The NFL schedule is out. Teams and the adoring public now know who they will play, when and where.

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There will be nine International Series games that will test the mettle of teams faced with the travel for them. The season starts on a Wednesday, Sept. 9, and there will be games on the 10th, 13th, and 14th in the first week of the season.

What are the best games as NFL 2026 opens its first week and which teams will be tested to the max? Every matchup can't be great so a look, too, at the ones that won't light up many people.

16. Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders, Sept. 13

Fernando Mendoza against Malik Willis or Quinn Ewers can't say this dog of a matchup.

15. New York Jets at Tennessee Titans, Sept. 13

Don't get too excited about Robert Saleh facing his former team as he debuts for Tennessee. How will Geno Smith do as the placeholder until the Jets find an actual franchise QB?

14. Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers, Sept. 13

Will the Bears continue the strides they made last year. It won't be easy, just ask the Washington Commanders who had huge gains in 2024 only to falter in 2025. Carolina looks to continue its upswing and should provide an intriguing test. A matchup of Heisman winners as Caleb Williams duels Bryce Young.

13. Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers, Sept. 13

The Cardinals begin another season with another new coach. This one is Mike LaFleur, who comes over after time as the offensive coordinator of the LA Rams. The Chargers are still under Jim Harbaugh and it will be intriguing to see if the Bolts can improve and make gains on the Denver Broncos. This should be a step in that direction.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals, Sept. 13

Teams that will be looking to improve on 2025 meet in Ohio. Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow is a strong matchup. Both Heisman winners will hope to shred the opposing defenses. Cincinnati tried to address its porous defense through offseason moves. If that unit doesn't improve, this team is in trouble.

11. Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sept. 13

The Falcons get underway with Kevin Stefanski. The Steelers start the Mike McCarthy era. How long will Michael Penix Jr. remained ensconced at QB in Atlanta? And how long will the mystery of whether Aaron Rodgers will play in 2026 drag on? Talk about a soap opera that needs to be canceled.

10. New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions, Sept. 13

Will Dan Campbell fix what ailed the Lions last year. Everything seemed to rosy for the Honolulu Blue but injuries and other factors led to a miserable 2025. If the Saints test or take down Detroit, things could start to get warm for Detroit's beloved coach.

9. Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sept. 13

Another year, another new coach for the Browns. Will they seriously start Deshaun Watson at quarterback? The Jaguars can sit back and wait for the storm around Cleveland to come to town. They should be in good shape for this opener.

8. Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts, Sept. 13

A rare year when Baltimore begins its season with a new coach. Jesse Minter replaces John Harbaugh. He has quite the act to follow. Minter is a defense expert. Will he be able to tune up the Ravens' defense? Daniel Jones had a great first half last year for Indy before being injured and watching the team's season collapse.

7. Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles, Sept. 13

One of two games between NFC East teams. The Commanders hope to stay healthy and look at last year's terrible run as an aberration, as opposed to 2024 being one. How long will it take for there to be unhappiness with Nick Sirianni in Philly?

6. Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, Sept. 13

"Sunday Night Football" starts with one of its favorite matchups. Quarterbacks who played college ball in the Delta State match up with Dak Prescott (Mississippi State) going up against Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss). Malik Nabers had a second surgery recently to clean up more of what was wrong with his knee. Will he be ready for the opener? John Harbaugh sure hopes so.

5. Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings. Sept. 13

The 132nd overall meeting -- including a pair of playoff games -- between these NFC North rivals. The Packers are set at QB with Jordan Love. The Vikings' decision will be in the spotlight with Kyler Murray, JJ McCarthy, and Carson Wentz in Purple. Has Kevin O'Connell already given up on McCarthy?

4. Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, Sept. 14

The reigning AFC West champions pay a visit to the team that dominated the division for years. All eyes on this "Monday Night Football" game will be focused on whether Patrick Mahomes is ready to start. Chances are this could be one of the first television appearances of Taylor Swift as Travis Kelce's wife.

3. Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, Sept. 13

Joe Brady takes over for Sean McDermott in Buffalo. He's the brains behind the Bills' offense. It had better hum with Brady in control. The Texans have a fantastic defense and will provide an enormous test.

2. New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks, Sept. 9

Just what Mike Vrabel needs, a national TV audience against the team that beat his Pats in the Super Bowl. The coach's not-so quiet offseason should make for an interesting listen for what announcer do and don't say.

1. San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams (Australia), Sept. 10 (USA)

A fantastic matchup between top three or top five teams in the NFL. The folks Down Under will be treated to a great rivalry and important early game between NFC West rivals. The best game of a strong lot.

This article originally appeared on The List Wire: NFL opening week schedule

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For years, the conversation around Rutgers athletics has revolved around football Saturdays and the pressure surrounding men’s basketball. Those programs still mattered this season — and still shaped plenty of the national perception around Rutgers sports — but the real story of the year came from just about everywhere else.

This was a year where non-revenue sports carried the department with consistency, postseason success, program-defining moments, and genuine momentum. From women’s lacrosse making noise nationally to gymnastics reaching historic heights, Rutgers athletics quietly put together one of its strongest all-around years in recent memory.

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Starting in the fall, Rutgers men’s soccer took major strides forward, as did volleyball, which was relatively competitive after suffering an awful record a season before. Women’s soccer took an unfortunate step back this year, snapping its long NCAA Tournament streak, but field hockey turned in another strong showing as one of Rutgers’ premier non-revenue sports.

