NFL season primer 2025: Things fans should know entering Week 1, including notable games, new rules, and more

The 2025 NFL season begins Thursday while the defending champion of the Super Bowl Philadelphia Eagles welcomes the Dallas Cowboys during the annual launch match of the League. The Eagles seek to repeat themselves as champions of the Super Bowl, trying to become the ninth team (Steelers did it twice) in the history of the NFL to accomplish the feat.

This season for the NFL will be exciting, even if there are not as many historical changes as the past years. The “tash push” remained and the kick -off rule was slightly modified, and the league even launched its own version of the “City Edition” jerseys for eight teams this year. Oh, and there is also a tripleheader of games at Christmas. The League has found a new television partner and other international games in different countries to come.

For all that you need to know about the 2025 NFL season, here is a directive to follow with all the changes made and the new calendar:

New rules

The NFL installed some rules during the offseason, including a modification of the dynamic rule of the kick -off established last season. The League wants to promote more kick -off feedback in 2025 in the future.

Here are the rule changes for 2025:

Dynamic kick -off changes

• Modification of the alignment requirements to receive team players in the configuration area so that they can have a maximum of three players in the configuration area not on the restraint line, but never more than one player in each of the three areas of the configuration area bordered by the key and inbound lines.
• Change the dead ball stain after an online touch of 35 yards if the ball lands in the goal area and is shot in the goals area by the reception team or leaves the limits behind the reception team’s goal. The previous place was on the 30 yards line.
• Allow the teams to declare a kick at any time during a match as long as they drag their opponent, as opposed to the fourth quarter.

New extension rules for the regular season

• The NFL teams adopted to align the rules of qualifying and regular season series by granting the two teams the opportunity to own the ball, regardless of the result of the first possession, subject to a period of 10 minutes in extension in the regular season. The two teams will have possession in the regular season.
• The period of extension of the playoffs will remain at 15 minutes.

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Rivalry jerseys

Nike and NFL announced a uniform program “Rivalries”, similar to “City Edition” jerseys in NBA or “City Connect” jerseys in MLB. The new designs are intended for home teams when they play a divisional opponent and are only worn once a season.

AFC West and the NFC West are the first two divisions to start uniforms of “rivalries”. After their beginnings in the field, the uniforms of “rivalries” will be included in the uniform range of their team for three years, in addition to the existing alternative uniforms. Additional “rivalries” uniforms will make its debut during seasons 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Here is when the “rivalries” uniforms will be worn this season. You can See the 2025 conceptions here::

Vacation games

The NFL will have its typical holiday games in Thanksgiving this year, having three vacation games (which has been the case since 2006). The match at 12:30 p.m. (the Detroit match) was moved at 1 p.m., because the league wanted to have the same match hours as the Sunday on vacation calendar.

For the sixth consecutive year, the NFL will organize matches on Christmas Day – which falls on a Thursday. Since Christmas has been a Thursday, the League will have a Christmas triplehead for the first time – afternoon matches on Netflix and the night game on Prime Video.

The League will also hold a Black Friday match for the third consecutive year.

Thanksgiving Games

Black Friday match

Christmas games

International games

The League will hold seven record international games this season, including the first regular season games in Ireland and Spain. The Brazil match, played in Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, is also back and will be played in week 1 on Friday.

There will also be three games in London and one in Germany. Here is the international calendar:

• Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs in Los Angeles Loaders (Sao Paulo, Brazil) – Fri., September 5, 8 p.m. (YouTube)
• Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers (Dublin, Ireland) – Sun., September 28, 9:30 am (NFL Network)
• Week 5: Minnesota Vikings in Cleveland Browns (London, England) – Sun., October 5, 9:30 am (NFL Network)
• Week 6: Denver Broncos in New York Jets (London, England) – Sun., October 12, 9:30 am (NFL Network)
• Week 7: Los Angeles Rams in Jacksonville Jaguars (London, England) – Sun., October 19, 9:30 am (NFL Network)
• Week 10: Atlanta Falcons to Indianapolis Colts (Berlin, Germany) – Sun, November 9, 9:30 am (NFL Network)
• Week 11: Washington commanders at Miami Dolphins (Madrid, Spain) – Sun., November 16, 9:30 am (NFL Network)

Summary of the television contract

The NFL has several television partners while the League enters the third year of an 11 -year television contract. Here are the highlights of the television agreement, for those who forgot:

• Sunday afternoon matches are divided between CBS and Fox. The two networks will continue to wear the AFC and NFC on Sunday afternoon packages with CBS with AFC and Fox having the NFC. CBS and Fox will each have 10 Sunday doublesheaders, the two networks broadcast them in the weeks 15 and 18. Fox has the Thanksgiving game at the start of Thanksging while CBS has the Thanksgiving match at the end of the afternoon. Fox also has the rights to a double-headed Saturday during week 16 on December 20. CBS has the possibility of a television program on Nickelodeon, but did not announce a match for 2025.
• NBC has “Sunday Night Football” and the Thanksgiving match. Peacock again obtains an exclusive match, a match to determine the week 17 on Saturday 27 December – which will be a Saturday evening match.
• ESPN has “Monday Night Football” and the DoubleHerader of the week 18 The last Saturday of the regular season. Four matches “Monday Night Football” and the Saturday Doubleheader will be Simulcasts ESPN / ABC. ESPN will broadcast a traditional double header “Monday Night Football” on September 15 (week 2) and October 20 (week 7) – Picking up a match that was initially planned for ESPN +. September 29 (week 4) and October 13 (week 6), will offer a double -header shared with two “Monday Night Football” games broadcast at the same time on ABC and ESPN. At least 10 “Monday Night Football” games and the Saturday Doubleheader will be simultaneously on ESPN and ABC.
• NFL Network will broadcast the games of the international series in Europe and the afternoon matches on Saturday in the week 17.
• Amazon Prime Video “Thursday Night Football” and the annual Black Friday match.

Calfing of the playoffs

The four broadcast partners will be broadcast at least one match in the Wild Card Round, CBS and Fox broadcasting a Wild Card AFC and NFC game. NBC will broadcast the Sunday evening match while ESPN will broadcast the match on Monday evening in the round of the Jokers. Amazon Prime Video will also have a joker game. Fox will also broadcast a second Jokers match, part of a rotation with CBS and NBC (CBS had two joker games last season).

CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox each have a divisional tour while CBS broadcasts the AFC and Fox championship match the NFC championship match. NBC has the Super Bowl LX.

The Wild Card Round will be played from January 10 to 12, with two games on Saturday, three Sundays and one Monday. The division tour is scheduled from January 17 to 18, with two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. The AFC championship match and the NFC championship match took place on January 25. Super Bowl Lix is ​​February 8 (New Orleans).