the narrative.
Week 1: Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills (SNF)
The Baltimore Ravens absolutely beat the brakes off the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football last season, winning 35-10 in Week 4. Superstar running back Derrick Henry, who inked a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, ran rampant on the Bills, rushing for 199 yards and a touchdown. Buffalo secured revenge in the postseason, defeating the Ravens 27-25 in the divisional round.
The NFL wisely scheduled the rematch for the debut iteration of 2025 Sunday Night Football in Week 1. Both the Ravens and Bills figure to be major postseason contenders in the AFC again. Henry, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson still drive this matchup, but another storyline to watch is the team debuts of household names such as Joey Bosa and DeAndre Hopkins.
Week 6: Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs (SNF)
The Kansas City Chiefs began their 2023 campaign with a home loss to the Detroit Lions. They raised their Super Bowl LVII banner in a pre-game ceremony, but the Lions spoiled the affair, which felt like the beginning of Dan Campbell's squad establishing itself as legitimate contenders.
A lot has changed since then. The 2025 campaign won't begin with a pre-game championship ceremony for the Chiefs, who are licking their Super Bowl LIX wounds. The Lions are attempting to rebound from their own disappointment, as a 15-2 record and first-round bye concluded with a stunning divisional round upset by the surging Washington Commanders. Lions-Chiefs is must-watch television with offensive fireworks aplenty.
Week 8: Washington Commanders @ Kansas City Chiefs (MNF)
The Commanders have ascended to legitimacy in the league's eyes. Including their overseas (Week 11), Saturday (Week 16), and Christmas (Week 17) games, the Commanders were awarded eight nationally televised showdowns. Nearly half their 2025 schedule will be contested on some iteration of primetime.
The most interesting matchup of that slate is a Week 8 trip to Arrowhead Stadium for a date with the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes has established himself as the best quarterback in the league, and Jayden Daniels could ascend to top-five status with an appropriate follow-up to his breathtaking Offensive Rookie of the Year season. Daniels swiftly made the Commanders appointment television.
Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles @ Green Bay Packers (MNF)
The Eagles naturally possess an abundance of primetime contests on their schedule. Among the more exciting matchups is the showdown versus the Green Bay Packers in Week 10. Lambeau Field will be rocking, attempting to motivate the Packers toward capturing a revenge victory after being defeated 22-10 by the Eagles on Wild Card Weekend.
A young Packers squad spearheaded by Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur appears primed to take a step toward annual contention. Love is now well established as the starting quarterback in Titletown. Overcoming the Eagles in the NFC is imperative to proving they're actual Super Bowl threats.