The biggest breakthrough came from Rutgers women’s lacrosse, which punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament and pushed top programs often this season.

Melissa Lehman’s group didn’t just reach the NCAA Tournament — they looked like a program ready to stay there. Rutgers earned an at-large berth, defeated #17 Princeton in the opening round 12-11, and pushed perennial powerhouse Maryland Terrapins in the second round after falling behind early, bowing out 11-8.

More importantly, the Scarlet Knights established an identity. Caroline Ling became one of the best offensive players in program history, Lily Dixon rewrote the assist record books, and Katie Buck dominated draw controls all season long. Rutgers finished with multiple ranked wins and one of the most successful campaigns the program has ever seen.

And unlike some surprise seasons that feel temporary, this one felt sustainable. Young contributors emerged all year, the culture looked established, and Rutgers increasingly resembled a program capable of competing annually in the brutal Big Ten.

Then there was Rutgers gymnastics, which may have had the most quietly historic season of any team on campus.

Rutgers finished the year ranked No. 26 nationally — the highest final ranking in program history — while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. At regionals, the Scarlet Knights advanced past Central Michigan and posted a program NCAA-record score of 196.300.

Under newly appointed full-time head coach Anastasia Candia, the program has rapidly transformed from a team fighting for relevance into one with legitimate national respect. Individual standouts like Gabrielle Dildy and Emily Leese helped elevate the ceiling, but the larger story was consistency. Rutgers gymnastics no longer feels like an underdog story — it feels like a program building long-term legitimacy.

Meanwhile, Rutgers women’s basketball endured another difficult season in the standings, finishing dead last in the Big Ten and winning just one conference game, but what happened in the offseason may end up becoming the more important chapter.

After the program parted ways with Coquese Washington, Keli Zinn brought in Gary Redus from LSU to help the Scarlet Knights right the ship on the hardwood. Redus and his newly assembled coaching staff immediately brought in experienced players and New Jersey talent to reshape the roster and restore energy to the program.

Former Purdue Boilermakers guard Tara Daye, Mississippi State guard Jaylah Lampley, and the “Twin Backcourt” duo of Mia and Mya Pauldo headlined a revamped incoming group, part of a broader effort to modernize and rebuild a team searching for traction in one of the deepest conferences in America.

The wins were limited this season, but the direction suddenly feels different. Rutgers women’s basketball finally looks like a program trying to accelerate the rebuild rather than simply survive it.

Other winter sports that posted strong seasons were swimming and diving, which saw its top divers claim All-American status, and #11 Rutgers wrestling, which posted a 14-5 record overall, upset #6 Minnesota at home, and advanced Hunter Catka and Remy Cotton into the Blood Round.

On the revenue side, both football and men’s basketball delivered seasons that were complicated and disappointing to the Scarlet Knights fanbase but still important to the overall picture of Rutgers Athletics.

Although Rutgers football struggled this season, the Knights were on the wrong end of some razor-thin losses against the usual nemeses in Iowa, Minnesota, and Penn State. The schedule remained unforgiving, but the program still showed flashes of competitiveness and continued working to establish depth and recruiting infrastructure in a rapidly changing college football landscape.

Moreover, Greg Schiano hired Travis Johansen from South Dakota as the program’s new defensive coordinator, which prompted a near-complete coaching overhaul to correct the grave wrongdoings of this past season on the gridiron. The Knights have flipped their players on defense as well, bringing in talent such as Mikey Munn at cornerback, while the offense retains two of its biggest playmakers in Antwan Raymond and KJ Duff.

At the same time, men’s basketball remained one of the most discussed teams around the university. The Scarlet Knights struggled mightily this season, but still flashed their prowess in near-upsets of Michigan State (twice), knocking off Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament, and securing multiple big wins at home over Big Ten competition. They ended the season back in Las Vegas with a loss to Creighton in the College Basketball Crown.

The Scarlet Knights have made major changes to their roster, bringing in talented players from around the country, including Central Connecticut State’s Darin Smith, Manhattan’s Will Syndor, and a pair of centers in Christian Gurdak and Dorin Luca to address Rutgers’ rebounding woes this past year.

Meanwhile, Tariq Francis will return after starring for the Knights all season, as well as Lino Mark, Kaden Powers, Jamichael Davis, and Darren Buchanan Jr. Highly rated recruit Imahri Wooten will also suit up for Rutgers in 2026-27, as Steve Pikiell’s squad looks to bounce back in a major way.

And across the spring sports landscape, Rutgers continued stacking competitive performances. Baseball and softball both battled through difficult conference schedules while continuing to develop talent against elite Big Ten competition. Rowing and track & field are heading to the Big Ten Championships after both programs delivered historic seasons both last and this year, with rowing coming off a win at the Henley Royal Regatta.

The overall athletic department increasingly looked deeper, more competitive, and more nationally visible than it has in years. With Keli Zinn leading a comprehensive NIL and revenue generation program, all Scarlet Knights sports, both revenue and non-revenue, have had more money to attract greater talent.

As spring sports near their end and the university prepares to turn the page to next season, Rutgers fans should know that they have a lot more than just football and men’s basketball to look forward to “On The Banks.”

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