NFL Week 1 schedule: Kickoff times, TV info, matchup breakdowns
Steelers at Browns
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl)
The matchup: Expectations are high and the Steelers won’t be satisfied with just a return trip to the AFC title game. RB Le’Veon Bell was injured in that game and didn’t participate in camp because of a contract squabble. He’s playing under the franchise tag and remains one of the NFL’s most dynamic players. Bell, QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown form a trio as good as any around the league, and the passing game should be even more dangerous with the return of WR Martavis Bryant from a year-long suspension. ... The Browns see going 1-15 last season as a painful yet important piece of their rebuilding plan But this year’s team has the No. 1 overall pick, DE Myles Garrett, will miss the game with an ankle injury and rookie QB DeShone Kizer is starting.
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Cardinals at Lions
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin)
The matchup: After a 7-8-1 record followed three winning seasons, two playoff berths and one division title in coach Bruce Arians’ first four years, there is a renewed urgency for the Cardinals as QB Carson Palmer and WR Larry Fitzgerald inch closer to retirement. Quick contributions from two top rookie defenders, LB Haason Reddick and S Budda Baker, could be key. ... The Lions turn their focus to trying to reach consecutive postseasons for the first time since 1994-95. They must pick up where they left off in early December, when coach Jim Caldwell’s club was 9-4 before QB Matthew Stafford dislocated his right middle finger and they lost four in a row to end the season.
Jaguars at Texans
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Andrew Catalon, James Lofton)
The matchup: After briefly being benched by coach Doug Marrone, Blake Bortles appears ready for redemption. The Jaguars haven’t won a season opener since 2011 and haven’t won on the road in Week 1 in 13 years. ... It has been an emotional few weeks for the Texans as the team and the city of Houston have dealt with Hurricane Harvey. Their final preseason game vs. the Cowboys was canceled so the players could return home to their families. Now, they get a chance to lift the city. QB Tom Savage takes the reins with rookie Deshaun Watson waiting in the wings.
Raiders at Titans
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
The matchup: Oakland is a threat to win every week with coach Jack Del Rio and QB Derek Carr looking for WRs Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree downfield. The Raiders won on the road in New Orleans to open their 12-4 campaign last season and never looked back, starting 10-2. ... There’s a new buzz in Nashville around the Titans and a growing belief the team will finally find its way back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. After going 9-7 in 2016, the Titans are poised to make a push for the AFC South title.
Eagles at Redskins
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber, Kristina Pink)
The matchup: After a disappointing last-place finish in the NFC East, the Eagles are banking on a potentially championship-caliber defense, led by DT Fletcher Cox and S Malcolm Jenkins, and two big-time additions to the offense, WRs Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. ... Here we go again with the Redskins: QB Kirk Cousins playing for a contract, the running game a mess, questions about the defense. It’s the Redskins’ usual turmoil. And yet Cousins is coming off a franchise-record 4,917-yard passing season, LT Trent Williams leads a stable offensive line, WR Terrelle Pryor is a big play waiting to happen.
Ravens at Bengals
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Melanie Collin)
The matchup: The Ravens had to remake their offensive line on the fly in August, and QB Joe Flacco is coming back after missing the last five weeks. The Ravens think they have upgraded both their pass rush and their secondary. ... The Bengals got younger and faster in the offseason. WR A.J. Green and TE Tyler Eifert should return to form after battling injuries last season and help QB Andy Dalton, and rookie RB Joe Mixon gives the running game more pop. The defense starts the season without injured S Shawn Williams and two suspended players, CB Adam Jones and LB Vontaze Burfict.
Falcons at Bears
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis, Pam Oliver)
The matchup: On paper, the Falcons improved with first-round DE Takk McKinley and veteran DT Dontari Poe joining OLB Vic Beasley and DT Grady Jarrett to potentially provide the additional disruption Atlanta desperately needed in the Super Bowl. Returning are No. 1 CB Desmond Trufant, who missed the final 10 games last season because of a torn pectoral muscle, and one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history with MVP Matt Ryan, all-pro WR Julio Jones and Pro Bowl RB Devonta Freeman, who was cleared last week from concussion protocol after missing much of the preseason. . . . The Bears, one of the most injury-ravaged teams in the NFL last season, lost top WR Cam Meredith to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, crushing a thin position with Alshon Jeffery gone and Kevin White essentially starting over after only playing in four games in his first two seasons. New starting QB Mike Glennon and embattled coach John Fox will have a healthy run game, headed by the NFL’s second-leading rusher, Jordan Howard, and an ascending defense. Chicago has a new secondary with CBs Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper and safeties Quintin Demps and fourth-round rookie Eddie Jackson.
