NFL on ESPN – With a minimum six live games per week, seven hours of NFL RedZone each round, SC: NFL Blitz, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli and The Pat McAfee Show – ESPN is the place to be for everything NFL as the new season begins Friday September 8.
The Week One NFL action includes six live games – highlighted by the competitive debut of Aaron Rodgers as a New York Jet against AFC conference rivals, the Buffalo Bills.
ESPN ensures fans across Australia and New Zealand are covered for NFL content like never before, with a massive opening week schedule across ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App*.
The new NFL season begins on Friday September 8 at 10.15am AEST as the Detroit Lions face the defending Super Bowl champion, Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City start their championship defence at home against a resurgent Detroit Lions, who are showing signs of a turnaround.
The Lions went 9-8 last season, but face a massive litmus test on the opening day against Patrick Mahomes and co.
The Chiefs led the league in scoring last season and their offense was unstoppable at times. Expectations are that Kansas City will be a contender once again, favoured to go to a fourth Super Bowl in five years.
The NFL action heats up on Monday September 11, with four live NFL games across ESPN, ESPN2 and seven hours of live NFL RedZone coverage on the ESPN App*.
Monday’s live games start on ESPN at 3am AEST when the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers clash.
The 49ers have put all their stock in QB Brock Purdy, who returns from right elbow surgery to grab the starters job in Week One.
Purdy remains a perfect 5-0 in his brief NFL career but has shown enough for San Francisco to waive goodbye to previous QB’s Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.
Pittsburgh was blitzed in the AFC North last year, despite four straight wins to end the season pushing them to a 9-8 record.
T.J Watt and Alex Highsmith lead the defensive charge for the Steelers, and a win at home to begin the new season will help prove the doubters wrong.
Also, at 3am AEST, live on ESPN2, New Orleans Saints meet the Tennessee Titans to kickstart the new campaign.
New Orleans being the new season with a new Quarterback, in ex-Raider Derek Carr.
The Saints have struggled to find consistency in that position since legend Drew Brees retired, a problem Carr hopes to solve. He is one of just five QB’s to throw for at least 3500 yards in each of the past five seasons, the others being Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins.
The Titans had a season to forget in 2022-23, fading away to seven straight losses to end the campaign.
Redemption is on the mind of both sides following 7-10 win-loss records, and a win will ease the early season pressure.
Following at 6.25am AEST, the opening round blockbusters continue, when the New England Patriots collide with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles fell agonizingly short of being crowned Super Bowl champions, falling 38-35 to the Chiefs in the NFL decider.
2022-23 was a season to remember for Eagles fans and with QB Jalen Hurts running a run-pass offensive system supported by A.J Brown, Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and now D’Andre Swift – defenses will struggle to stop them flying once more.
New England have failed to get their own offense firing under QB Mac Jones, seeing a slide in red zone efficiency and points scored. The high-profile capture of ex-Dallas star Ezekiel Elliot is an attempt to reverse those issues.
The Patriots went 8-9 last season and can’t afford to start slow this time around.
Monday’s action concludes at 10.20am AEST, the Dallas Cowboys begin the season against the New York Giants in a massive NFC East grudge match.
The NFC East remains one of the most fiercely contested conferences in the NFL, where three sides (Eagles, Cowboys and Giants) made the playoffs, and all reached the divisional round.
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Such is the competition in the NFC East, this season opener could have major ramifications over the fortunes of both the Cowboys and Giants this season.
The Cowboys went 12-5 last time out but were bounced out in the divisional round by the 49ers, prompting personnel change.
The Giants have been quietly going about their work, leaving their New York counterparts (The Jets) to steal all the off-season attention.
Tuesday September 12 sees the official beginning of a new era for the Jets, as star quarterback Aaron Rodgers makes his first competitive outing against fierce rivals Buffalo – live on ESPN at 10.15am AEST.
Aaron Rodgers first competitive start in a New York Jets jersey dominates the headlines in the opening week of the season.
The multi-time league MVP made a major move to the Jets having spent 18 years with the Green Bay Packers.
New York have long frustrated their legion of fans, and the addition of Rodgers has set expectations high.
But expectations are just as high at the Bills. They’ve shown tremendous promise with QB Josh Allen pulling the strings, but they’ve come unstuck in the playoffs. If they can get rolling in the post-season, many have Buffalo at number two in the NFL.
It sets up an epic encounter to kick off the new season as two AFC East Conference Rivals go head-to-head.
Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli also returns on ESPN, with the two NFL legends giving their unique take on selected games.
ESPN will bring NFL RedZone each week, with seven hours of live coverage each Monday on the ESPN App*. A 24/7 stream of the NFL Network is also available on the ESPN App.
The Pat McAfee Show also makes it debut on ESPN this week. Airing live at 2am AEST on ESPN (replay at 6.30am AEST on ESPN2), McAfee brings his highly successful and innovative weekday sports talk and discussion program to the network, adding to ESPN’s well established personality packed NFL lineup.
NFL Week One on ESPN
Friday September 8
9.30am AEST, SC: NFL Blitz, ESPN
10.15am AEST, Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions, ESPN
Monday September 11
3am AEST, Pittsburgh Steelers vs San Francisco 49ers, ESPN
3am AEST, New Orleans Saints vs Tennessee Titans, ESPN2
3am AEST, NFL RedZone, ESPN App*
6.25am AEST, New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles, ESPN
9.30am AEST, SC: NFL Blitz, ESPN
10.15am AEST, New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys, ESPN
Tuesday September 12
10.15am AEST, New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills, ESPN
10.15am AEST, MNF with Peyton and Eli, ESPN2
*Streaming functionality on the ESPN App and ESPN.com.au is available to ESPN channel subscribers via Foxtel, Fetch TV and SKY NZ who enter their platform credentials. (Note: Kayo subscribers cannot stream via the ESPN App or ESPN.com.au). Download the ESPN App from the Apple and Android app stores.
ESPN and ESPN2 are available via Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV and SKY NZ.
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