The NFL’s season opener is still months away, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early for football fans to start planning their game day schedules.
This year’s slate includes five international contests, highly anticipated Week 1 matchups and a Christmas doubleheader on Netflix.
Here’s how you can catch all the action during the 2024 season on TV or streaming online:
Sunday mornings/afternoons
Weeks: 1-18
Where to watch: CBS, Fox, YouTube TV, ESPN+, NFL Network
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CBS and Fox will continue to air Sunday afternoon games, with the networks each getting 10 doubleheaders during the season (both networks will get doubleheaders in Weeks 1 and 18). Like last year, games don’t have a predetermined network based on the conference of participating teams, meaning AFC and NFC teams will be featured on both CBS and Fox.
Last year, the NFL Sunday Ticket package — which gives fans access to out-of-market CBS and Fox regional games — moved to YouTube TV after nearly 30 years on DirecTV. That package remains on YouTube TV.
Among the notable Week 1 broadcasts will be a Sunday game in which Tom Brady will debut as Fox’s lead analyst on Sept. 8, when the Cleveland Browns host the Dallas Cowboys. Brady will be on the call for the game alongside Fox’s lead play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt.
The NFL will also play four Sunday international games, all kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET: the New York Jets versus the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 6 in London (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), the Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Chicago Bears on Oct. 13 in London (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), the New England Patriots versus the Jaguars on Oct. 20 in London (Wembley Stadium) and the New York Giants versus the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 10 in Munich (Allianz Arena). All those games will be broadcast on NFL Network.
The 2024 International Schedule is set! 🏈🗺️@NFLBrasil | @NFLUKIRE | @NFLDeutschland
📺: NFL Schedule Release — Tonight 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN2
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/HMwi7SLZ8h— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2024
Sunday nights
Weeks: 1-18
Where to watch: NBC
NBC will continue to broadcast “Sunday Night Football,” the NFL’s season opener, and the prime-time Thanksgiving night game, under their 11-year extension signed in 2021. The traditional flexible scheduling system remains in place: It may be used twice between Weeks 5-10, and at the NFL’s discretion during Weeks 11-17.
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Mondays
Weeks: 1-17
Where to watch: ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 (ManningCast)
“Monday Night Football” continues on ESPN and ABC this year. Like last season, Sunday games can be flexed to Monday nights at the league’s discretion. However, that will apply for Weeks 12-17 this season, whereas last season’s MNF flex scheduling window opened in Week 13.
There will also be four “Monday Night Football” double features on ESPN and ABC, with each network airing one game.
The first week with two Monday night games comes in Week 3 with the Jacksonville Jaguars taking on the Buffalo Bills at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Washington Commanders at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC. The others will take place in Week 4 (Titans–Dolphins, Seahawks–Lions), Week 7 (Ravens–Buccaneers, Chargers–Cardinals), and Week 15 (Bears-Vikings, Falcons–Raiders).
MNF will kick off with a Week 1 heavy hitter as Aaron Rodgers — making his much-anticipated return from a torn Achilles tendon — and the Jets travel to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 9.
GO DEEPER2024 NFL schedule: Week-by-week matchups, TV broadcasts and timesThursdays
Weeks: 1-17
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, CBS, Fox, NBC
The 2024 NFL season will open on a Thursday as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game on Sept. 5. That matchup will air on NBC.
After that, the main “Thursday Night Football” broadcast will start Week 2 on Amazon Prime Video, which requires a subscription to watch. The Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins will face off in that first “Thursday Night Football” game on Amazon.
This season, the NFL may implement flex scheduling for “Thursday Night Football” up to twice between Weeks 13-17.
Like last season, there will be three games on Thanksgiving. The Detroit Lions will host the first game of the day against Chicago Bears at 12:30 p.m. ET on Fox, followed by the Dallas Cowboys hosting New York Giants at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The prime-time game between the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers will take place at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
Fridays
Weeks: 1 and 13
Where to watch: Peaco*ck, Amazon Prime Video
That’s right, the NFL is playing on a Friday, and not only the day after Thanksgiving. In Week 1, the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles will square off on Sept. 6 in São Paulo, Brazil. It will be the league’s first game in Brazil and its first Friday game in September since 1970. The game will be exclusively streamed on Peaco*ck.
The league will also have a game on Black Friday for a second consecutive year, after holding its first Black Friday game — a contest between the Dolphins and Jets — last season. The Las Vegas Raiders will travel to play the Kansas City Chiefs at 3 p.m. ET. Like last year, the game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video. It will be free, regardless of whether you have an Amazon Prime subscription.
Saturdays
Weeks: 16-18
Where to watch: NBC, Fox, NFL Network, ESPN/ABC
Last year, the NFL scheduled games on four different Saturdays during the regular season for the first time in more than 40 years. This year, Saturday games are slated for Weeks 16-18.
Week 16’s Saturday slate opens with a 1 p.m. ET matchup between the Houston Texans and Chiefs on NBC, followed by a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ravens at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox. There will be three Saturday games in Week 17, all on NFL Network.
Additionally, there will be a Week 18 doubleheader on the final Saturday of the season on ESPN and ABC, with the Week 18 schedule to be announced at the end of Week 17.
Christmas Day
Week: 17
Where to watch: Netflix
Although Christmas is on a Wednesday, the NFL will be in action with a doubleheader. The games will be on Netflix for the first time. The streaming giant will also broadcast at least one Christmas Day game in 2025 and 2026 as part of a three-season deal.
Matchups between theChiefsand Steelers at 1 p.m. ETand the Ravensand Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET make up the Christmas Day schedule.
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Those teams will play on the previous Saturday to give them a four-day recovery window.
It will mark the first NFL games played on a Wednesday since 2020 when the league held a midweek matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens due to the pandemic. The NFL has played nine games on Christmas since 2020. Before then, the league held 21 total games on the holiday.
GO DEEPERNetflix gets NFL Christmas Day games, a fire-breathing shot at its competitorsPlayoffs
Where to watch: CBS, Fox, ESPN/ABC, NBC, Amazon Prime Video
The four networks and one streamer will share the six wild-card and four divisional-round games. Amazon Prime Video willbroadcast a playoff game this season, one year after Peaco*ck had the first streaming-exclusive playoff game.
Fox and CBS, respectively, will continue as broadcasters for the NFC and AFC Championship Games.
Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans is on Feb. 9, 2025, on Fox.
Required reading
- NFL games have become a Christmas Day tradition, and it’s not slowing down
- The brief history (and potential future) of the NFL’s international approach
Find the best deals on tickets to see your favorite teams
(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; Photos: Ryan Kang / Getty Images, Rob Tringali / Sportschrome / Getty Images, Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Alex Andrejev is a staff editor on the news team. Before joining The Athletic, she covered NASCAR and Charlotte FC for The Charlotte Observer and was a reporting intern on the sports desk for The Washington Post. She grew up near Washington, D.C.
