The 2026 \u201cSunday Night Football\u201d schedule<\/a> actually isn’t all on Sunday, as NBC will broadcast the 2026 NFL kickoff game on a Wednesday night when the Seattle Seahawks<\/a> lift their Super Bowl 60 banner in a Super Bowl 60 rematch vs. the New England Patriots<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Elsewhere on the slate, NFL MVP Matthew Stafford<\/a> and the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> will travel to a hostile environment in Denver<\/a> to face a fierce Broncos<\/a> team in Week 3.<\/p>\n There\u2019s even a \u201cSunday Night Football\u201d game on Thanksgiving night when Patrick Mahomes<\/a> and the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> meet Josh Allen<\/a> and the Buffalo Bills<\/a> to renew their rivalry.<\/p>\n There are plenty of great \u201cSunday Night Football\u201d matchups this season. USA TODAY Sports breaks down the top five SNF games in 2026:<\/p>\n 1 \/ 4<\/p>\n 2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades 1 \/ 4<\/p>\n 2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades 2 \/ 4<\/p>\n 2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades 3 \/ 4<\/p>\n 2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades 4 \/ 4<\/p>\n 2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, tradesWeek 3 (Sun. Sept. 27): Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos<\/a><\/p>\n The Rams and Broncos each played in 2025 conference championship games. Both clubs have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations again this season.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and the Rams high-powered offense will be put to the test on the road against 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain<\/a> and a Broncos defense that\u2019s led the NFL in sacks in each of the past two seasons.<\/p>\n This interconference battle will be a good early season measuring-stick game for both clubs.<\/p>\n Surtain and Riley Moss<\/a>\u2019 ability to cover Puka Nacua<\/a> and Davante Adams<\/a> are juicy matchups to watch on the outside.<\/p>\n Micah Parsons<\/a> registered three tackles, one sack and 10 pressures in an unsatisfying 40-40 tie versus the Cowboys last season. Can somebody win this time around (please)?<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Week 6 battle will be played at Lambeau Field this year. Parsons will be approximately 10 months removed from his season-ending knee injury when he meets his former team.<\/p>\n Assuming Parsons is good to go, this isn\u2019t just a revenge game for him: new Cowboys edge rusher Rashan Gary<\/a> gets to face the Packers after he was shipped out<\/a> of Green Bay<\/a>.<\/p>\n Both the Packers and Cowboys are expected to have proficient offenses, but defense might be the overwhelming storyline in this Sunday night Week 6 contest.<\/p>\n Week 7 (Sun. Oct. 25): Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker III<\/a> has an opportunity at revenge in Week 7.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Seahawks seemed comfortable with letting Walker walk in free agency after the running back helped the franchise win a Super Bowl title. The Seahawks wouldn\u2019t have lifted a Lombardi Trophy without the Super Bowl MVP.<\/p>\n Walker is the first Super Bowl MVP to sign with a new team the following season since safety Dexter Jackson left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> for the Arizona Cardinals<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n Seattle used it first-round on running back Jadarian Price who will likely replace Walker in the Seahawks starting lineup while Zach Charbonnet<\/a> recovers from a season-ending knee injury.<\/p>\n Week 12 (Thurs. Nov. 26): Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills<\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t be an NFL regular season without a Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen bought. The Chiefs and Bills have played 10 times since 2020.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The game is technically on Thursday, but it\u2019s a \u201cSunday Night Football\u201d broadcast on NBC.<\/p>\n Mahomes is famously 1-5 versus the Bills in the regular season but he’s 4-0 against Allen and Buffalo in the postseason. Could that trend continue in 2026?<\/p>\n Bills running back James Cook<\/a> rushed for 114 yards and tight end Dalton Kincaid<\/a> tallied six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown last year versus Kansas City<\/a>. Kansas City is going to rely heavily on a rookie draft class of cornerback Mansoor Delane, defensive tackle Peter Woods and edge R Mason Thomas<\/a> to help assist a defensive unit that took a step back a season ago. <\/p>\n The Texans are scheduled to make a return trip to Acrisure Stadium after they ended Pittsburgh\u2019s season in a 30-6 playoff rout last year. The Texans top-ranked defense sacked Aaron Rodgers<\/a> four times, forced the quarterback into two turnovers and limited him to just a 50.8 passer rating.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Houston\u2019s defensive performance overshadowed the team\u2019s lackluster offensive showing.<\/p>\n The Steelers offense figures to be better with the addition of Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a> and offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy, assuming Rodgers returns for a 22nd season. But the Texans defense returns most of its significant playmakers.<\/p>\n Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X\u00a0@TheTylerDragon<\/a>.<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sunday Night Football schedule 2026: 5 must-see games<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/19511e9e139610529379dd97943b9a83.jpeg\"\/)
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