We know the most important date, and one of the teams involved. That's Sept. 6, when the NFL season begins in Philadelphia, with a prime-time game starring the defending champion Eagles. What we don't yet know is how the rest of the NFL schedule will shake out, with the exception of three compelling games in England.
But we do now know the full schedule will be released Thursday night during a two-hour prime-time special on NFL Network. (As usual, the league is announcing its schedule before the NFL draft, because it doesn't want to detract from that event. This year's draft begins on April 26.)
The Thursday night schedule release show, hosted by Scott Hanson, will also reveal the highly anticipated slate of Thursday night Fox games, although more scheduling nuggets are likely to dribble out in the 24 hours before that program.
Until we have specifics, here's a look at the opponents each team will face in 2018, at home and on the road, plus one game we're most looking forward to for every team. But first, five games you absolutely, positively must not miss. Clearly, these may change once we add "when" to the "who" and "where."
- Vikings at Eagles: The underdog Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl with a convincing 38-7 NFC championship game victory over Minnesota, depriving the Vikings of a Super Bowl home game. Nick Foles passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns against a Minnesota defense that allowed just 15.8 points per game. For the rematch, again in Philly, Minnesota should trot out new quarterback Kirk Cousins in what may well be the league's season opener.
- 49ers at Rams: These teams served notice that they could be the future of the NFC West in their Week 3 meeting last fall. They combined for 80 points and 839 total yards in that game, as the 49ers, down 41-26 midway through the fourth quarter, nearly pulled off the comeback before falling, 41-39. Coaches Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay remain two of the most dynamic young offensive minds in the league.
- Patriots at Steelers: The two long-standing powers met in what was one of the best games of the 2017 season, with New England winning on the correctly enforced but utterly inscrutable catch rule that was, mercifully, revamped in the offseason. Tom Brady, who went on to win the MVP award, rallied New England for 11 unanswered points over the final eight minutes.
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- Packers at Patriots: Is it fair to list the Patriots twice? Yes, if Brady, at 41, is still healthy. Besides, how often do you get to see Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers in a head-to-head matchup? Answer: Not bloody often. (Their last meeting, to be precise, came in November 2014, when the Packers won, 26-21, at Lambeau Field.) Brace yourself for the interminable and intensifying lead-up debates about which quarterback is the GOAT, assuming both are healthy.
- Rams at Chargers: The NFL is back in L.A., so this all-L.A. matchup has to be a very big game, right? (Honorable mention to the Raiders' season opener, featuring the return of Jon Gruden to the sideline, after nearly a decade in the ESPN broadcast booth.)
Bonus: The London games are not to be sneezed at. The Seahawks play the Raiders on Oct. 14 at the new Tottenham stadium; the Eagles play the Jaguars on Oct. 21 or 28 at Wembley Stadium; and the Titans face the Chargers on Oct. 21 or 28, also at Wembley.
AFC EAST
New England Patriots
Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings.
Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans.
Games we can't wait for: It will be must-see when the Patriots play the Steelers in a rematch of their 2017 regular-season game (won 27-24 by the Pats); and when they face the Jaguars in an AFC title game replay (won 24-20 by New England). Then there's the aforementioned Green Bay showdown. We declare a three-way tie.
Buffalo Bills
Home: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans.
Away: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings.
Game we can't wait for: The Bills promise to be interesting, but we're looking forward to the first matchup against the Patriots. Buffalo figures to still be salty over the Kelvin Benjamin touchdown catch that was overturned during the NFL's Great 2017 Season of Just What Is a Catch Anyway.
Miami Dolphins
Home: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans.
Away: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings.
Game we can't wait for: The Dolphins haven't been to Lambeau Field since October 2010, a game they won. And don't expect this to be scheduled for late in the season. Only two of the team's six trips to the frozen tundra have been in November or December.
New York Jets
Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings.
Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans.
Game we can't wait for: The Browns and Jets are both likely to use high draft picks on quarterbacks later this month. Maybe, just maybe, this will be a marquee matchup of two touted youngsters.
[Tired of politics, NFL wants to get back to what it does best: Selling football]
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh Steelers
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots.
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Game we can't wait for: The first game against the Bengals will be emotional after linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a serious back injury in last season's early December game.
Baltimore Ravens
Home: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Away: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans.
Game we can't wait for: The Bengals knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs on a 49-yard pass from Andy Dalton to Tyler Boyd with 44 seconds left on New Year's Eve in Baltimore. The season's first rematch, whether in Baltimore or Cincinnati, should be … interesting (even with Vontaze Burfict off serving a four-game suspension).
Cincinnati Bengals
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers.
Game we can't wait for: There will be lots of new personnel on the sidelines (Jon Gruden anyone?) but you know — you just know — a Bengals-Raiders game will be chippy.
Cleveland Browns
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets.
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Games we can't wait for: Actually, all of them. Seriously. The Browns have been revamped under General Manager John Dorsey and will continue to overhaul the roster with 17 kabillion draft picks. The key here is to watch the late-season games, as players get used to each other. Are we about to be living in a world in which the Browns show promise?
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AFC SOUTH
Jacksonville Jaguars
Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins.
Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants.
Game we can't wait for: The road game against the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J. — the Tom Coughlin bowl — will match a tough defense against a Giants team that was a mess in 2017. Could get ugly.
Jaguars Coach Doug Marrone and executive Tom Coughlin, in January. (Bob Mack/The Florida Times-Union via AP)Tennessee Titans
Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins.
Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants.
Games we can't wait for: The Titans swept the Jaguars last year. Think it'll happen again?
Indianapolis Colts
Home: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants.
Away: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins.
Game we can't wait for: Robert Griffin III is long gone from Washington, set to take on the backup role in Baltimore; will Andrew Luck, who was taken ahead of RGIII in the 2012 draft, be ready to play when the Colts face the Redskins?
Houston Texans
Home: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills,
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