Every year, the NFL's prime-time slate seemingly offers clues into what the league expects out of its member clubs.
There are the reliable contenders, like the Kansas City Chiefs, who are expected to play in eight standalone games in 2025, including five in the season's first eight weeks.
There are the hot upstarts, like the Washington Commanders, pegged for at least five prime-time games (eight standalone) after their surprising breakout campaign in 2024.
The Dallas Cowboys, allegedly "America's Team," are the most reliable nationwide draw in football and will be treated to six prime-time games (eight standalone) despite missing the playoffs last season and changing coaches.
Some clubs receive little prime-time love from the scheduling gods. The Browns, with their four-way quarterback competition, have no evening contests. That said, by virtue of their standalone game in London in Week 5, they are better off than New Orleans or Tennessee, neither of whom has a single prime-time or standalone game this season, despite each franchise drafting a potential starting quarterback (Tyler Shough in New Orleans; first overall selection Cam Ward in Tennessee).
Read into that what you will.
And read, as well, the following ranking of the 10 (pre-flex) best prime-time games on the 2025 NFL schedule! First, here is an honorable mention candidate that's worth diving into:
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
We see what you're doing, NFL. At the time of publication, one Aaron Rodgers had not officially agreed to join Pittsburgh for its upcoming campaign, despite weeks of rumblings and rumored sightings. But if -- capital I, capital F -- the four-time MVP were to sign with the Steelers, this midseason matchup between Pittsburgh's presumptive starting quarterback and his former team would jump all the way to the top of this list. The 41-year-old signal-caller has never played against the Packers, who drafted him all the way back in 2005 and with whom he won Super Bowl XLV against ... the Steelers. In what could be Rodgers' last season, his showdown with Green Bay and Matt LaFleur would rival Tom Brady vs. the Patriots for the most anticipated player-team matchup in NFL history. (If Rodgers instead spends the season in Malibu, Peru or elsewhere, the league should seek to extract the Mason Rudolph-led Steelers from this slot with record pace.)
Other honorable mentions: Chiefs vs. Chargers (Week 1, Friday in São Paulo, Brazil); Lions at Ravens (Week 3, Monday); Patriots at Bills (Week 5, Sunday); Lions at Chiefs (Week 6, Sunday); Buccaneers at Lions (Week 7, Monday); Bengals at Ravens (Week 13, Thanksgiving night).
THE TOP 10
Week 1: Thursday, Sept. 4 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
The 2025 NFL Kickoff Game's placement on this list is perfunctory, as it will capture our attention throughout the summer. When we're in the dog days, waiting on training camp arrivals in July, we can look to this NFC East opener as what could be, and what will be, if only we wait a few more months. The matchup is one we've seen before -- many times in prime time -- but not as frequently in this form as one might think. Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott have only faced off thrice in their careers (the Cowboys QB is 2-1 in those matchups); one of the two QBs has missed seven of 10 potential meetings with injury or rest. The timing of this Week 1 clash ensures, barring unfortunate circumstances, that two of the league's best will be available for an early-season litmus test between division rivals.
Week 5: Monday, Oct. 6 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC
Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City are currently scheduled to play in an NFL-leading seven prime-time games (this doesn’t include their Thanksgiving throwdown in Dallas, set for 4:30 p.m. ET). The Jaguars are slated for just one evening exhibition, this doozy hosting the three-time reigning AFC champs. Barring a flex, this will be one of just two opportunities (along with Jacksonville's Week 7 London game against the Rams) for NFL fans to enjoy a standalone soirée with No. 2 overall pick and two-way phenom Travis Hunter. It's unclear at this stage what the plan is for the dynamic rookie, which will make tracking his progress, especially early in the season, an enjoyable exercise. What better showcase for Hunter and the new-look Jags than an October prime-time slot against a reliable audience draw?
Week 4: Monday, Sept. 29 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC
This will pit the NFL's reigning passing yards leader against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a top-three scoring defense in a rematch of one of last season's great, underrated games. 'Nough said. Well, not enough said. The Bengals' 30-24 overtime win over Denver in Week 17 of the 2024 campaign was a season-saving thriller for Cincy, featuring 28 combined points in the fourth quarter and seven total touchdowns from Joe Burrow and Bo Nix. (Let's disregard that just a week later, the Bengals missed out on the postseason thanks to Denver's blowout win over the second-string Chiefs, and live instead in that earlier moment.) In the two franchises' first prime-time showings of the 2025 campaign, might we see even more fireworks at high altitude?
Week 10: Monday, Nov. 10 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC
Will Philly run the Tush Push on every play? This midseason rematch of the NFC Wild Card Game is more than just a clash of conference blue bloods and perennial playoff teams. After losing to the Eagles in the 2024 postseason, Green Bay was the team to propose a ban this offseason on the near-unstoppable play synonymous with Philly's offense. As of publication, the rule proposal has been tabled and is set to be taken up again at next week's Spring League Meeting. Matt LaFleur and Nick Sirianni each have their camps, lobbying for and against a ban of the Eagles' lethal scrum, respectively. Whether or not a ban is ultimately instituted, there will likely be underlying bad blood seeping into this Monday night matchup, making it must-watch TV.
