FOX Sports revealed its marquee Sunday slate for the 2026 NFL season, unveiling nine games that will anchor the network's flagship "America's Game of the Week" window. The announcement came as part of Thursday's official schedule release.

Six of the matchups pit division rivals against each other, including a rematch of one of last season's epic playoff contests. The slate doesn't include holiday games—the Dallas Cowboys will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day, and the Seattle Seahawks will face the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day, both on FOX.

With Tom Brady, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi now assigned to their broadcast duties for the fall, here are the early storylines to watch in each marquee matchup:

Week 1: Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles

The season opens with two NFC East showdowns. Philadelphia and Washington faced off twice in the final three weeks of last season and are back at it immediately. The Commanders started last year 3-2, then collapsed with a 2-10 record to finish the season.

The critical question: Can a healthy Jayden Daniels recapture the phenomenal form of his 2024 rookie year? Washington's pass defense ranked 31st in average yards per pass play—a glaring vulnerability against an upgraded Eagles receiving corps. Philadelphia likely will be without A.J. Brown but added first-round pick Makai Lemon and veterans Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown.

Watch for running back Saquon Barkley, who has averaged 143 rushing yards in his last three games against Washington, with five combined touchdowns.

Week 2: Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys haven't won more than one playoff game in 30 years, but they own the Commanders. Dallas swept Washington last year and holds an 8-2 record against them since the start of 2021.

Last season, Dak Prescott torched the Commanders for 571 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions. For Washington to approach their 2024 breakthrough, they must compete in division games. Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles will lead the defensive turnaround efforts. The Commanders ranked last in total defense and 31st in the red zone last season.

Week 5: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

The Packers have been a wild-card team three consecutive years and need this home division matchup to chase the Bears for the NFC North title. Last year's meetings at Soldier Field were epic: Caleb Williams rallied from 10 down with two minutes left to win in overtime in the regular season, then engineered another comeback from 11 down with five minutes remaining for a playoff victory.

Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes in Green Bay's win at Lambeau last season. But his production has declined—32 touchdown passes in his first starting year (2023), then 25 and 23 in the last two seasons. Can he find chemistry with second-year receiver Matthew Golden to restore his elite form?

Week 7: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

Detroit's slide from 15-2 in 2024 to 9-8 in 2025 partly stemmed from a complete reversal against Green Bay—going from sweep to swept. The Lions' defense dropped from seventh in points allowed in 2024 to 22nd. Green Bay averaged 29 points in its victories over Detroit.

The Packers' new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon should have Micah Parsons healthy by this point, though starting the season without him could slow Green Bay's start. Detroit's defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike missed all of last season; his return will be crucial as the Lions attempt to field a retooled offensive line.

Week 9: Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots

Tom Brady will call his first Patriots game since joining FOX Sports in 2024. Brady is scheduled for the booth when the Patriots host the Packers in Foxborough—a historic pairing that never aired on FOX during his playing career.

Green Bay lands on "America's Game of the Week" three times in five weeks. New England flipped dramatically from 2024 to last year's breakthrough: the Patriots went 1-4 against NFC teams in 2024, then 5-0 against them in the regular season last year. Brady went just 4-3 against Green Bay in his career—one of his least successful matchups, spanning losses to both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

Drake Maye was especially lethal against NFC opponents last season, throwing 11 touchdown passes against just two interceptions.

Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys

New 49ers receiver Mike Evans is just 1-3 at AT&T Stadium with two touchdowns in four games there. Can his elite playmaking elevate San Francisco's already potent offense? The 49ers ranked fifth in red-zone efficiency and first on third downs last season—and they're chasing history. San Francisco hasn't had a receiver catch 10-plus touchdowns since Terrell Owens in 2002 (tight ends have done so, but no receivers).

Dallas's defense is an alarming liability. The Cowboys allowed 30 points per game last year—the worst scoring defense in the NFL. Rookie safety Caleb Downs will spearhead improvements. Adding to the problem: Dallas recorded just 12 takeaways in all of 2025, the third-lowest total in the league.

Week 12: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

The NFC West features perhaps three of the top eight teams in the NFL. Last year, Seattle bookended the regular season against San Francisco—losing the opener, winning in Week 18, then suffering a 41-6 thrashing in the playoffs.

Seattle's home-field advantage has evaporated. The Seahawks were 34-6 at home from 2012-16 during their "Legion of Doom" heyday, but plummeted to 16-18 at home from 2021-24 before bouncing back with a 6-2 mark (plus two home playoff wins) last season.

Will the NFC West powers beat each other up enough to prevent the division from claiming the NFC's top seed? If the region is to send a team to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years, that team may need to survive as a road warrior in January.

Week 14: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs

Cincinnati's defense is a catastrophe. Over the last two seasons, the Bengals have seven games in which they scored at least 33 points and lost. No other NFL team has more than two such games in the same span.

Cincinnati is swinging for defensive fixes, acquiring defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and importing edge rushers Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen. If they can merely field a top-20 defense, playoff contention is achievable.

Can Patrick Mahomes bounce back healthy? Last season he went 6-8 as a starter and threw only 22 touchdowns—a dramatic decline. Kansas City's rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane should have sufficient experience by this game to test his coverage skills against another LSU standout in Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

Week 17: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

The Ben Johnson Bowl is back. Chicago went 11-6 and won the division last year despite Johnson getting swept by his former team, including a 52-21 drubbing in Week 2 in Detroit.

This matchup carries major playoff implications for both the division and conference. Watch for Chicago's two second-year pass-catchers to emerge: tight end Colston Loveland led the team in receptions as a rookie last year, and receiver Luther Bolden broke out in the final month of his first season.

The quarterback duel is compelling. Detroit's Jared Goff threw 34 touchdowns last year, while Chicago's Caleb Williams threw 27—a close contest heading into 2026.