Jets at Bills
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, Steve Tasker)
The matchup: After plummeting from 10-6 to 5-11, the Jets jettisoned several aging veterans and are in total rebuild mode. There could be a dozen new starters in the lineup for the opener, with eight of them in either their first or second seasons. Despite the youth movement, coach Todd Bowles has chosen journeyman QB Josh McCown to run the offense after second-year QB Christian Hackenberg bombed out and Bryce Petty was injured in preseason. ... Under rookie head coach Sean McDermott, Buffalo also is building for the future and could field a dozen new starters, but third-year starter Tyrod Taylor appears ready after being cleared from concussion protocol. McDermott is hoping a switch to a 4-3 alignment will boost a Bills defense that slipped from fourth overall in 2014 to 19th in each of Rex Ryan’s two seasons as head coach.
Colts at Rams
TV: Sunday, 4:05, CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts. Evan Washburn)
The matchup: The Colts will open the season without injured QB Andrew Luck. QB Scott Tolzien appears most likely be his replacement, but recent acquisition Jacoby Brissett could be another option if Luck can’t go. The last time Indianapolis went into a season without its starter, in 2011, the Peyton Manning-less Colts were surprisingly competitive in a three-point loss to the Steelers. These Colts have nowhere near the firepower of the Manning teams and will have to rely on aging RB Frank Gore and a young receiving corps led by T.Y. Hilton. ... Is Rams QB Jared Goff ready to take the first step toward NFL stardom? Or is he the next JaMarcus Russell? Goff has a new weapon in WR Sammy Watkins, who didn’t make much of a preseason impact. Just as important is getting RB Todd Gurley and the ground game back on course after a frustrating 2016 season. The Rams will be without their best player, DT Aaron Donald, who sat out the preseason because of a contract dispute. He returned to the team Saturday but will not play in the opener.
Seahawks at Packers
TV: Sunday, 4:25, Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews)
The matchup: The Seahawks added all-pro DT Sheldon Richardson, so there shouldn’t be many defensive question marks. The big question on offense will be up front. At least QB Russell Wilson is healthy, which wasn’t the case for most of last season. . . . As long as QB Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers will contend. The only defense that has been able to keep him out of the Super Bowl is … well, Green Bay’s. The Packers will be without WR Geronimo Allison, who came on late last season but is suspended for the opener.
Panthers at 49ers
TV: Sunday, 4:25, Fox (Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman, Peter Schrager)
The matchup: QB Cam Newton’s partially torn right rotator cuff was repaired in March, but coach Ron Rivera and team officials spent their first two picks on college playmakers in RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Curtis Samuel. ... The 49ers are coming off a 2-14 year but appear to be trending upward under rookie coach Kyle Shanahan and first-year GM John Lynch. Two primary concerns: Can the back end on defense hold up vs. the pass and will journeyman QB Brian Hoyer generate enough points?
Giants at Cowboys
TV: Sunday, 8:30, NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya)
The matchup: For an offense that included high-level talents QB Eli Manning and WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York’s was unproductive last season, ranking 25th in the NFL in total offense and 26th in scoring. It didn’t look any better in the preseason as the first unit scored only one touchdown. ... The defending NFC East champion Cowboys have confidence and one of the NFL’s most potent offenses, and, at least for this week, one of their top weapons. RB Ezekiel Elliott, still facing a suspension stemming from a domestic-violence accusation.
Saints at Vikings
TV: Monday, 7:10, ESPN (Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters)
The matchup: New Orleans is trying to reverse a disturbing losing trend, and the fates of QB Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton could hang in the balance. Payton and GM Mickey Loomis made it an offseason priority to upgrade a historically inept defense. If Brees and the offense remain productive and the defense does its job, the Saints could make noise in the NFC South, which has sent Atlanta and Carolina to the Super Bowl the last two seasons. ... It’s the polar opposite in Minnesota, where coach Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman sought to improve a punchless offense to complement an elite defense. That’s why RB Adrian Peterson waws released. They also signed free agents RB Latavius Murray and Ts Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers and drafted RB Dalvin Cook and C Pat Elflein. Those moves were done in response to a season-ending 3-8 freefall after a 5-0 start.
Chargers at Broncos
TV: Monday, 10:20, ESPN (Beth Mowins, Rex Ryan)
The matchup: It’s a new start for the Chargers with a new head coach, Anthony Lynn, and a new city. But there is a lot of the old, highlighted by QB Philip Rivers and TE Antonio Gates, who have been teammates for 13 seasons. WR Tyrell Williams caught 69 passes for 1,059 yards last season, and WR Keenan Allen is healthy for now after playing a total of nine games the last two seasons. Hunter Henry is an emerging talent at tight end along with RB Melvin Gordon. New defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has changed the scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and he expects DEs Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram to get after the quarterback consistently. ...RB C.J. Anderson is back from a knee injury that cost him nine games in 2016. RB Devontae Booker (wrist) won’t be available to start the season, but former Chief Jamaal Charles will be.
Times p.m., Eastern. Contributing: Brian Allee-Walsh, Arthur Arkush, Howard Balzer, Andy Friedlander, Scott Johnson, Jordan Godwin, Zac Jackson, Scott Pitoniak
PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 1