Five best ‘SNF’ games for 2026 NFL season: Cowboys-Giants, Broncos-Rams, Chiefs-Seahawks headline top matchups

Fans have been waiting for months, but they’ll have to wait a few more for “Sunday Night Football” on NBC. 

The NFL doesn’t kick off its regular season until Sept. 9, but at least they can now plan their falls accordingly after the league released its schedule on Thursday night. 

With that in mind, here’s a look at the five best “SNF” games for the upcoming season. Rankings are in chronological order.

Take a gander at the “SNF” slate below before perusing the list. All games are scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET. 

Football Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (Sept. 13)

The NFC East teams missed the playoffs last season, but each may challenge the Philadelphia Eagles for the division crown after significant offseason improvements. As of Thursday, DraftKings Sportsbook gives the Cowboys +225 odds to win the division and the Giants +600 odds. 

The Cowboys selected Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs with pick No. 11 in the 2026 NFL Draft to improve their 32nd-ranked scoring defense (30.1 points per game). The two-time first-team All-American made a strong impression at rookie minicamp. 

“[Downs] is what we thought,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said May 1, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “The person, elite. The intelligence, elite.”

New York, meanwhile, hired former Baltimore Ravens HC John Harbaugh, a one-time Super Bowl champion. Giants second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart could be poised to break out under his new HC, who’s already praising the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist. 

“One of the many great things about Jaxson Dart is he does so many things well. He can live in many different worlds,” Harbaugh said at the annual league meetings in Arizona in March. “I’m not sure what he really can’t do.” 

Football Week 3: Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos (Sept. 27)

The Broncos and Rams were both one game away from the Super Bowl last season. Denver lost 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game after QB Bo Nix broke his right ankle in a 33-30 divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills. The Rams, meanwhile, lost to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game. 

Both teams are in position to make it to the big game this season after each made a blockbuster trade this offseason. The Rams acquired cornerback Trent McDuffie, a 2023 first-team All-Pro, in a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos obtained wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, a 2021 first-round pick, from the Miami Dolphins.

Denver has more questions offensively, despite the Waddle trade. The Broncos may not be in a position to optimize Waddle if Nix (25 touchdown passes in 2025, tied for No. 9 in the NFL) isn’t 100 percent at the beginning of the season. The QB underwent a second ankle surgery in April, but head coach Sean Payton insists he’ll be ready for training camp in July at the latest. 

The Rams have few offensive concerns. L.A. QB Matthew Stafford won league MVP last season after tossing a league-leading 46 TD passes during the regular season. 

Football Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks (Oct. 25)

This matchup could be a potential revenge game for running back Kenneth Walker III. The RB ran for 135 yards on 27 carries in the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots, winning the game’s MVP, but the NFC West team let him walk in free agency. He signed a three-year, $43.05M deal with the Chiefs.

Seahawks CB Coby Bryant is pumped to play his former teammate. The DB called out Walker on X after the schedule release.  

Bryant has plenty of reason to feel confident that he’ll stop Walker. The Seahawks boast an elite defense that ranked third in the league in rushing yards allowed (93 yards per game) last season. 

Football Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders (Nov. 1)

What happened to Commanders QB Jayden Daniels during the 2025 season? After winning 2024 OROY, the QB battled knee, hamstring and elbow issues, tanking his highly anticipated second season. The former LSU Tigers star tossed eight TD passes in seven games last season after throwing 25 in 17 in 2024. 

Daniels needs a rebound year in 2026 to avoid becoming a potential one-hit wonder for Washington. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, isn’t under as much pressure as Daniels, but his stock may be trending down. 

After winning a Super Bowl during the 2024 season, the QB completed 64.8 percent of his passes last season, the third-worst mark of his six-year career. The accuracy issues may tie to the QB’s reported unwillingness to change the offense.

Plus, Hurts has likely played his last season with WR A.J. Brown, turning up the heat for the QB. The Eagles are expected to trade the three-time Pro Bowler to the Patriots on or after June 1. 

A divisional win in the middle of the season would be big for either QB.

Football Week 14: Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers (Dec. 13)  

Both clubs are facing a dreaded question heading into the 2026 season: If this isn’t the year we win a Super Bowl, when? 

The Packers traded two first-round picks to the Cowboys last season for defensive end Micah Parsons but failed to advance past the wild-card round for a second straight season. Even more concerning for Green Bay is that Parsons — who suffered an ACL tear in December 2025 — may not be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season.

Parsons should be good to go for Week 14, but if the injury is hampering him, Green Bay’s championship chances could dwindle. 

The Bills are hoping new HC Joe Brady gets them over the hump in the playoffs. They still haven’t reached the Super Bowl with QB Josh Allen, a perennial MVP candidate who’s entering his ninth season. 

Both teams are clearly championship contenders in 2026, but their Super Bowl windows may be on the verge of closing. This late-season matchup could determine which is closer to reaching the pinnacle in pivotal seasons for each franchise.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.