Week 17: Thursday, Dec. 25 at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video
The NFL appears to be banking on a competitive AFC West this year, serving up Denver-Kansas City as the final prime-time divisional game on the initial schedule; flexes and Week 18 decisions will eventually change this. After a shock run to the postseason in 2024, the Broncos get the Chiefs on Christmas in the penultimate week of the season. Denver narrowly lost to Kansas City on a blocked field-goal attempt in these two squads' only competitive game against each other of 2024 (K.C. rested its starters in the other contest, a laugher for the Broncos in Week 18). In the Broncos' return to Arrowhead this year, can they perhaps block the Chiefs' try for a 10th straight division title? Hopefully, there will be a lot to unpack in this one on Christmas night.
Week 6: Monday, Oct. 13 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC
Caleb Williams and the Bears return to the scene of the crime nearly a year to the day when their 2024 season was turned upside down by Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary. A rematch of one of 2024's most fantastic finishes, Bears-Commanders Part II will once again pit the top two picks in last year's draft against one another. Only this time, Williams will have a new coach and offensive line to help his case. Bears fans are hoping Ben Johnson can do for their No. 1 pick what Dan Quinn and OC Kliff Kingsbury did for Washington's No. 2 selection last year, building an offense around Daniels that propelled him to OROY honors. On the other side of the ball, we'll see if Bears safety (and scapegoat) Tyrique Stevenson keeps his eye on the field under the bright lights this time around.
Week 2: Monday, Sept. 15 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
After years of dormancy, the Jim Harbaugh-Pete Carroll rivalry is back in full force this season -- and ready for prime time out of the gate. After opening the season in Brazil, L.A. will get nine days off before having to enter the Black Hole on its biggest night of the year. This late Monday nighter -- Part II of a Disney network doubleheader -- will be not only Carroll's first game in Las Vegas, but also the debuts of Ashton Jeanty and Geno Smith in the Silver and Black at Allegiant Stadium. That it comes against Carroll's nemesis will only heighten the drama. The two coaches go way back, having been rivals in the Pac-10 (Harbaugh at Stanford, Carroll at USC) and the NFC West (Harbaugh in San Francisco, Carroll in Seattle). With Harbaugh entering his second season with the Bolts and Carroll back in the NFL after a year-long hiatus, the often-testy rivalry can finally be renewed. (A special treat: Carroll will turn 74 on Sept. 15, further solidifying himself as the oldest head coach in NFL history.)
Week 8: Monday, Oct. 27 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC
Kansas City's fifth prime-time game in the first eight weeks of the season will be the most anticipated -- and that's saying something. This inaugural President's Bowl (Commanders and Chiefs, get it?) will boast Patrick Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl MVP and undisputed quarterback of his generation, against perhaps the QB of the next generation, Jayden Daniels. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year's Commanders are scheduled for five prime-time games (eight standalones, including the Madrid game, a Week 16 doubleheader and Christmas), but none will prove a greater litmus test than this one. A year after coming one blowout loss in the NFC title game away from facing Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, Daniels will finally get to go drive for drive against the league's very best. Is the dual-threat dynamo on par with the two-time league MVP? This midseason matchup may provide the answer.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
The NFC Championship Game that should've been. No offense to backers of the Washington franchise, but NFL fans were cheated out of a matchup between the conference's two most dynamic offenses last January when the Commanders took out the Lions' kneecaps in the Divisional Round. We'll finally get our Detroit-Philadelphia matchup in 2025, albeit without both of the Lions' coordinators and a number of Eagles stars who departed in the offseason. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley remain, however, to face off against Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in a showdown of smashmouth outfits. This long-lost matchup -- the franchises' first since 2022 (a 73-point barnburner between two unrecognizable sides) -- could have easily been the NFL’s Kickoff Game if the league had not opted for the allure of Brian Schottenheimer. But we'll take it in Week 11. Hell, we'll take it right now.
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
Sunday Night Football starts with a bang this year, with a rematch of last year's down-to-the-wire Divisional Round duel between the NFL's top two MVP contenders. That Ravens-Bills instant classic was hyped to the extreme even before kickoff, with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen getting to play out their year-long battle for MVP on the field, with a trip to Arrowhead and the AFC title game on the line. It lived up to the anticipation and more, with Baltimore and Buffalo exchanging blows all the way to the end, when Jackson led what looked to be a game-tying drive, finished off by a 24-yard TD toss to Isaiah Likely. But Mark Andrews' costly drop on the ensuing two-point conversion sent the Ravens packing and the tight end into radio silence. Despite offseason speculation that Andrews wouldn't be back with the team, he said before the draft that he's "a Raven." So, too, is DeAndre Hopkins, who joined Baltimore in the offseason to provide Jackson with a pair of surer hands as a Super Bowl berth continues to elude the Ravens' grasp in this era. Their latest pursuit will begin where the last one ended. Allen, who won the previous matchup on the field and in MVP voting, and the Bills will look to repeat that result come Week 1.
