The 2018 NFL season starts soon, the 99th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) will begin with the Kickoff Game on September 6 at 8:20 p.m. EDT. The game will feature the Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons and will be televised on NBC. While many don't understand this sport I've been a big fan since it was first shown regularly on UK Tv (Channel 4) back in the '80s. Can still recall the Bonnie Tyler theme tune ... but I digress, having also been to see games live if you take time to watch the different plays each player has a role and in that respect has similarities to Rugby but of course people just moan about the amount of protection being worn. Hey if you had a 300lb tackle hitting you at speed you soon be reaching for the shoulder pads too. Anyway on with the season, sure helps the weekends and I just wish it was back on one of the UK Free channels as we don't all subscribe to Sky.
Here are the opening Week One fixtures
(the away team is named first as is the tradition in most USA Sports);
Week 1
| GAME | KICK (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, September 06, 2018 | ||
| Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles | 8:20p | NBC |
| Sunday, September 09, 2018 | ||
| Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens | 1:00p | CBS |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns | 1:00p | CBS |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | 1:00p | CBS |
| Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins | 1:00p | FOX |
| San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings | 1:00p | FOX |
| Houston Texans at New England Patriots | 1:00p | CBS |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints | 1:00p | FOX |
| Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants | 1:00p | FOX |
| Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers | 4:05p | CBS |
| Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25p | FOX |
| Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers | 4:25p | FOX |
| Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos | 4:25p | FOX |
| Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers | 8:20p | NBC |
| Monday, September 10, 2018 | ||
| New York Jets at Detroit Lions | 7:10p | ESPN |
| Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders | 10:20p | ESPN |
NFL International Series 2018
This International Series has been a huge success over the past few years and with live TV coverage and packed stadiums can surely only continue to grow the sport further in the UK. There continues to be plenty of talk about the potential for a UK Franchise of our own in the NFL and with Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan trying to buy Wembley Stadium it's surely only a matter of time till this happens. Until then we'll enjoy these games now hosted at Wembley and once they have sorted out their stadium issues hopefully Tottenham Hotspur next season.
Partially owing to the issues with the new Spurs stadium at White Hart Lane the NFL only agreed to three fixtures this year in UK which have been confirmed as follows;
Wembley Stadium
Sunday 14 October 2018
Seattle Seahawks @ Oakland Raiders
Sunday 21 October 2018
Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Chargers
Sunday 28 October 2018
Philadelphia Eagles @ Jacksonville Jaguars
This will be the first time the London games will be played on three consecutive weeks, a move the league has taken to try to streamline their London operations.
The season will then play out at Super Bowl LIII which will be held on February 3 2019 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Who will be there? Can the Eagles defend their title? Can anyone stop New England winning another divisional title, plenty of action, I cannot wait and the games in London are the highlight of my year (unless AFC Wimbledon get promoted lol).
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