NEW YORK - The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl title last season, making a stunning run with backup quarterback Nick Foles that culminated with a defeat of the New England Patriots in the 52nd edition of the big game.
More than 50 years after their first season as a franchise, the Atlanta Falcons are looking for their own breakthrough, having tasted only bitter disappointment in their two trips to the title matchup.
When the quest to reach Super Bowl LIII begins in earnest, it will be the Eagles and Falcons who kick things off.
Philadelphia will host Atlanta in the opening game of the 2018 NFL season on Sept. 6. Kickoff in the Thursday night game is set for 8:20, and NBC will televise the game. It's a rematch of their NFC divisional-round meeting from last postseason, a 15-10 Eagles win that came down to the final minute at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles went on to demolish the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 for the NFC title before beating the Patriots 41-33 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Vikings were trying to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl at home.
Now that opportunity falls to the Falcons. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017, will host the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, 2019. Regardless of which teams are there, it will be another big event for a facility that is also home to Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC and has already hosted a Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, a Peach Bowl, a Southeastern Conference title game and the College Football Playoff's national championship game.
But the season will start in Philadelphia as the Eagles try to become the first repeat NFL champion since New England in the 2003 and '04 seasons.
The NFL's complete regular-season was released Thursday night. In other notable Week 1 matchups, the Green Bay Packers will host the Chicago Bears in the season's first Sunday night game on Sept. 9, while the Monday night games will feature the New York Jets at the Detroit Lions followed by the Los Angeles Rams at the Oakland Raiders.
The Tennessee Titans open at the Miami Dolphins - it will be their first game under coach Mike Vrabel - and their home opener is Sept. 16 against the Houston Texans. The Titans have three games scheduled for prime time: Monday contests against the Cowboys on Nov. 5 in Dallas and against the Texans in Houston on Nov. 26, plus a Thursday test against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 6.
The Eagles also will play at England's home of soccer when they take on the Jaguars in Week 8 at Wembley Stadium in London.
That's one of four international games this season. The other matchup at Wembley will be the previous week, with the Los Angeles Chargers hosting the Titans. Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium, also in London, will be the site for a Raiders home game on Oct. 14 against the Seattle Seahawks. For the third straight year, the NFL will stage a game in Mexico City: The Rams will host Kansas City in a Week 11 Monday night game.
Thanksgiving will provide a feast of NFC divisional games. The traditional doubleheader in Detroit and Dallas has the Lions playing the Bears in a North battle, followed by the Washington Redskins at the Cowboys in the East. At night, it will be Atlanta visiting the New Orleans Saints for a South showdown.
Other intriguing meetings include the Cleveland Browns, who lost all 16 games last season, hosting their archrival Pittsburgh Steelers on opening day; New England at Jacksonville in a rematch of the AFC title game in Week 2; the Eagles and Vikings in an NFC championship game redux in Philly on Oct. 7; and the Steelers taking on the Patriots in Pittsburgh in Week 15.
Fox, which will televise 11 Thursday night games, begins its package in Week 4 with the Vikings at the Rams. Those contests also will be televised by NFL Network and in Spanish on Fox Deportes. NFL Network has seven exclusive broadcasts.
Flexible scheduling in which a Sunday afternoon game can be switched to the evening because it is a better matchup than the previously planned game will be in use for Weeks 11 through 17. But two Sundays in Weeks 5 through 10 also can have a game flexed to night.
In a new twist, flex scheduling will be used for Saturday games in Weeks 15 and 16.
In Week 15, two games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 15: the Houston Texans at the Jets and the Browns at the Denver Broncos, with game times of 4:30 p.m. EST and 8:20 p.m. EST to be assigned later. In Week 16, two of four possible matchups will be scheduled for Saturday: the Baltimore Ravens at the Chargers, Jacksonville at Miami, the New York Giants at the Indianapolis Colts, or Washington at Tennessee. Start times for Saturday games for Week 15 and 16 will be announced no later than after Week 8, with the contests not chosen for Saturday to be played on Sunday on the 16th weekend.
As usual, no Sunday night game has been scheduled for the last day of the season, Dec. 30. That will be chosen after Week 16 games conclude.
2018 SCHEDULES
Tennessee Titans
Sept. 9 at Miami, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sept. 16 Houston, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sept. 23 at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sept. 30 Philadelphia, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 7 at Buffalo, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Oct. 14 Baltimore, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Oct. 21 at Los Angeles Chargers, 9:30 a.m. (London-CBS)
Oct. 28 BYE
Nov. 5 at Dallas, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Nov. 11 New England, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Nov. 18 at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Nov. 26 at Houston, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 2 New York Jets, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Dec. 6 Jacksonville, 8:20 p.m. (FOX/NFLN)
Dec. 16 at New York Giants, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Dec. 22 or 23 Washington, TBD
Dec. 30 Indianapolis, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Atlanta Falcons
Sept. 6 at Philadelphia, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Sept. 16 Carolina, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sept. 23 New Orleans, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Sept. 30 Cincinnati, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Oct. 7 at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 14 Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 22 New York Giants, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Oct. 28 BYE
Nov. 4 at Washington, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 11 at Cleveland, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 18 Dallas, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 22 at New Orleans, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Dec. 2 Baltimore, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Dec. 9 at Green Bay, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 16 Arizona, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 23 at Carolina, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 30 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. (FOX)