The NFL just gave fans a big present. On Wednesday morning, the league revealed the schedule for the first week of the 2021 regular season. This comes just hours before the NFL will reveal the full schedule of the 2021 campaign.
The game that stands out is the one that will kick off the season on Thursday, September 9. Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Dallas Cowboys on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET. Along with the Buccaneers looking to defend their title, the biggest storyline is Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott making his return after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 of the 2020 season.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Are you ready for Week 1?!
Week 1 tickets are now available! https://t.co/mjp9JMwBpM
📺: #NFLScheduleRelease — TONIGHT (8pm ET) on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/t9OxqLKseW
— NFL (@NFL) May 12, 2021
“He looks great. He really does,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Friday on the Rich Eisen Show per Heavy.com. “He’s in here every day; I can’t say enough about the progress he’s made. All of us, there’s different thresholds you have to get over when you’re coming back from anything, and you can see his ability now to throw within the perimeter group. He’s taken a bunch of steps and looks great. We’re excited, and I think he’ll pick up where he left off.”
There will be a full slate of games on Sunday, September 12, and one of the premier games on that day will be the Green Bay Packers vs. the New Orleans Saints, which will kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox. The Saints will have a new quarterback after Drew Brees announced his retirement earlier this year. But the Packers could be playing with a new quarterback as Aaron Rodgers reportedly said he’s not returning to the team as he’s frustrated with management. Could fans possibly see Jordan Love vs. Taysom Hill?
The Sunday night game will be the Chicago Bears vs. the Los Angeles Rams on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Bears and Rams have two of the top defenses in the NFL, but the quarterbacks will be on display, the Rams traded for former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford earlier this year while the Bears signed Andy Dalton but also drafted Justin Fields.
To end the first week of the 2021 season, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders. This will be the first home game for the Raiders where fans will be able to attend. Last year the Raiders announced no fans are allowed at the new Allegiant Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
