If you're staring at your calendar trying to figure out when is the nfl football games for the rest of this season and beyond, you’re not alone. The NFL schedule has become a beast. It’s no longer just "Sundays at 1:00 PM." We’ve got games in Brazil, games on Christmas, and playoff matchups that shift based on who wins on a random Monday night.
Honestly, it’s a lot to keep track of.
Right now, we are deep into the 2025-2026 postseason cycle. If you're looking for a game today, Friday, January 16, 2026, you're out of luck—the league usually keeps Fridays clear for high school and college ball, unless it’s that one-off Black Friday game or a special international opener. But tomorrow? Tomorrow the madness starts again.
The Immediate Playoff Picture: Divisional Round Details
This is where things get real. The Wild Card round just finished, and the Divisional Playoffs are literally hours away. For those asking specifically when is the nfl football games for this weekend, here is the breakdown of the most high-stakes football of the year.
Saturday, January 17, 2026
The first game kicks off at 1:30 PM PST (4:30 PM ET). It's the Denver Broncos heading into the thin air of Empower Field at Mile High to host the Buffalo Bills. Then, as the sun sets on the West Coast, the Seattle Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers at 5:00 PM PST (8:00 PM ET). That’s a massive NFC West rivalry game with a trip to the Conference Finals on the line.
Sunday, January 18, 2026
The early slot at 12:00 PM PST (3:00 PM ET) features the New England Patriots traveling to face the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. To wrap up the weekend, the Chicago Bears host the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field at 3:30 PM PST (6:30 PM ET).
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If you've noticed the times are a bit weird, it's because the NFL loves to stagger these so they don't overlap. They want every single eye on every single snap.
Why the "When" Always Changes
Flexible scheduling is the bane of Everyman’s existence. Basically, the league has the right to move games around to ensure "quality" matchups end up in primetime. While this mostly happens in the regular season (Weeks 5 through 17), it’s why you can’t always trust a schedule printed in August.
For example, this year’s Week 18 didn't even have set times until about six days before the games happened. They wait to see which games actually matter for the playoff seedings. If a game has zero playoff implications, it gets buried in the 1:00 PM ET slot. If it’s a "win and you’re in" scenario? That’s going to Sunday Night Football on NBC.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Super Bowl and Beyond
If you’re the type of person who plans their entire life around the big game, circle February 8, 2026. That is Super Bowl LX.
It’s happening at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. This is a big deal because the Bay Area hasn't hosted since Super Bowl 50. The kickoff is usually around 6:30 PM ET, but the pre-game festivities basically start at dawn.
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Key Dates for the Rest of 2026
- Conference Championships: Sunday, January 25, 2026. Two games (12:00 PM and 3:30 PM PST) to decide who goes to the dance.
- Pro Bowl Games: February 3, 2026, in San Francisco. It's more of a skills competition now than a real game, but it's still part of the "when."
- 2026 NFL Draft: April 23-25, 2026, in Pittsburgh. Not a "game," but for many fans, it’s just as important.
The Global Expansion: When Are the International Games?
You can't talk about when is the nfl football games without looking at the map. The league is obsessed with going global. In the 2025 season we just witnessed, we saw a record seven games played outside the United States.
We had the season opener in São Paulo, Brazil. Then we had the "London Residency" in October, and the first-ever regular season game in Madrid, Spain, at the Bernabéu Stadium on November 16.
If you are looking for the 2026 international schedule, the NFL usually announces those specific dates in May. However, we already know the Los Angeles Rams are slated to play a game in Melbourne, Australia, at the MCG. That’s going to be a timezone nightmare for US fans—expect a kickoff at like 11:00 PM ET on a Saturday night or potentially very early Sunday morning.
The Typical Weekly Rhythm
For the 2026 regular season (which starts in September), you can generally bet on this cadence:
- Thursday Night Football: 8:15 PM ET (Exclusively on Amazon Prime, usually).
- Sunday Early Window: 1:00 PM ET (The "Regional" games on CBS and FOX).
- Sunday Late Window: 4:05 PM or 4:25 PM ET.
- Sunday Night Football: 8:20 PM ET (NBC).
- Monday Night Football: 8:15 PM ET (ESPN/ABC).
How to Never Miss a Kickoff Again
The best thing you can do is download the NFL app or check the "Schedule" tab on NFL.com. But here’s the pro tip: sync the schedule to your digital calendar. The NFL provides "stadium-specific" calendars that automatically update if a game gets "flexed" (moved to a different time).
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Also, keep an eye on the streaming wars. Last year, we had games on Peacock, Netflix, and Amazon. Knowing when the game is doesn't help much if you don't know where to find it.
To stay ahead of the curve for the 2026 season:
- May 2026: Watch for the official schedule release. This is a holiday for NFL nerds.
- August 2026: Preseason begins. Usually three games per team over three weeks.
- September 10, 2026: This is the likely date for the 2026 Season Kickoff (the Thursday after Labor Day).
The 2025-2026 season is screaming toward a finish line in Santa Clara. If you’re trying to catch a game before then, your window is closing fast. Make sure your Saturday and Sunday are clear for the Divisional Round.
Actionable Next Step: Set a calendar alert for tomorrow, January 17, at 4:30 PM ET. This ensures you're in front of the TV for the Bills-Broncos kickoff, which officially starts the most intense 48 hours of the football year. Check your local listings to see if the game is on CBS or if you need to fire up a streaming service like Paramount+.