The NFL Draft is in the books, so that means it’s time to turn our attention towards the start of the 2025 NFL season. On Wednesday, May 14, the 2025 NFL Schedule will be released with the schedule release show.
We received our first bit of news on the schedule Monday with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles set to be the season opener on Thursday, September 4.
Now that we know the first game of the season, when will the rest of the 2025 NFL schedule be released? Let’s dive into that, and how the NFL schedule is decided for the upcoming season.
When Does the 2025 NFL Schedule Release?
The entire 2025 NFL schedule will be released Wednesday, May 14, live on TV at 8:00 p.m. ET. The NFL schedule release show can be watched on NFL Network, NFL+, and ESPN, with most teams usually being the first to announce their schedules on their official social media accounts.
We have already started to see announcements trickle in regarding the schedule, though. In addition to learning about the first game of the season — Cowboys vs. Eagles on Sept. 4. In addition, NBC announced that there will be a “Peacock Holiday Exclusive” Week 17 game that will be played on Saturday, December 27.
How is the NFL Schedule Made?
Every NFL team plays 17 regular season games spread out across 18 weeks. Each team receives one bye week. Here are how the 17 games are filled on a yearly basis to create the NFL schedule.
- Each team plays six games against three divisional opponents. They play each team within their division two times, once at home and once on the road.
- Each team plays four games against the four teams from a division within its own conference. Two of those games are played at home, while two are played on the road, on a rotating basis.
- Each team plays four games against teams from a division in the other conference, on a rotating basis. Two of those games are played at home, while two are played on the road.
- Each team plays two games against teams from the other two remaining divisions within its own conference. One game is played at home and one is played on the road. The opponents are determined based on division rankings from the previous season.
- The 17th game is an additional game against a non-conference opponent from one of three divisions that the team is not already scheduled to play. The opponent is determined based on division ranking from the previous season.
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