Thursday is a national holiday for football fans everywhere as the NFL is set to release the official 2016 schedule at 8 p.m. ET. We already know the opponents and game location for the 32 teams, but very soon we’ll finally be able to know the exact time and date of every matchup.
NFL schedule release 2016: Time, TV schedule and how to live stream the announcement
It’s almost here. Everything you need to know to watch the NFL schedule release on Thursday night.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Who will the defending champion Denver Broncos host to open the season? When is the Super Bowl 50 rematch between the Broncos and Carolina Panthers? Who will play the Rams in the first game in Los Angeles since 1994? When will your favorite team be on Monday Night Football? All these questions will be revealed in just a couple hours.
Even though the schedule hasn’t come out yet, there are a few games that we already know about. In addition to the traditional game hosted by last year’s Super Bowl winner on the Thursday night of Kickoff Weekend, there are also four games in the International Series which have been set.
Three of those games will take place in London -- Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, New York Giants vs. Rams in Week 7 and Washington vs. Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8 -- while the other matchup pits the Houston Texans against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City in Week 11.
We'll also get more clarity on how difficult or easy a team's road to the Super Bowl looks on paper. According to the strength of schedule rankings based on last year's win-loss records, the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers have the toughest schedules while the Green Bay Packers are poised to have the easiest.
That calculation, of course, doesn’t include the order of the games or factor in extended road trips or bye weeks. Each of those circumstances can have a significant impact on a team’s ability to navigate a path to the playoffs.
You can watch the schedule release Thursday night, followed by tons of analysis and prognostication, on both ESPN and the NFL Network. ESPN has a two-hour special starting at 8 p.m., and then switching to ESPN2 at 9 p.m. The NFL Network’s coverage also begins at 8 p.m. and runs for three hours.
How to Watch
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network, ESPN/ESPN2
Online: NFL.com, NFL Mobile, WatchESPN
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