The wait for Sunday night continues, but we now know what to look forward to. With the NFL's release of the full 2026 regular season schedule, we have the entire "Sunday Night Football" slate to sink our teeth into. In all, there will be 18 games in the primetime window that'll cap off our Sundays throughout the fall.
Early Season Highlights
Week 1: The Sunday Night Football opener kicks off with an NFC East showdown as the Dallas Cowboys face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Cowboys will be a popular staple in this window, appearing on Sunday night three times, tying them with the Kansas City Chiefs for the most in the NFL.
Week 11: The NFL heads abroad as the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers square off in Mexico City.
Ranking the Sunday Night Matchups
Below is the complete "Sunday Night Football" slate ranked from least compelling to most compelling:
17. Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers (Week 4)
We have two NFC playoff hopefuls wrapping up the first month of the regular season. The Panthers are coming off an NFC South-winning season in 2025, and they'll be looking to carry that momentum into this season as they continue to build around Bryce Young. Meanwhile, the Lions will be looking to get back on track after missing the postseason a year ago. It's not the flashiest of matchups, but there will be star power at the skill positions with Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Tetairoa McMillan on the field.
16. Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta Falcons (Week 5)
Whenever you get Lamar Jackson under the "Sunday Night Football" lights, it's going to draw eyeballs. The questions come from the home team with the Atlanta Falcons. How their quarterback battle shakes out between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. will determine whether this game remains at the bottom tier or vaults higher. If one of them takes the job and runs with it, the Falcons suddenly have a quarterback who can maximize the loaded talent they have at the skill positions. That turns this matchup into a potential track meet.
Outside of what happens under center for Atlanta, this game features Kevin Stefanski (former head coach of the Browns) squaring off against a Baltimore team that he's familiar with after coaching in the AFC North, along with a top-tier running back bout between Derrick Henry and Bijan Robinson.
15. Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 13)
This is a playoff rematch from Wild Card Weekend, but that game was hardly entertaining. Back in January, the Texans demolished the Steelers to the tune of a 30-6 win in Pittsburgh. Houston dropped 23 points in the fourth quarter to advance to the divisional round.
On paper, this should be a late-season matchup between two playoff hopefuls in the AFC. However, we currently don't know if Aaron Rodgers will even be Pittsburgh's quarterback as he's still unsigned. If he doesn't sign, we're looking at Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, or rookie Drew Allar as the Steelers options. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud struggled mightily during the playoffs last season, and if those issues rear their head in 2026, Houston's season could be upside down by then.