NFL 2026 schedule & key fixtures: Start date, play-offs, Super Bowl 61 & Christmas games

American football is a big part of the holidays in the US and Thanksgiving week now features five games while there is again a triple-header on Christmas Day.

The NFL will play its first game on Thanksgiving Eve as the Rams, who feature in a league-high seven prime-time games, host the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, 25 November.

That’s followed by a Thanksgiving triple-header on Thursday, 26 November, which begins with two divisional match-ups as Detroit host the Chicago Bears (18:00 GMT) and the Dallas Cowboys welcome the Philadelphia Eagles (21:25 GMT).

Then provided Patrick Mahomes makes a smooth return from injury, the star quarterback will renew his rivalry with Josh Allen as Kansas City visit Buffalo (01:20 GMT Friday).

For the fourth straight year, the Thanksgiving slate concludes with a Black Friday clash on 27 November as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Denver Broncos.

That is one of 17 games to be streamed on Amazon Prime, which include the Houston Texans at Philadelphia on Christmas Eve, plus the Baltimore Ravens at the Cincinnati Bengals on New Year’s Eve.

Netflix will stream five games, including two on Christmas Day, when Chicago host divisional rivals Green Bay (18:00 GMT) before Denver welcome Buffalo (21:30 GMT).

The festive triple-header concludes with a repeat of last season’s epic NFC Championship game, as Seattle host the Rams (01:15 GMT, 26 December).