With the 2026 NFL schedules now officially out, we do know where and when teams will play all throughout the regular season. It's a huge marker of any offseason, as the NFL has found a way to also market the schedule release and make it a bit of an event.
The league is also constantly kicking it up a notch with primetime games. It seems like there's a game scheduled for every single day of the week. We're not quite there yet, but it might not be too far away at this point.
To further celebrate the NFL schedule release, let's dive into some way-too-early picks and score predictions for every single game in Week 1.
Early NFL picks and score predictions for every single Week 1 game for 2026
Wednesday, September 9th, 8:20 PM ET
New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks
In a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, the Patriots visit the Seahawks, and what we saw in that Super Bowl game was not some one-off result. Seattle is every bit of a juggernaut, but New England seemed to be benefiting from an easy schedule. Seattle gets this game at home and won't skip a beat, beating New England by two scores.
Prediction: Seahawks win 24-14
Thursday, September 10th, 8:35 PM ET
San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
In a fun NFC West matchup to begin the season, two geniuses in Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay square off. The Rams have the better team and should be able to take care of business, but it always seems like the Shanahan-McVay matchups end up being decided by three points.
Prediction: Rams win 23-20
Sunday, September 13th, 1:00 PM ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cincinnati Bengals
The new-look Bengals defense should be at least average in 2026, and the offense, as we all know, is electric. Cincinnati should take care of business here against a 'good not great' Buccaneers roster.
Prediction: Bengals win 28-20
Sunday, September 13th, 1:00 PM ET
New Orleans Saints @ Detroit Lions
There will be some spoilers in Week 1, as teams are still figuring themselves out - there will be some upsets and some results that we look back on later in the season and wonder how that even happened. The Saints are a frisky team and will shock some people in 2026. They'll get the best of the Lions in a result that could leave us shaking our heads,
Prediction: Saints win 27-23
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